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.
“On the drive over, all I did was worry that I would either miss or shoot a buck that was too young,” Becky Morgan said. “Allen had cautioned me about the difficulty in judging distance in the massive fields on the property. He also made it clear that the Burkleys have an intense deer-management program in place and would not be happy if I harvested anything but a mature buck.”
Becky Morgan arrived at her stand around 3 p.m. on Jan. 8, with her husband hunting from another stand in an adjacent field.
After a short time, the freezing north wind forced Becky Morgan to shut the window on that side of the box stand. And you guessed it: A giant buck came out on the side of the stand with the closed window.
Fortunately, the buck paid no attention to Becky Morgan as she carefully raised the window. Although she was able to get the crosshairs on the big deer, she questioned herself about whether it was big enough to shoot. But before she could make a decision, the buck turned and walked back into the woods.
Hoping the animal would return and give her a better look, Becky Morgan continued to scan the tree line. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, a doe emerged from the brush. The hunter knew that the buck shouldn’t be far behind.
Moments later she caught a glimpse of the shining white tipped antlers moving through the timber.
“Come on out big boy!” Becky Morgan pleaded under her breath.
Finally the monster eased into the field to check out the doe. It then turned and started walking directly toward Becky Morgan with its head held low.
“When I saw that his antlers were wider than his body, I knew that he was big enough to shoot,” she said. “The only problem was I couldn’t stop shaking from the excitement.”
Waiting for the bruiser to turn broadside, Becky Morgan placed the crosshairs on the buck’s shoulder and squeezed off a round. The buck jumped and made a mad dash back into the timber.
At that point, Becky began questioning her shot. Thinking that she might have missed, she continued scanning the tree line hoping the buck would come back out in the field.
“It was about that time I heard Allen shoot,” Becky Morgan recalled. “I was going to be really mad at him if he shot my buck.”
Soon the guys all showed up to help look for her deer. As they approached the area the buck had exited the field, Allen Morgan commented that he could smell the musty odor of a rutting buck. And his assessment was correct; the buck had made it only 15 yards before collapsing in the thick brush.
“Hey y’all, this one didn’t ground shrink; he got bigger!” Becky Morgan shouted. “I will probably hunt the rest of my life and never see another giant buck like this one.”
The massive 5 ½-year-old 10-pointer would later green score over 160 inches of antler with almost 6-inch bases; a 20 2/8-inch inside spread; 27-inch main beams; and long, thick tines.
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