Monster bucks on the loose

By By Mike Giles / outdoors writer
Dec. 26, 2003
Shortly after sunup I made my way deeper into the hardwood timber in search of a deer. Only a couple of days prior I had been in these woods looking for deer when I spooked several rack bucks. Three of them were better than anything I had ever seen with spreads in excess of 20 inches.
As I stalked slowly I stepped lightly, first one step then two, followed by three, four and five. At the end of each short sequence I would stop, look and listen as I scanned the horizon for the flicker of a tail, twitch of an ear or glint of antlers. On this day I was limited only by my imagination.
A couple of years ago, another hunter had traversed these same woods. On that day he was successful beyond his wildest dreams. The old weather-worn hunter harvested the buck of a lifetime; spooked over him by a novice hunter. The novice had seen only the white flag of a huge deer. The lucky veteran hunter learned that the deer sported close to thirty points and weighed 275 pounds!
Could there have ever been a better deer than this in these woods, or even Mississippi for that matter? The buck looked as if it had been taken in Canada where whitetails of that size abound. But no, it had surely come from right here at home! Could there be another left for me?
Corn, Soybeans and Acorns
The area I was hunting is located in the Mississippi Delta and is home to some of the finest whitetail habitat in the world. Not only are there big deer, but they also have lots of food to eat. Soybeans and corn are planted in huge fields and left for the game. As summer turns to fall, the deer have an ample supply of acorns, soybeans and corn. The corn stood tall and was waiting on the stalk like candy for a baby.
In this case there were acres and acres of corn. Deer, turkey, hogs, squirrels and raccoons were all feasting on the bountiful crops. There were so many deer and other game tracks around the corn patches that I thought I was dreaming. There was plenty of corn and the deer were tearing it up. And the best part, it was legal to hunt. Yes you heard me right. The wildlife management personnel had planted the crops in a normal agricultural manner and left the corn there for the benefit of all species, including yours truly.
During one afternoon I watched intently as deer, raccoon, and squirrels all feasted in the lush corn field. No sooner would one animal come in than another would appear. It would not be a problem spotting a buck. It was the first time I had hunted around a corn field.
As I continued on through the woods on the final day of my hunt, I was poised to harvest a deer. All of my senses were at full alert and ready for action. Patience was mine on this day as I moved only a few steps at a time. I stalked for perhaps a quarter of a mile spanning a time of approximately two hours.
Suddenly there was a crash and the woods exploded only thirty feet in front of me. The monster buck I had been looking for all of my life was suddenly directly in front of me. The wise old buck was bedded down in a small patch of wisteria that covered approximately thirty feet in a circular area around an old dead tree. The vines only grew a couple of feet off the ground.
The Confrontation
From that vantage point he could see 180 degrees in all directions for a couple hundred yards as the hardwood timber was wide open and devoid of undergrowth. At first glance I surmised that the old buck weighed in excess of 200 pounds, much better than anything I had ever seen before. The large rack looked to be 24 inches wide and sported 10 or more points.
The buck of a lifetime looked to be moving in slow motion as I admired his massive rack. Once I came to my senses I brought up my rifle and slowly centered the crosshairs on the monster. As I settled the crosshairs just behind his shoulder I lightly touched the trigger but nothing happened. I had never taken the rifle off of safety.
All I could do was watch the buck as he slowly covered a couple of hundred yards and disappeared into the landscape and became a part of my hunting memories. Before you think Im crazy just take my advice; never sign up for a doe hunt when you can't shoot a buck.
For you see, on this hunt I had to take a doe first, to be able to come back and harvest a buck at a later date. Trophy bucks literally ran over me the entire hunt. A month later during the buck hunt, all I saw was small bucks. Oh sure, there were a couple of shooters in the bunch, but none as massive as the ones I saw during my doe hunt. For once I had the buck of a lifetime in my crosshairs, and all I could do was watch, imagine that.