Mississippi

‘He was just a monster.’ Mississippi teen deer hunter harvests giant 167-inch buck

Published

1 month ago

November 12, 2024

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‘He was just a monster.’ Mississippi teen deer hunter harvests giant 167-inch buck

‘It was getting darker and I had four bucks fighting in front of me. When he walked up he was on a march.’

A Mississippi teen first got a particular buck on camera two years ago and although it was a 10-point, it didn’t really stand out. Since the buck appeared to be young, the teen’s father said they should let him grow and two years later that decision paid off with a huge buck that unofficially gross-scored 167 inches.

“He was nothing special,” said Walker Hilbun, 18, of Starkville. “He was 3 1/2 (years old) and my dad said we should let him go and it was a really good thing we did.

“The next year I passed on the deer four or five times. It was extremely hard to do. It was hard to let him go last year.”

When the buck showed up on camera this summer, it was a different story.

“He was just a monster with tons of mass and tons of points on him,” Hilbun said. “I was extremely happy I let him go last year and immediately wanted to kill him this year.”

Acorns make hunting the big buck difficult

Harvesting the buck was easier said than done. Hilbun said Patterning the buck was difficult because the cameras on the Oktibbeha County property where he was hunting were set up on food plots and at a feeder, but the buck wasn’t frequenting those spots.

Instead, the buck appeared to be feeding on the early crop of acorns in wooded areas, so that’s where Hilbun focused his efforts, but the plan wasn’t working. A month into the season, Hilbun had not had an encounter with the buck.

On Nov. 1, the buck decided to eat something other than acorns. While Hilbun was hunting in a wooded area, the buck showed up on camera at a nearby food plot.

That prompted a change. Hilbun said his dad said he should hunt out of a shooting house at the food plot in case the buck came back. The following afternoon, that’s what Hilbun did.

A food plot filled with deer

“I got in the stand at 3:15,” Hilbun said. “I saw lots of deer. I ended up seeing about 30 deer in the food plot.”

And soon enough, the big buck decided to join them.

“He did pop out at 5:30, 5:35 and I watched him,” Hilbun said. “He’d feed to me and then feed back.”

The buck continued grazing in the food plot for about an hour, but stayed out of range of Hilbun’s bow. Then something happened the buck couldn’t resist.

“It was getting darker, and I had four bucks fighting in front of me,” Hilbun said. “When he walked up he was on a march.”

Hilbun said he was nervous, but he managed to stay calm until he got a shot.

“It was right before dark,” Hilbun said. “I slowly drew back and when I shot he was at 27 yards, I think. I was really confident in my shot.”

Even though Hilbun was confident in his shot, his nerves finally got the best of him.

“I was really shaken up,” Hilbun said. “I was super nervous.”

Long, sleepless night ends with buck of Mississippi hunter’s dreams

Hilbun said he didn’t track the deer that evening because he didn’t want to risk jumping the buck before it expired. He didn’t have to worry about the meat spoiling because the temperatures went down into the low 60s that night.

Even so, it was a long night. Hilbun said he didn’t sleep as he replayed the shot in his mind over and over. The following morning, a handler came with a tracking dog to help with the recovery and it wasn’t long before Hilbun put his hands on the buck.

“It was the best moment in my life, probably,” Hilbun said. “He was just as big as I thought he was. I was really shaken up and excited.”

And there was a lot to be excited about. The buck had 11 points plus a kicker on one of his brow tines. The inside spread was 17 3/4 inches. The G3s measured over 7 inches and the other nine points racked up inches as well.

And the mass was, well, massive. Hilbun said the total circumference measurements came to roughly 40 inches with a total rough score of 167.

The buck is the biggest he’s ever taken and he realizes he may never harvest another of that size. However, that doesn’t mean Hilbun won’t try.

“It’s probably not super likely, but I can’t kill one if I don’t hunt,” Hilbun said.

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

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Mississippi

1 dead after 2-vehicle collision on Mississippi 42 in Lamar County

Published

7 hours ago

December 22, 2024

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1 dead after 2-vehicle collision on Mississippi 42 in Lamar County

From Mississippi Highway Patrol Public Affairs Office

LAMAR COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) – A woman died from injuries suffered in a two-vehicle collision Friday afternoon on a stretch of Mississippi 42 in Lamar County.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol said a 2004 Toyota Sienna driven by 32-year-old Alaina R. McLeod, of Bassfield, was traveling east on Mississippi 42 when it collided with a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado driven by 36-year-old Harold Guilbeau, of Sumrall.

The accident took place about 2:30 p.m. Friday, MHP said.

MHP said McLeod was declared at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by MHP.

