deer Archives - Page 66 of 68 - Mississippi Sportsman

Mature bucks vigorously rub traditional signpost trees used through the years.

The Old Traditional Deer Rub

November 1, 2011 Tommy Kirkland

The rut is close. By procreative instinct, a mature hefty 8-pointer traverses the land. Ascending a bluff ridge, the persistent male steadily climbs the steep vegetative terrain with ease. […]

Washington Parish resident and long-time Bogue Chitto Refuge hunter Alan Williams says that variable power scopes turned down to their lowest setting are perfect for quickly zeroing in on animals in thick woods.

Before Hurricane Katrina, Washington Parish deer hunter Alan Williams hunted Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge from the ground because he wanted to. Now, more than six years after the historic hurricane, he hunts from the ground because he has to. […]

John White arrowed this fine Madison County buck on Oct. 19 in Madison County. The buck scored 145 3/8 by Gold 'N' Guns of Ridgeland, and was entered into the Mississippi Big Buck Bounty contest.

Big Buck Bounty awards Mississippi’s best bucks

October 25, 2011 Mississippi Sportsman

The Magnolia State is home to so many trophy bucks that Mississippi hunters know there’s no need to hunt anywhere else. That’s why US 96.3 and Mississippi Sportsman magazine are teaming up to sponsor the Big Buck Bounty contest, which is open exclusively to deer killed in Mississippi. […]

John White thought he missed his chance at this 169-inch Madison County deer, but found it not far away. He entered the buck into the Big Buck Bounty contest. Pictured with White is daughter Rylee.

Flora farmer arrows Madison County 14-point

October 25, 2011 Andy Crawford

John White had been watching a trio of bucks during late summer on the farm on which he lives, but one of the deer stood out from the rest. […]

November issue to begin hitting mailboxes next week

October 19, 2011 Mississippi Sportsman

Mississippi Sportsman’s staff sent the November issue to the printer yesterday (Oct. 18). Subscribers can begin looking for it in their mailboxes on Monday (Oct. 24). […]

Young bucks that are 2½ to 3½ years old can ravage the landscape with signposting behaviors.

Deer Dynamics: Signposting

October 28, 2010 Tommy Kirkland

Along the forest edge, a whitetail buck hesitates beneath the overhanging branches of a pine tree. Then with ease, the animal stretches its neck up toward a particular limb and begins to rub its mouth and forehead on the limb. Closing its eyelids, it resumes this behavior on the tree.
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Bogue Chitto's Kolby Byrd had opportunities to kill this 150-inch buck during previous hunting seasons, but he let it walk in hopes it would grow into a truly trophy buck. His hopes became reality Oct. 5 when he arrowed the Claiborne County deer.

Patience yields 150-inch Claiborne County trophy

October 22, 2010 Cliff Covington

Lots of Mississippi deer hunters claim to practice quality deer management, but few are more serious about it than Kolby Byrd of Bogue Chitto. This 20-year-old hunter already has a number of trophy whitetails under his belt, each attributed to following intensive deer management practices.

And while bowhunting a tract of family land near Hermanville on Oct. 6, Byrd was once again able to reap the rewards of his management efforts by arrowing a monster 9-pointer he had been watching for almost two years with the help of several trail cameras.

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Depending on the oak and its growth formation, whitetails will stand erect on their hind legs and perform a balancing act to pluck acorns weighing down low tree limbs. These trees can also be targeted by bucks for signpost scent marking scrapes. Here a tree not only provides food, but can become a central location for rut activity. Oak trees like these are a great place to bag a buck.

Deer Dynamics: Hard Mast

July 27, 2010 Tommy Kirkland

A white-tailed buck leaves his bedding site in a stand of small pines. Instead of heading to the clover plot, he scales up a small ridge to seek out what is beneath the trees. […]

Deer Dynamics: Early Summer Foliage

May 27, 2010 Tommy Kirkland

Once the green-up begins in the spring and early summer months, both bucks and does seek out flowering plants known as forbs. […]

On Dec. 2, Kenny Watkins was able to put aside his nerves and take down this 14-point buck with a .45-70.

Deer of the Year

March 1, 2010 Andy Crawford

This past season was really one for the record books, with monster deer seemingly falling every week. The cold fronts that rolled through the state on a regular basis kicked deer movement into high gear, and hunters flocked to the woods to kill the big bucks as they moved about. […]

Although bucks are highly aggressive during the rut, they periodically engage in conflict throughout the offseason. Once two mature males of equal status clash, they may battle for dominance through the act of “flailing.” Here they stand upright and, while balancing themselves, swat with their sharp front hooves like boxing contenders.

Deer Dynamics: Casting and Hierarchy

March 1, 2010 Tommy Kirkland

The rut has come and gone. Bucks that survived hunting season are dropping their battered racks. Though the whitetails are no longer at war for dominance, the competitiveness still exists — even in the off season. […]

Bucks that survive the rigors of the rut can be cut up from antler tines during fights. There can be serious gashes to the chest and sides as well as the neck.

Deer Dynamics: Post-Rut

January 29, 2010 Tommy Kirkland

Exhaustion sets in, forcing the battle-scarred buck to seek refuge. An eye is wounded, and missing fur and cuts prevail all around its face and neck. Finally, the worn buck returns to an old bedding site. Here it beds down, and within minutes, the whitetail knocks out. […]