> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://big-buck-journal.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Maryland Couple Tags Two Big Bucks 400 Yards Apart - URL: https://big-buck-journal.ghost.io/maryland-couple-tags-two-big-bucks-400-yards-apart/ - Published: 2026-09-24T15:49:40.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-24T15:49:40.000Z - Author: Dale Richey Two Maryland stands sat 400 yards apart. By dark, Susanne and Darrel Steffy each had a big buck down. ![Big Buck Journal](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/bda7b12e-9dc4-4b8e-b592-b9edddcfc7d1/BBJ_Logo2-removebg-preview.png?t=1780529087) The buck, the why, and the gear [ ![Kings Camo](https://www.ftjcfx.com/image-101631136-17068371) ](https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-101631136-17068371?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) Maryland Couple Tags Two Big Bucks 400 Yards Apart. Susanne and Darrel Steffy knew good bucks were feeding in the soybean fields they hunt in northeast Maryland. They set ladder stands along two different wood lines about 400 yards apart and settled in for the same evening sit. Darrel’s opportunity came first. Susanne did not know that when her own buck turned and started walking the tree line toward her. At 30 yards, it stopped broadside. She took the shot, watched him run into the opposite timber, and called Darrel for help. His answer was simple: he had a buck down too. Let’s dive in. The Buck 𐂂 Maryland whitetail · Crossbow · Soybean fields · September 21, 2026 400 YARDS APART 30 YARD SHOT 13 POINTS Trail-camera photos had already shown Susanne and Darrel that good bucks were using the beans. They hunted the same property from separate ladder stands, each covering a different field edge. Susanne saw mostly does until about 6:30 p.m., when bucks began filtering into the soybeans roughly 150 yards away. A larger buck stepped from the timber about 80 yards from Susanne and initially moved away. Then it turned and followed the tree line toward her stand. When the deer reached 30 yards and stood broadside, Susanne sent a crossbow arrow completely through it. The buck crossed the beans and disappeared into the wood line on the far side. Darrel had already taken his own buck about an hour earlier. His 11-point stepped from the woods at 40 yards, turned broadside, and ran about 75 yards before falling in the beans. After loading the 225-pound deer, Darrel and several family members followed Susanne’s blood trail across the field and found her 13-point, 200-pound buck just inside the opposite timber. Both deer were headed for the taxidermist. 𐂂 Field Fact Maryland DNR says crossbows may be used during the entire deer bow season in all counties. The state’s definition of a bow includes compound, recurve, straight-limb bows, and crossbows. [Read the Full Story ](https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/maryland-crossbow-couple-doubles-on-big-bucks-the-same-evening/?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) ![](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/a7a470a3-132d-4efe-bde3-ac4375901c2f/Big_Buck_Journal__18_.png?t=1780524494) The Woodsman’s Edge 𐂂 Two hunters can share a property without hunting each other’s hunt. Susanne and Darrel were only about 400 yards apart, but each stand covered its own field and its own deer movement. The evening worked because neither hunter had to abandon a good setup to manage the other person’s hunt. 𐂂 Split the property before the sit. Decide which field, trail, or travel route belongs to each hunter and keep entry and exit paths from crossing the deer movement the other person is watching. 𐂂 Agree on communication before legal light. A buzzing phone should not make someone climb down at the wrong time. Know what deserves an immediate call and what can wait until the sit is finished. 𐂂 Coordinate the recovery after the shot. Mark the last place you saw the deer, read the arrow and sign, and give the animal appropriate time based on the hit. Once it is time to track, extra lights and extra hands can make an after-dark recovery much cleaner. Layers That Work Past Last Light This one started in warm soybean fields and ended after dark with two deer to recover. I like hunting clothes that can handle the sit, the walk, and the work after the shot without making the system complicated. Kings Camo is the kind of practical lineup I’d look at for that. [ ![Kings Camo hunting gear](https://www.lduhtrp.net/image-101631136-17068372) ](https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-101631136-17068372?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) ![](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/a7a470a3-132d-4efe-bde3-ac4375901c2f/Big_Buck_Journal__18_.png?t=1780524494) The Field Call 𐂂 Would You Track It Now? 30 yards. Broadside buck. Pass-through. He runs across the beans into the opposite tree line. You saw the hit but not the fall. Light is fading, your partner is 400 yards away, and family can be there soon. You found the arrow and there is blood at the edge of the field. What’s your move? [Mark The Line And Give It Time ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/6e/8c6e93d4-78db-4e2a-9e0f-2b8581640c45/content/images/2026/09/bbj-12.png?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) [Take The Trail Immediately ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/6e/8c6e93d4-78db-4e2a-9e0f-2b8581640c45/content/images/2026/09/bbj-12.png?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) [Drive The ATV To The Treeline ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/6e/8c6e93d4-78db-4e2a-9e0f-2b8581640c45/content/images/2026/09/bbj-12.png?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) Tap your call to see why Dale slows the recovery down after a good-looking hit. ![](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/a7a470a3-132d-4efe-bde3-ac4375901c2f/Big_Buck_Journal__18_.png?t=1780524494) Gear Bench 𐂂 ![Primos Bloodhunter HD Head Lamp](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/6e/8c6e93d4-78db-4e2a-9e0f-2b8581640c45/content/images/2026/09/Change-Color-to-White--20-.png) Primos Bloodhunter HD Head Lamp $39.99 *Dale’s note:* When a blood trail starts after dark, I want both hands free and a light that is actually built for the job. The Primos Bloodhunter HD Head Lamp uses a proprietary filter designed to make reds and pinks stand out against the ground, and it also has a low white-light mode for walking and map reading. It runs on three AAA batteries and the lamp angle is adjustable, which is exactly the kind of simple recovery tool I’d rather have in the pack before I need it. [Check the Gear ](https://www.scheels.com/p/101350-61109.html?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) ![](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/a7a470a3-132d-4efe-bde3-ac4375901c2f/Big_Buck_Journal__18_.png?t=1780524494) The Last Word 𐂂 Susanne and Darrel did not make the evening complicated. They hunted separate field edges, stayed in their own setups, and let the deer movement come to them. Darrel’s buck hit the ground first. Susanne did not know that when her 13-point worked down the tree line and stopped broadside at 30 yards. She made her shot, called for help, and only then learned there were two recoveries to handle. The double is the fun part of the story. The useful part is how little either hunter had to disrupt the other person’s hunt. If you share a property with a spouse, friend, or family member, make the communication and recovery plan before the evening gets busy. If you hunt the same property with someone else, do you stay in touch during the sit or go radio silent until dark? Reply and tell me. Hunt your stand. Coordinate the recovery. ![Dale Richey headshot](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/6d6f9854-bed6-4fa7-a9a2-aa4ab9e4b9ea/BBJ-AuthorHeadshot__2_.png?t=1780581127) Dale Richey Big Buck Journal Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, Big Buck Journal may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.