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Mississippi

Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Takes Care of Mississippi Valley State in Oxford

Published

15 hours ago

December 21, 2024

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Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Takes Care of Mississippi Valley State in Oxford

No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball won its third straight game on Saturday as it took down an in-state foe in the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes by a final score of 78-44.

Ole Miss (8-3) was led in scoring by guard Sira Thienou with 18 points, and she was one of five players who hit double digits on Saturday. Madison Scott (13), Star Jacobs (13), Kennedy Todd-Williams (12) and Kharyssa Richardson (12) were the others to hit that pinnacle.

As a team, the Rebels shot 43.9 percent from the field and 25 percent from three compared to percentages of 34 and 28.6 from MVSU. Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin spoke with the media after the game about the difficulties of preparing a team for some of these non-conference games around the Christmas season.

“These games are very hard because it’s not like one of those games where it’s a conference game or something where the players are very educated on their opponent,” McPhee-McCuin said. “You just ask them to be mature and work things through. I thought in the third and fourth quarter, we were able to establish that and pull away by me shortening the bench a little bit.”

Ole Miss only led by 12 points at halftime, and since expectations have changed around the program, impressive wins matter. The Rebels then proceeded to outscore MVSU 42-20 to secure a convincing result, and McPhee-McCuin was impressed with some of her veteran leadership in the locker room at halftime.

“I thought that Maddie (Scott) and Kennedy (Todd-Williams) leadership today was incredible in the locker room,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I didn’t have to say a word. They did a lot of the talking. Because the NET still matters and how it looks still matters for us.

“We’re no longer trying to get into the tournament. If we’re not in the tournament, I’ll be shocked. For us, it’s not about getting into the tournament. It’s about seeding. We have to fight that because we’re not the ‘sexy’ team. Everything we get, we’re going to have to earn. They knew that, and they were talking to the team about that, and that’s why we were able to create some separation.”

The Rebels are off until they play host to Alcorn State on Dec. 30. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at the SJB Pavilion.

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Mississippi State basketball vs Memphis score today: Live updates, game highlights, how to watch

Published

23 hours ago

December 21, 2024

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Mississippi State basketball vs Memphis score today: Live updates, game highlights, how to watch

MEMPHIS — Mississippi State basketball has a big opportunity to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume today.

The Bulldogs (10-1) are playing Memphis (9-2) and coach Penny Hardaway at FedExForum on Saturday (11:30 a.m., CBS). Both teams are ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs are at No. 25 and the Tigers are ranked No. 22.

Memphis has played four teams that are currently ranked. Guard PJ Haggerty averages 22.4 points per game, the seventh best in the country.

Follow along here for live score updates.

Watch Mississippi State vs Memphis live on Paramount+ (subscribe here)

Mississippi State vs Memphis score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

What time does Mississippi State vs Memphis play today?

What channel is Mississippi State vs Memphis on today?

TV channel: CBS
Streaming: Paramount+ (subscribe here)
Radio: Mississippi State radio network 96.1 FM

Mississippi State vs Memphis will be broadcast on CBS with streaming available on Paramount+.

Mississippi State vs Memphis live stream options

Mississippi State basketball vs. Memphis will be broadcast on CBS. Steaming is available via Paramount+.

Mississippi State vs Memphis predictions

Memphis 80, Mississippi State 77: This is arguably the toughest opponent Mississippi State has faced this season. Memphis has played a tough schedule consisting of Missouri, UConn, Michigan State, Auburn, Clemson and Virginia, plus North Carolina and Alabama in exhibitions. The Tigers have three great guards in Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers, who all shoot over 38% from 3. MSU has struggled to guard 3-pointers and falls in a close game.

Mississippi State vs Memphis betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday:

Spread: Memphis -1.5
Over/under: 151.5
Moneyline: Memphis (-110), Mississippi State (-110)

Mississippi State vs Memphis injury updates

Mississippi State guard Kanye Clary remains out indefinitely with a lower leg injury. Starting forward Cameron Matthews has also been playing through a foot injury.

Mississippi State basketball schedule 2024-25

Record: 10-1

Next five games on the Mississippi State schedule:

Dec. 21: at Memphis
Dec. 30: vs. Bethune-Cookman
Jan. 4: vs. South Carolina
Jan. 7: at Vanderbilt
Jan. 14: at Auburn

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Memphis basketball schedule 2024-25

Record: 9-2

Next five games on the Tigers’ schedule:

Dec. 21: vs. Mississippi State
Dec. 28: vs. Ole Miss
Jan. 2: at Florida Atlantic
Jan. 5: vs. North Texas
Jan. 11: vs. East Carolina

Mississippi State basketball news

Michael Nwoko tied his career high with 18 points against Central Michigan.
Jans did not have an updated on injured guard Kanye Clary on Thursday. Clary hasn’t played since Nov. 29.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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