According to Rick Dillard, U.S. Forest Service Fish and Wildlife coordinator and coordinator of the Magnolia Records Program, Sullivan’s buck is the highest-scoring typical buck ever taken with a modern rifle in Lauderdale County in the Magnolia Records book.
But there’s more to the kill than that.
“It is the first deer ever entered in the Boone & Crockett record book for Lauderdale County,” Dillard explained.
Yet another big plus came along for the Sullivan family: During all the late-night planning sessions and food plot preparations for hunting the buck dubbed Pea Vine, Sullivan’s wife Becky got wrapped up in the excitement and decided she would like to hunt the monster buck.
She had not hunted deer before, so Sullivan set her up with a rifle and took her on some practice sessions. Soon she was at the lease in a shooting house, and continued hunting intermittently for the two seasons of the quest for Pea Vine.
“What would have made me happier than taking the buck myself is if Becky could have killed him,” Sullivan said.
He has consistently praised Becky for her patience with the countless days and weeks spent in pursuit of Pea Vine when he could have been helping her at home.
“I owe this success to my wife,” Sullivan said.
Ricky Sullivan’s fortunes didn’t end with killing a county record-book buck: In addition to winning an ATV, he also won the drawing for $300 conducted as part of Magnolia Record Program measuring day at the Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza.
“I drew the winner from 167 entries and it was Ricky Sullivan,” Dillard said.
It has been Sullivan’s year, indeed.
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