'He's a buck of a lifetime.': Mississippi deer hunter bags 180-class giant

A Mississippi deer hunter couldn't believe what he'd done when he harvested a giant buck. The unofficial gross score came to 187 3/8 inches, placing him among the biggest typical archery bucks on record in the state for gross score.

"I didn't know how big he was until I put my hands on him," said Chris Lunsford of Franklin County. "The trail camera pictures just didn't do him justice. He's a buck of a lifetime."

However, harvesting a buck like that wasn't a straight-forward accomplishment. It took several years and a change in the buck's normal pattern.

"I saw this deer four years ago," Lunsford said. "I think it was the first day of bow season.

"I was kind of confused as to what he was because I didn't have a trail cam picture of him. I could tell he was a younger deer. He was a main-frame 12-point with two drop tines on either side. After that one encounter, he disappeared."

That was Lunsford's first look at a pattern the buck would stick closely to for the next four years. It was a pattern that made hunting the buck almost impossible.

A pattern that couldn't be hunted

The buck would show up in late summers, but Lunsford never got photos of him in daylight hours. Then he would disappear after the first days or weeks of archery season. The buck would show up again on New Year's Eve, only to disappear again.

And all the while, the buck was growing.

"He was getting freaky looking," Lunsford said.

Over time, the buck had become a main-frame 10 point and in August of this year, he showed up again. Only this year, right before the early archery season, Lunsford got a daytime image of him. The buck was starting to make mistakes and Lunsford tried to take advantage of it.

"I went hunting that Friday afternoon," Lunsford said. "I saw him in the timber across the field. That was the first time I saw him in daylight."

Lunsford didn't get a shot. He continued getting a few photos of him, but then they stopped coming.

"I figured it was the same old, same old," Lunsford said.

Big buck makes a mistake

Lunsford decided to put out more trail cameras on Oct. 2, and it quickly paid off. Lunsford got photos of the buck that night on a trail near a bedding area. In fact, he got photos of the buck heading in the same direction three nights in a row.

"Thursday we got that cool front and it rained that Thursday," Lunsford said. "It drizzled all day.

"Finally, at 4:30, I got my stuff and left. I got in the tree about 5:15."

Lunsford said the rain stopped, and he kept hearing something to his left. He looked and saw two young bucks that had been photographed with the big buck. Lunsford had a good idea of what was coming.

"Sure enough, about that time, they both turned around and I saw his rack over the top of the brush," Lunsford said. "I knew it was him.

"When I saw him, my heart started beating out of my chest. It got to the point I had to lean my head against the tree and look down. I couldn't even look at him. I've never been shook up like that over a deer."

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Hunter didn't realize how big the buck was

The buck was feeding along the edge of a trail. Lunsford said he drew back on the deer twice, but a shot never unfolded. Finally, at 24 yards, the buck was quartering toward Lunsford and gave him a clear shot.

The buck ran, but Lunsford didn't hear him fall. He said he had a sickening feeling he'd made a bad shot.

Lunsford left to get his dog to track the buck. When he returned, the two found the deer dead. Lunsford had made a good shot.

"Grabbed my dog and started hugging him," Lunsford said. "I just sat down with my dog and looked at him.

"Four years of not seeing him in daylight. I just knew I'd never get him. He was way bigger than I imagined. The pictures do him no justice."

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One of Mississippi's top archery bucks

The buck had 24-inch and 24 3/8-inch main beams with bases that measured 7 inches and 6 3/4 inches. The inside spread was 17 1/2 inches and one brow tine was split.

With a gross score of 187 3/8 inches, he's one of the top 10 typical gross-scoring bucks taken with archery equipment in Mississippi, according to Magnolia Records. Lunsford said he's unsure of what the net score will be and won't know until he has it scored officially after the required 60-day drying period.

No matter what the official score is, Lunsford finds the situation incredible.

"After four years and him playing Houdini, I can't believe I had an opportunity to kill a deer like this," Lunsford said. "It was very bittersweet that I got him."

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi deer hunter bags giant 180-class buck