Hunt that starts out all wrong ends with 160-class WMA tropy buck

MS-Sportsman.com user Jeffrey Byrd killed this buck, which scored more than 167 inches Boone & Crockett while hunting Sky Lake WMA on Dec. 1.

Sky Lake Wildlife Management Area produces 11-point that roughs out 167 3/8 inches Boone & Crockett.

Jeffrey Byrd’s day didn’t start off with a promising outlook.

The giant whitetail he dropped Dec. 1 that green scored 167 3/8 and had bases of almost 7 inches made thoughts of his crazy morning disappear, however.

Late to get away for a quota hunt they had been drawn for at Sky Lake WMA, Byrd and longtime friend Matt Miller finally hit the road for the drive. Byrd’s cell phone was jangling with a call from a customer seeking assistance, and his laptop froze with a corrupted file. And he had limited cell service once he got to the WMA.

“Matt drove and I worked, and we’d never been to this place before,” said Byrd, who lives in Saltillo and goes by “jbyrd929” on the MS-Sportsman.com forum. “We had gotten some advice from some guys about hunting there but didn’t know anything about the area. My whole day was busy.”

And it looked to be just a disastrous beginning to the hunt.

“When we got to the gate to hunt, a customer called and my laptop locked up and wouldn’t reboot after three times,” Byrd said. “I had to take care of the customer and had to walk on the road to get some cell service.

“I just told Matt to go on and start hunting, and I’d get in there when I could. I finally got things squared away and was able to start hunting.”

Byrd finally got into the woods and settled down for a day at the WMA, which is thick with brushy habitat amid planted oaks. Byrd and Miller used ground blinds to watch long, planted strips amid the oaks.

The WMA has limited draw opportunities each season and pressure is light; Byrd said they saw only a few hunters and little sign of deer movement, such as tracks or other sign.

After hunting all day, Byrd said a doe stepped out into the plot at what he incorrectly estimated at about 350 yards. The long lane skewed his distance perception, but he knew it was pretty far away.

“When she came out I thought it was a positive, if nothing else,” Byrd said. “Then another blip stepped out and I scoped him, and knew he was a really good buck.

“But he disappeared. I figured I’d have a good story to tell Matt.”

The doe didn’t leave, though. It milled around, getting closer to Byrd.

Then the big buck stepped out again, watching the doe intently. Apparently their little game of pre-rut fun didn’t go well, and both deer bolted.

Byrd wasn’t taking any chances and readied his .45-70 in case the deer showed themselves again – which they did.

“I eased into the trees and got behind one where I could see them but not be seen,” Byrd said. “The doe came back out in the lane, and then he stepped out. I didn’t think I’d get anything closer because of the way they were acting.”

Byrd aimed and pulled the trigger.

“When I squeezed the trigger he just walked off,” the hunter said. “He didn’t spook, nothing. I was trying to reload and watch him at the same time.

“Then he turned to go back where he came from, and I aimed a little higher and spined him. He fell right there, but I had double-lunged him the first time and didn’t know it.”

Byrd waited on Miller before going to see the buck. They’ve been friends for years, since 1st grade, and still hunt, fish, play softball and do just about everything together. He wanted Miller to share the moment.

“I finally saw his light and was trying to think of 100 lies to tell him, but all I could say was, ‘I got a monster,’” Byrd said. “He almost started running to the deer, and I made him wait up.

“He’s just that excited about hunting. When we got there and saw the silhouette we couldn’t believe it.”

The buck had 11 scorable points and “a bunch of little stickers and gnarly stuff,” Byrd said.

The bases were 6 ¾ inches around, and the rack had a 20 1/2-inch inside spread. Byrd said a game warden green scored it at 167 3/8 inches Boone & Crockett.

The deer weighed 213 pounds.

See other photos of this deer in the Nikon Big Buck Photo Contest forum.

“It has so much character that you can’t see in the pictures,” Byrd said. “The left side has a hole you can stick a finger into where the antler forks. It probably goes an inch or 2, and was full of mud. On the other side there’s a smaller hole, and in the middle of his head there was a half-inch diameter antler that was broke off, too.

“He is definitely a buck of a lifetime for me.”

See other bucks killed this season – and enter photos of your own – in the Nikon Big Buck Photo Contest, which is free to registered users of this site.

Everyone who enters the contest – no matter how big or small the buck – is eligible for a drawing for a pair of Nikon Monarch ATB 10×42 binoculars!

Not a member of the Sportsman team yet? It’s free! Just fill out the short registration form to get started today!

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply