Month: January 2011

Deer Hunting

Young Gulf Coast hunter rings in New Year with 170-inch buck

January 19, 2011 Cliff Covington

Rather than ring in the New Year in Pass Christian shooting fireworks, 16-year-old Jonathon Allen opted to celebrate by spending the holiday weekend with family and friends at their 2,400-acre hunting lease in Yazoo County near Vaughan. It had been six long years since Jonathon had scored on a buck, and he was more than ready to change his luck.

Allen knew the property was home to a number of very large bucks. The day after Christmas his dad had missed a monster buck that was farther out in the field than he had estimated. And Jonathon’s uncle had been hot on the trail of a giant 9-pointer he had spotted earlier in the season. […]

Deer Hunting

160-inch buck gives Brookhaven hunter second shot

January 18, 2011 Cliff Covington

There are all kinds of deer-hunting stories about the big one that got away. And Becky Morgan of Brookhaven almost had one of those stories to tell. Actually, if her husband and hunting buddy Allen Morgan had not convinced her to join him on an afternoon hunt in Jefferson County, this story would have a much different ending.

Allen Morgan, an accomplished taxidermist, had been invited to hunt with good friends Stan and Brian Burkley on their premier deer-hunting grounds near the Mississippi River. Having hunted the property on two previous occasions, Allen Morgan knew some monster whitetails roamed those bottomland hardwoods. He also knew this would be a rare opportunity for his wife to harvest that trophy of a lifetime. […]

Deer Hunting

Claiborne County hunter scores 166-inch 8-point

January 14, 2011 Cliff Covington

On the afternoon of Dec. 4, an approaching cold front prompted Vicksburg’s Chase Bradley to head for his favorite deer stand on the edge of a 100-acre green field in Claiborne County. Bradley likes to hunt on cloudy, overcast days and this particular afternoon certainly fit the bill.

With a stiff northwesterly wind and a hazy sky, the conditions were perfect for catching a big buck sneaking out of the dense thicket to feed on the succulent green grass. […]

Deer Hunting

Madison County hunt yeilds 171-inch bruiser

January 12, 2011 John J. Woods

The light of enthusiasm tends to dim somewhat over the years as some deer hunters waiting on a chance at a trophy buck. This might describe the buck-hunting tenure of Jack Webb of Madison County, but his long wait is over.

Webb took that proverbial “buck of a lifetime” on Dec. 27. The 170-class deer has renewed the hunter’s energy and dedication to the sport. […]

Deer Hunting

200-inch buck killed after two-year pursuit

January 11, 2011 Cliff Covington

August 2009 marked the beginning of an amazing whitetail adventure for 24-year-old Casey Orr, who decided to do a little pre-season scouting on his family’s farm in Choctaw County in preparation for the upcoming deer season.

The baseball coach at nearby Starkville Academy arrived at a vantage point on a power line right-of-way overlooking a distant clover plot, and he could hardly believe his eyes: A monster buck with a gigantic set of palmated antlers was in the green patch. […]

Featured Story

Spillway Spectacular

January 7, 2011 Phillip Gentry

“The colder the weather, the better the fishing gets” is the way professional angler Kent Driscoll describes the crappie fishing behind the dam at Ross Barnett Reservoir.

The spillway that turns the Pearl River impoundment back into the Pearl River is a well-known hotspot for crappie anglers throughout the year. One reason for the magnetism of the area is the moving water spilling through the dam draws baitfish from the far reaches of the Pearl and also from the Ross Barnett impoundment itself. […]