Long-Distance Operator

Some hunters talk of 500-yard shots, but this Moselle hunter has the deer on his wall to prove his long-distance shooting skill.

Joe Poole had been cooling his heels in his truck for much of the day last Jan. 13, watching a huge bean field that was literally full of deer. It was four days after a major snowfall, and the cold weather had deer up and moving.

“The deer had been feeding in the field all day,” Poole said of the property along the Yazoo River in Holmes County. “Snow was still down in the woods, and the ground was still frozen.”

But the Moselle hunter wasn’t just out for some wildlife watching — he was hunting. Yes, there was a stand right next to his truck, but Poole didn’t climb into it for a couple of reasons.

First, the truck was just more comfortable. And then there was the fact that Poole needed a rock-solid rest if he decided to take a shot, and the stand just wasn’t up to his standards.

Deer came and went, with many being does. But Poole’s eyes were glued to his 16-power Bushnell binoculars, staring at some bucks that made his heart rate accelerate.

“I was actually outside the truck spotting a deer at 1,100 yards,” Poole said.

The buck was huge, which was proven by the fact that he could clearly see the rack from such a distance.

Although salivating at the thought of taking such a monster buck, Poole didn’t even consider trying to sneak closer. He knew he would never make it before the deer spooked – especially since there were 28 other deer in the field at that point.

“I had seen several 150 (inch deer), close to 200 inches,” Poole said of earlier hunts. “They were all at 500 to 600 yards distance.”

Although he knew exactly which trails these bucks were using to enter the field, it had proven impossible to ambush them from close distances.

“Trying to get … close (enough to set up a stand), it messes them up — and you never see them again,” he said.

So what is an avid hunter to do? Poole said it was at that point that he decided it was time to move forward with a dream of his to shoot deer at extreme distances.

“I went and built a rifle to shoot these distances,” he explained.

But on this afternoon he was just watching the massive buck, with 1,100 yards being a bit farther than even Poole wanted to stretch out a shot.

And then the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

“Ever get the feeling something is watching you?” Poole said.

He lowered the binoculars, and looked toward a portion of the field where he had earlier seen a lone doe. It was an area that deer seldom used, but a quick glance spiked Poole’s adrenaline.

A buck had joined the doe, and it was much closer than the truly massive deer Poole had been watching.

Antlers were visible with the naked eye — one clue it was a nice buck — but when Poole glassed the deer he was satisfied it would make the team.

The only trick left was to range the shot, a feat that proved to be difficult because Poole said few rangefinders will accurately gauge distances on a deer past 500 yards — and the buck was well past that mark.

But the deer wasn’t giving the hunter much time to think: It already was walking toward the safety of the woods.

“I didn’t have time to do a lot of figuring,” Poole said. “I had to put the rifle up and shoot.”

Fortunately, he had done his homework earlier, and knew the approximate distance to the area.

Poole quickly pulled his rest into place on the hood of his truck and settled his rifle in place, pulled the rifle butt into his shoulder and squeezed off a shot.

Because of the distance, Poole had time to absorb the kick of the rifle and put the scope back on the deer to watch as the bullet made impact.

“You literally can get back on the deer and watch the bullet hit the deer,” he said. “I watched the buck swell and then shrink back. That’s a trip.”

“The buck made a couple of jumps and fell.”

The animal never moved again.

A few minutes later, Poole was driving his truck along the road on the edge of the field to collect the trophy.

And when he pulled up, he was stunned because all he knew when he fired was that the deer had an impressive amount of calcium growing from its head.

“I’m not looking at points,” he said. “I’m looking for mass.”

But the deer was a bit more than he expected. It was a huge 10-point with thick main beams stretching well outside of the ears and featuring soaring G3s.

It was officially scored at 142 inches Boone & Crockett during the 2011 Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza. The finished mount can be seen in the Extravaganza photo gallery at http://ow.ly/7y7Le.

Standing next to the downed deer on Jan. 13, Poole pulled out his rangefinder and pointed it at the box stand beside which his truck was parked. Rangefinders are very accurate with reflective surfaces, so he was confident he’d get an accurate reading.

The Bushnell read 698 yards.

One might be tempted to say Poole’s kill was just dumb, blind luck. But the deer was actually the third buck he killed during the 2010-11 season with shots longer than 500 yards.

One of the deer — shot at 680 yards — was actually hit twice.

“I shot him once, and nothing happened,” Poole said. “Then he turned and walked away from me. When he had taken several steps, he stopped and just started shaking.

“He turned broadside, and I shot again.”

The impact points were close enough to satisfy most hunters at 100 yards.

“The first shot cut the top of his heart,” Poole said. “The second one was about an inch higher.”

He confirmed this because the deer turned between shots, so there were impact points on both sides of the deer.

Killing that deer was made a bit easier by the fact that it hung around for so long, allowing Poole to really think about the distance involved and settle on a plan.

“I spent two hours messing with my rangefinder trying to get it to range the deer,” he said.

Despite the three deer killed at that distance, Poole has been told there was no way his distances were correct, but he isn’t put off.

“Me and the good Lord know how far I killed that deer,” he said.

Others are harsher, saying long-distance shots are just foolish.

“I had someone the other day tell me I was stupid (for taking such long-distance shots),” Poole admitted.

To those, he simply points to the racks hanging on his wall — and offers a deal.

“I tell them $100 a shot,” Poole said. “They can buy the shells, and it’ll cost them $100 each time I put a bullet through the chest (of a deer).

“If I miss, I’ll pay them $100.”