In the January issue we covered the topic of “aging bucks on the hoof.” As pointed out, the art of “eyeball aging” of live bucks has traditionally relied on their being classified by relatively clear physiological body characteristics, patterns of behavior and relative antler size differences. […]
A bill that would allow private land deer hunters to use their choice of weapons during Mississippi’s primitive weapons season was shot down Wednesday (Feb. 27) by a close vote in the Senate.
But there is still a slim chance that House Bill 1139 could be recalled for another vote before the March 14 deadline for reconsideration. […]
On the surface, Senate Bill 2048 appears to be a loss for the Mississippi Bowhunters Association, the strong lobby group that represents a few thousand members and all archers in general.
But language in the bill that would legalize crossbows for all hunters during any deer season also provides a compromise that gives the MBA something it has been seeking for several years — reaffirming in state statute the right to use bows and arrows during any open deer season.
“You just have to read it closely,” said archer James Turner of Jackson. “When I first read it, I just thought it was a crossbow bill, and then when I read it again, I saw where it meant so much more.” […]
So even after four months of open seasons on white-tailed deer you still haven’t had enough? You started bow hunting the first of October and wrapped up final seasons in January for the Delta and Hill zones with the last primitive weapons, archery and crossbow seasons. […]
Two pieces of legislation that would definitely lead to changes in the way Mississippians hunt have cleared their first two hurdles in the state’s House of Representatives and Senate.
Senate Bill 2048, passed by the Senate’s Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee on Monday (Jan. 28) would allow any hunter with a primitive weapon or archery permit “irrespective of age or disability” to hunt with a crossbow during any archery or primitive weapon deer season.
House Bill 1139, which got committee approval Thursday (Jan. 31), would allow hunters on certain private lands to use their “weapon of choice” during any regular or special primitive weapon season. […]
Hunters across the state complained of poor deer sightings during the 2012-13 season. Even the keeper of the Magnolia Records had a down season. […]
While most deer hunters have already put their guns and bows away for the season, or will after today’s final day in the Hill and Delta zones, those in the southeast corner of Mississippi remain in a rut.
Make that, The Rut.
“It’s true that down here in the southeasternmost part of the state the primary reproductive period for deer is much later than the rest of Mississippi,” said Justin Thayer, the region’s deer biologist for the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “We have such a large geographical difference between north and south that we see a large variance in the rut. […]
In mid-December, Burton Swoope of Belden had a gut feeling and a few days off remaining. He put those two together and drove south toward his deer camp near Columbus for a day he won’t soon forget.
“I knew the rut was on and I just decided to use a vacation day and hunt this particular Wednesday,” said Swoope, the plant manager of a concrete plant in Pontotoc.
The result: a 15-point buck that green-scored a gross of 167 5/8 and a net of 153 6/8. It is a thick and long but not particularly wide mainframe 11-point with four sticker points.
It is a brute, and the result of two decades of management on family property in the Golden Triangle area of the historically productive deer region known as the Black Belt Prairie.
“I killed him on family land outside of Columbus, where we’ve been under some type of management program for about 20 years,” Swoope said. “We started back in the early 90’s just trying to shoot 8-pointers or better. Now we try to only take fairly mature bucks, regardless of points, and a few does. It’s paid off with some really nice bucks over the years but as far as I know he’ll be the highest scoring ever killed on our land.” […]
You won’t hear Billy Bean of Una cursing the rainy weather that plagued deer hunters over the final week of the gun season throughout Mississippi. […]
Kevin Medlin didn’t have time to think about such things as rewriting Mississippi’s archery record book when a monster buck walked out of a thicket 50 yards from his stand on Nov. 11 in DeSoto County.
“I didn’t even have time to get nervous,” Medlin said. “It all happened so fast. I guess from the time I saw him to the time I watched him crash down in a thicket wasn’t much more than a minute, if it was that long. It all happened that quick.”
A green score that day produced over 190 inches gross, beginning a long wait for the 60-day drying period to pass. Friday, the wait ended when the 13-point — a mainframe 10 with three sticker points — was proclaimed the new state record for typical deer by bow. […]
When Jennifer Mayfield of Madison was preparing to shoot her first buck, which happened to be a Yazoo County whopper, she didn’t have to calm her nerves so much as, well, those of her hunting partner. […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part two of a 12-part series in which renowned wildlife photographer Tommy Kirkland gives readers an inside look into the private world of whitetail deer.Click here to read more on Deer Dynamics: Post-Rut […]
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