‘I was pretty speechless’: Mississippi deer hunter takes 150-class velvet buck

‘We would been watching them two years. They have been handsome deer two years in the past, however we allow them to develop to maturity.’

A Mississippi hunter got here away from the early archery season for bucks with a real trophy; a 150-class 8-point in full velvet. However initially, he wasn’t certain if he was even going to hunt.

“I actually wasn’t 100% certain if I used to be going to do it or not,” stated Benjamin Bell of Madison. “It actually trusted if I felt I had a chance to go in and kill one.”

Bell wasn’t occupied with deciding on simply any buck, both. He was in search of one thing particular and nonetheless in velvet.

“A mature deer, however one which was very nice and one which was actually excessive caliber,” Bell stated. “That will make it particularly cool.”

Two bucks Bell had been getting photographs of from path cameras match the invoice. Each have been main-frame 8-points within the 150 vary. One had a wider rack with longer primary beams and the opposite had a number of kickers and carried extra mass. Whereas the 2 had variations, each have been trophy-class animals.

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“There was no apparent indication one was higher than the opposite,” Bell stated. “It was simply which one offered the chance first.”

Neither deer have been strangers to Bell, both.

“We would been watching them two years,” Bell stated. “They have been handsome deer two years in the past, however we allow them to develop to maturity.”

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Deer altering patterns

There was an issue, although. The bucks have been often exhibiting up on digital camera as they made their method right into a bean discipline, however a very good portion of that motion was at night time.

Nevertheless, a cool entrance pushed via a few week earlier than the season opened and the bucks started a extra constant sample of coming to the bean discipline within the evenings throughout authorized taking pictures hours.

That put the wheels in movement.

“I would just about made up my thoughts I used to be going to go in and get a spot able to hunt them,” Bell stated.

When the season opened on Sept. 16, Bell was touring to his dwelling from Mississippi State College the place he research civil engineering. He did not have time to hunt that day.

Saturday afternoon, he and buddy Dan Lucas of Sumrall, who can also be a pupil at MSU, set as much as hunt. Bell was in a single stand and Lucas was in a stand above him to report video of the hunt. The 2 settled in simply earlier than 5 p.m.

Bell stated he was passing the time maintaining with the MSU soccer recreation in opposition to Louisiana State College on his cellphone. Cottonmouths in a ditch beneath him additionally offered leisure.

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Deer hunter questions shot

At 6 p.m. Bell acquired a message on his cellphone from Lucas, who had a greater view of the environment, saying deer have been coming. Bell stated a 6-point and a spike got here into view they usually have been downwind of him. The 2 bucks acted nervous, however did not spook as they moved via the world.

Not lengthy after, Bell stated one other buck got here into view and it was one which was typically seen with the 2 massive 8-points and as luck would have it, they got here into view proper after. The broader-racked buck was the primary to supply Bell a shot.

“Simply as he stepped out from behind a gaggle of bushes, he appeared proper up at me,” Bell stated. “He was within 20 yards. I touched off the discharge. He ducked fairly good.”

The shot placement made Bell uncomfortable. The deer had dropped so low when Bell shot that the arrow hit larger than he needed. To make issues worse, the arrow did not seem to have penetrated deeply.

Lucas advised Bell the shot was good, however Bell did not assume so.

“Not lengthy after I shot, we heard him fall,” Bell stated. “I nonetheless wasn’t satisfied. I wasn’t going to be satisfied till I had him in my fingers.”

It did not take lengthy for that to occur. The buck solely ran about 70 yards earlier than it expired. It scored 155 with 26-inch primary beams, a 22-inch inside unfold and 5 1/2-inch bases. Not solely was it Bell’s first buck in velvet, it was the largest he is ever harvested with a bow and he wasn’t certain what to say or assume when he acquired his fingers on the buck.

“I used to be fairly speechless,” Bell stated. “He was such a giant 8-point.

“I used to be fairly speechless and did not know what to assume besides to thank the Lord above for having the chance to reap a deer of that caliber. It was positively particular to have him in full velvet.”

Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.