A really good Whitetail season in the Southeast

[big honkin jeep]

Seems like a lot of really nice deer were taken in the southeast this year. Everyone I've talked to seemed to have had a good year and though I didn't hunt as much as I would have liked, I've seen some really nice bucks this year.

Here's one my brother took while hunting with his son on our annual mens family trip in Western Alabama. This deer had a great rack, awesome mass, humongous bases, and was truly an old mature buck. Estimated he weighed about 190# which is a hoss for a southern whitetail. He shot it with a model 111FYAK in .270 (youth rifle) that he bought used and then he topped it with Leupold standard rings and bases and a made in USA 3-9x50 Redfield Revolution with the "accurange" reticle. A darn nice setup and shoots 130gr Federal power shock (cheap blue box) into one ragged hole. I'm sure this big boy didn't ask how much cash he had in the rig or the ammo. A nice high shoulder shot anchored him in 3 steps at about 225 yards. They were hunting a green field on a tract that was clear cut 18 months ago. My brother and his son are both some of the luckiest hunters I know and my relatves do a fantastic job of habitat management. They say you cant eat the antlers to which I reply big ol deer have big ol backstraps :becky:

https://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w188/bighonkinjeep/edited-image_zpsnxvks94m.png (https://s176.photobucket.com/user/bighonkinjeep/media/edited-image_zpsnxvks94m.png.html)

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w188/bighonkinjeep/mitchbuck%2018%204_zpsp8rpsm98.jpg (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/bighonkinjeep/media/mitchbuck%2018%204_zpsp8rpsm98.jpg.html)

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w188/bighonkinjeep/Mitch%20buck%2018_zpsnfzfxnuy.jpg (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/bighonkinjeep/media/Mitch%20buck%2018_zpsnfzfxnuy.jpg.html)

[J.Baker]

That's a real nice 4pt. (or 4x4 for you westerners).

[big honkin jeep]

I know depending on the part of the country they count different but, Y'all don't count the brow tines or something?
The management plan that they have in place is bucks have to be 8 pt and up (except for kids 1st buck) and outside the ears. Seems to be working nicely.

[BB68]

We would call that an 8 point here. Very large rack.

[J.Baker]

Missed the G1's hiding in the camo in the first photo

[Waffles]

Nice buck!

[DesertDug]

Big mature deer. Like the mass.

[Stumpkiller]

VERY nice. Congratulations!

[yobuck]

If that dosent do it for the young lad nothing will. Good job all round there, obviously they are serious about their deer hunting.

[big honkin jeep]

If that dosent do it for the young lad nothing will. Good job all round there, obviously they are serious about their deer hunting.

Yeah the older guy that shot that one. His Boy, My nephew got his first buck last year. It was a doozy 8pt too. Here's a pic of the youngsters first buck from January 2018 on the same property. He's shooting a left handed Ruger American Compact Stainless in .243 with Leupold mounts and a Leupold VX2 ultralight 3-9x33. He was using Hornady Custom Light ammo with the 87gr SST. Dang nice rig for a kid. Personally I feel the ammo is a bit light for deer but the buck went about 65- 75 yards and lights out. Wound channel was pretty impressive. He made a great behind the shoulder shot right at 200 yards.
https://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w188/bighonkinjeep/guss%201st%20buck%204%20wheeler_zpsqgsgny3e.jpg (https://s176.photobucket.com/user/bighonkinjeep/media/guss%201st%20buck%204%20wheeler_zpsqgsgny3e.jpg.ht ml)

[yobuck]

The pictures will be very valuable to him at some point in his life. The modern world has taken away in some areas, but it has also contributed far more in others. I can still look at the mount of my first deer on the wall at our camp, but there are no surviving pictures.
My father, my brother, and myself, all got our first deer on the same hunt in 1948. My father was 41 years old at that time having been born in 1906 in Philadelphia, when there were very few cars, and no good roads. Then came a world war, then a long depression, and another world war. So there was very little opportunity for him to do things like go deer hunting. Today there is lots of opportunity, but we seem to be falling short on desire.