Mississippi’s outdoor scene was certainly not lacking in newsworthy stories throughout 2025. We looked at MS-Sportsman.com and we came up with the 5 most-read stories of 2025. Hope you enjoy looking back at them.
5. Team Marbury lands monster alligator
By Michael O. Giles
On Friday night, Aug. 29, Noah Marbury and his team were hunting for a huge alligator south of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River when they located a big gator in a chute just off of the river.
“We spotted a large alligator and got hooked up with him and had quite a battle,” said Karley Hayes, a team member and veteran alligator hunter.
After a couple of close calls they gave up for the night with plans to return the next night.
Saturday night found them back in the chute searching for the alligator, but they didn’t have any luck in that area, so they headed north up the river in search of another alligator.
“We found an alligator, and we were trying to get up close enough for a cast when we heard a massive splash behind the boat,” Hayes said. “Danny Boler made a cast towards the gator, and I did too, but Danny’s hook came over the gator without a hookset.”
Hayes hooked the massive gator and the fight was on.
Read the full story here.
4. Monster gobbler taken during youth season
By Andy Douglas
Mississippi’s youth season opening weekend was good for 14-year-old Karyn Milazzo. With the help of her dad, Matt Milazzo, she was able to harvest her first gobbler, which was a gobbler of a lifetime. On Sunday morning, March 9, Karyn was able to bring home a big Wilkinson County gobbler that has a Magnolia records equivalent score of 142.
The big tom sported five beards. Beard number one was 8 3/8 inches, beard number two was 9 ½ inches, beard number three was 9 inches, beard number four was 9 ½ inches, and beard number five was 11 inches. The gobbler had long, sharp spurs, with one at 1 5/8 inches and the other at 1 3/8 inches. The bird weighed 18 pounds.
Read the full story here.
3. Nicosia harvests trophy buck in Adams County
By Michael O. Giles
Becky Nicosia woke up to a very hot and windy day on Dec. 30, 2024, so she and her fellow club members were not too excited about going deer hunting. Nicosia was hesitant to go that afternoon, but she finally decided to leave and go to the stand about 3:15 p.m., which is much later than she usually leaves to get there. Although they had been watching one buck they called “Romeo” for three years, he hadn’t been frequenting her hunting area this year. Some others were getting him on camera, although nobody had seen him.
“I knew that there was a hot doe coming into my plot, so I was hopeful she might attract a rutting buck into the field and I might get a shot,” Nicosia said. “We had nicknamed one particular buck Romeo because he really roamed everywhere and was not sticking to one area.”
It didn’t take long for the action to begin as several does came into the field followed by a nice 8-point buck. The buck chased the does back and forth and finally ran them all out of the food plot.
“After things settled down, I pulled out a Primos Can Call and hit it a couple times hoping to pull in Romeo,” Nicosia said. “Suddenly, a huge buck came out and made a beeline to the middle of the patch. I first thought to get my binoculars to look at him, but I knew it was Romeo so I pulled up my rifle and got ready to shoot when the opportunity came up.”
Read the full story here.
2. J.P. Coleman State Park
By John N. Felsher
One of the most picturesque parks in Mississippi, J.P. Coleman State Park near Iuka sits on a bluff overlooking a top national fishing destination, Pickwick Lake.
Part of the Tennessee River, Pickwick Lake spreads across 47,500 acres. For 53 miles along the river, it runs through three states from Florence, Ala., to Counce, Tenn. Well-known for producing giant smallmouth bass, the lake also delivers double-digit largemouth, striped bass, crappie, huge catfish and many other species.
“The biggest smallmouth I caught at Pickwick weighed about 8 pounds,” recalled Roger Stegall a professional bass angler, guide and Mississippi Outdoor Hall of Famer (662-423-3869, www.Fishpickwick.com) from Iuka. “I’ve probably caught about 50 smallmouth over 7 pounds at Pickwick. Very few places in Mississippi or anywhere in the South, allow anglers to catch smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass all in the same spot.”
Read the full story here.
1. Air gun accuracy
By Hunter Cook
Hitting the mark with an air gun might seem like child’s play, but if you’ve ever tried to knock over a tin can at 50 yards and ended up scaring the neighborhood squirrels instead, you know better.
Air gun accuracy is a bit of an art, and like any art, it takes a mix of finesse, patience, and practice. If you think you’re going to grab a fresh-out-of-the-box pellet gun, slap a cheap scope on it, and suddenly start splitting hairs at 40 yards, you might want to lower those expectations. Precision takes practice, and a few key factors can make or break your success.
Read the full story here.
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