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.
“Finally,” Web said.
Click here for a different view of the buck.
The kill came while Web hunted his Madison County club, with Web climbing into a stand overlooking a food plot along the Big Black River. But the choice of stands wasn’t automatic.
“I rolled into camp early, undecided on what stand to hunt,” he explained. “I made a quick call to another member and friend Mike Willoughby for his opinion on which stand I should hunt.
“His answer was quick and clear, ‘Go to the river.’”
Willoughby’s reasoning was simple.
“Mike had been to this particular stand the evening before and saw several good bucks, but no real shooters,” Webb said.
Willoughby’s advice seemed to be confirmed even before the hunter climbed into the stand.
“When I got out of my vehicle going up to the stand at about 3 in the afternoon, there was one 8-point and two does in the food plot,” Webb said.
And the action continued apace.
“As the afternoon passed on more deer filtered into the plot, and several bucks were in the group,” Webb said. “They kept chasing does in and out of the woods.”
About 4:45 p.m., Webb was snatched to attention by a buck running out of the woods. Club rules mandated bucks tape out a minimum of 140 inches, and Webb knew this latest deer that was more than 180 yards away was worth a closer look.
“I got my binoculars up for a look and realized this buck had an extreme palmated rack,” he said. “He was definitely a shooter.”
Webb quickly traded his binoculars for his rifle, and quickly brought it to bear. Almost too late.
“As I placed my gun out of the shooting window of the blind, the buck started running for the woods line,” he said. “The buck was just going into the woods as I pulled the trigger.
“The buck hit the ground, and stumbled out of sight into the timber.”
Less than 30 seconds had passed since the deer stepped into the green patch, and Webb was adrenaline packed.
“I was nervous about the shot, so I texted (buddy) Gerald (Moore) to inform him of what happened,” Webb said. “He told me to head back to camp and they would gather up a search party posse.”
When they returned to the scene, the buck was only about 50 yards into the woods.
“At my first glance at the buck, I knew I had harvested a deer of a lifetime,” Webb said.
Indeed he had.
The 212-pound buck had a 10-point rack with thick palmated calcium at the bases of the G2s and G3s on either side. The head gear green scored 171.
“I’ve been hunting over 40 years and never dreamed of harvesting the greatest trophy deer of my lifetime in Mississippi,” Webb said.
He can stop dreaming.
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