Dinwiddie 10-year-old harvests 10-point buck, wins numerous Big Game Contest awards

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DINWIDDIE — A local 10-year-old bagged a "buck of a lifetime." Wyatt Thomas Bain of Dinwiddie entered the deer into the 85th Virginia Peninsula Sportsmen's Association [VPSA] Big Game Contest on Aug. 2. The competition was held at the three-day 41st annual Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show [VOSS] at the Meadow Event Park in Doswell.

"As soon as Wyatt and his dad walked into register his buck, we knew he had a special deer," Michael "Mike" Jones, VPSA president, said.

"When we dropped Wyatt’s buck off, we had a good idea that he would place but never thought he was going to win the trophy that he did," Bain's dad, Billy Bain, said.

Bain's 10-point buck won the overall Youth Virginia State Championship. It scored 201 6/16 under the Virginia scoring system . "I was excited that I killed a deer and could take it to the show. I didn't know I'd win all those awards," Bain said.

"To say we were speechless is an understatement. We are so proud and happy for him," Bain's dad said. "He killed it on a friend's Dinwiddie land in October last year."

"I was shocked the deer scored that high. Getting to see the excitement on his face as he kept getting called for awards was something truly unforgettable," Bain's mother, Ashleigh Bain, said.

Bain, a Dinwiddie Elementary School student, won a prestigious trophy named after the late Kenneth R. Pickin, a VPSA president for 22 years. The memorial trophy is awarded for the largest deer harvested in Virginia by a youngster.

"Ken passed away in 2017, and ever since then, we have dedicated this award to him as he sought to further youth hunting in all of the Commonwealth," Jones shared. "Ken Pickin’s granddaughter [Ellie Pickin, 14] was in attendance and handed Wyatt the trophy which made it even more special."

VPSA Big Game Contest: 10-year-old bags 10-pointer

At the VOSS, Bain was presented with the following four awards for his 10-point white-tailed buck mounted by Matt Jones, owner of Custom Whitetail Taxidermy in Tappahannock:

• 1st place in Youth Deer for Eastern Region
• 2nd place for Deer (9/10/11-point with firearm) for Eastern Region
• 1st place in Youth Deer for state of Virginia
• The Kenneth R. Pickin Award for largest Youth Deer in Virginia
• 2nd place for Deer (9/10/11-point with firearm) in Virginia

According to his father, Bain has harvested 10 deer, his first when he was four years old, two turkeys and numerous rabbits, squirrels, ducks, geese and doves.

"We're a big hunting family. It's something we all do together. Wyatt's not like most kids playing with a Play Station or tablet. He likes to hunt, fish and participate in outdoor activities," Billy Bain said. "His sister Presleigh tags along with us for fun." The future hunter turned four in May.

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Virginia Peninsula Sportsmen's Association: Big Game Contest

The VPSA founded the Big Game Contest in 1940. It is sanctioned by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources [DWR] and features large deer, bear and turkey harvested throughout Virginia during the last hunting season.

"Overall, the event featured a record 400 deer, turkey and bear. All were on display for VOSS attendees to view. This was our best turnout in contest history. In 2022, we saw 335 entries, and in 2021, we reached our previous record number of entries with 392," Jones said.

"The VPSA put on a tremendous show, and I’m proud of the strides the DWR has made in Virginia to make this possible," Ryan Brown, Virginia DWR executive director, said. "Mike Jones told me this was the smoothest running show he has led since he has taken it over."

According to Jones, over 10,000 members of the public attended VOSS to view the entries, and 45 VPSA volunteers spent a year planning and executing the contest. The Virginia DWR supports the group, but VPSA, headquartered in Williamsburg, manages the contest entirely with its cadre of well-trained volunteers.

"I am so blessed to be heading an organization that cares so much to volunteer their time to highlight the accomplishments of the hunters of Virginia," Jones noted.

Hunters for the Hungry: Bucket passed, $700 raised

At the VPSA awards ceremony held on Aug. 4 with 600 people in attendance, a bucket was passed around to raise money for Hunters for the Hungry. A total of $700 was dropped into it.

"The money raised will allow them to process and distribute essential protein going to men, women and children struggling with hunger," Jones said. "To date, the passing of the bucket has raised over $12,000 for Hunters for the Hungry."

The tradition of dropping donations in a bucket at the annual VPSA State Show started in 1997. Attendees' generosity has provided Hunters for the Hungry the opportunity to process and distribute a total of 7,240 pounds, 28,960 quarter-pound servings, to the citizens of the Commonwealth who deal with hunger every day.

Since 1991, Virginia's hunters have donated enough venison to provide over 31,698,504 servings for people in need. Hunters for the Hungry's 2024 goal is 200,000 pounds, 800,000 servings, to help address food insecurity throughout Virginia.

Virginia Peninsula Sportsmen's Association crowns winners

VPSA crowned many new Virginia State Champions in 14 divisions. Visit vpsa.org to view the entire list of contest results. Congratulations to all the winners and entries.

Dewitt native Hugh Crittenden created and owned the VOSS for 33 years until he sold it in 2016. Every year, he attends his pride and joy to say hello to the vendors, volunteers and special guests. As the Chesterfield resident walks through each row of contest entries, he stops often in admiration. He was quite impressed with Bain's buck.

"I hope everybody realizes that this is the future of our hunting in Virginia, and we need to put more time into our young population, both male and female," Crittenden, a hunter and retired taxidermist, said. "This is what most people that hunt try to accomplish, but it doesn't happen that often. This young man has done it at 10 years old."

"Kid is one in a million. Big heart and very respectful young man that is crazy about the sport," Hunting buddy CJ Reed of Matoaca posted on Facebook. "Congrats Wyatt, you deserve it and many more big bucks to come buddy. Keep being you kid."

I asked Bain if he thought he would be able to harvest an even more impressive buck in the future. He responded, "Maybe. I'm going to keep trying."

Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on X and @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.

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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Dinwiddie 10-year-old harvests 10-point buck, wins numerous Big Game Contest awards