Mississippi
‘I was shaking.’: Mississippi teen deer hunter arrows trophy-class buck in velvet
‘I was just waiting for him to make a little turn where I could make the shot. He turned quartering to me and that’s when I pulled back.’
Deer pummels man who gets too close
A man makes the mistake of getting too close to a deer.
VPC
A Mississippi teen had a good buck on camera and on opening day of the early archery season for bucks, the hunt came together like clock-work and ended with a trophy-class buck in velvet and a trip to a taxidermist.
But it wasn’t without its challenges.
“We first knew about him a week ago,” said Matthew McKinley, 16, of Brandon. “We put the camera out two Saturdays ago.
“Dad told me, ‘I think we’ve got a pretty good deer.’ I was like, ‘I really want to shoot this deer. He’s coming out in daylight and he’s coming often.’”
The buck was captured on camera walking on a heavily used trail in a bottom near a creek. There was thick cover nearby where the deer apparently bedded. McKinley said the buck was coming through around 5 o’clock in evenings, leaving, then coming back about 7 o’clock.
He was never alone, either. McKinley said he was always with a big 8-point.
“He was doing that every single day last week,” McKinley said.
This deer hunt had potential problems
Given the buck’s set pattern, the potential for harvesting him looked good. However, there were potential problems. The land McKinley was hunting was in an area of Copiah County with poor cellular service. So, he and his father, Tom McKinley, couldn’t use a camera that transmitted photos to a phone.
So, by physically going into the area, they could spook the deer and change his routine. Then there was another problem. There was no hunting stand in that area. That left the McKinley’s father going into the area to hang a stand three days before the Sept. 15 opening day which could also alarm the buck.
“It was a gamble,” McKinley’s father said.
Then there was yet a third issue. The opening day was on a Friday and McKinley had to go to school. That put him getting to the area much later than he would have liked.
“I was a little nervous because I got out there at 4:45,” McKinley said. “I thought he might be in there already, but he wasn’t.”
It was an evening with plenty of deer activity
McKinley got in his stand and the action started immediately.
“I didn’t even have my bow up yet and two does came out,” McKinley said. “I thought it was going to be good because it had cooled down and there was a lot of movement.
“I heard a bunch of walking, but it was thick in there. So, it was hard to see. I finally spotted the 8-point about 6:15. He was a little nervous, but he settled down, cruised around and walked off.”
Then he heard more noise and it wasn’t hard to guess what was making it.
“When I heard something walking, I thought it had to be him,” McKinley said. “I was hyped up when I saw him.”
The buck was about 40 yards away and headed toward McKinley. McKinley managed to remain composed as the deer fed on browse and slowly got closer.
Deer hunting: Mississippi has strong 2022 deer season and 2023 hunting is looking even better
Bowhunter makes the shot count
“I was just waiting for him to make a little turn where I could make the shot,” McKinley said. “He turned quartering to me and that’s when I pulled back.”
McKinley let his arrow go and made a solid shot.
“He ran about 50 yards,” McKinley said. “I heard him stop; I heard a big crash and then the woods got quiet.”
McKinley quietly left the area and returned about 30 minutes later. He found his arrow and saw blood on the ground. When he looked in the direction the buck ran he saw antlers.
“I was shaking,” McKinley said. “I was really excited.”
The 9-point had a 14 1/2-inch spread, 20-inch and 21-inch main beams with kickers on both G2s. He scored 139 1/2 inches.
A shoulder mount of the buck will soon be hanging at the McKinley home.
“It was nice because I know the work my Dad has put in and I’ve put in shooting my bow,” McKinley said. “I’ve always wanted a velvet buck.”
Wildlife: Have photos or videos of bears in Mississippi? There’s a new Facebook page for that
Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo ‘disrespected’ by Mississippi State football’s defensive game plan
Cam Skattebo slammed Mississippi State on the football field on Saturday night and also took another jab afterward in his postgame press conference.
The Arizona State running back, following a 30-23 Sun Devils win at Mountain America Stadium, took exception to MSU only utilizing three defenders on the line of scrimmage. The results were damning.
Arizona State (2-0) rushed for 346 yards. It was the most allowed by Mississippi State (1-1) in a game since Arkansas in 2016. Skattebo’s 262 rushing yards on 33 carries were the second-most in ASU history.
“They couldn’t stop us in that three-down front,” Skattebo said when asked what made ASU’s run game successful. “Honestly, we all felt disrespected with them in a three-down front. You can’t come in here and put five guys in the box and expect to stop six. I don’t know. We took that a little disrespectful, and we rushed for what over 300 yards? Something around there. It is what it is.”
Skattebo, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior, also led Arizona State with 35 receiving yards on three catches.
“I knew these dudes were big and heavy,” he said. “We knew going into the game they weren’t as physical as most other teams but they’re heavy. So when they hit you, it hurts, no matter how hard they’re coming — 300 pounds at 10 miles per hour or 16 miles per hour hurts the same. I just kept my feet moving.”
Mississippi State trailed 30-3 in the third quarter but scored 20 unanswered points to cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The Bulldogs never touched the ball again, with the Sun Devils running out the clock on 12 plays.
Skattebo had a game-sealing 39-yard rush that allowed ASU to kneel down.
“Until the end, we had our ups and downs there, but that was fun,” he said. “You can ask these guys up front, bullying dudes, grown men that are 300 pounds, that’s fun to us. That’s fun to the front-five, the front-seven and the running back. The quarterback probably hates it. He probably likes watching, but he didn’t complain one time the whole game.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Why Mississippi State football loss to Arizona State revealed a strong Jeff Lebby culture
It was 11:10 p.m. Saturday in Starkville when Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt barreled into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
At that point, it would’ve been fair for Mississippi State football fans to call it a night. The Bulldogs (1-1) trailed 27-3 at ASU in the final minute of the second quarter. They were dominated in just about every statistical category. New coach Jeff Lebby looked like he was headed toward his first loss, and an embarrassing one.
And even if you gave the second half a chance, eyes just a crack open, that wasn’t encouraging either. Arizona State (2-0) took the opening drive of the third quarter for a field goal while eating 8 minutes, 27 seconds of game time. That just about decided the game before Mississippi State touched the ball in the second half.
Wrong.
Instead, MSU scored touchdowns on three of its next four drives and cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The defense, which was torched for 346 rushing yards, needed one more stop to let the offense try to tie it. It would’ve been the largest comeback in program history.
Mississippi State’s path to a bowl game seems murkier than it was a week ago. But in the long-term, there’s still encouragement after the 30-23 loss.
“Our guys battled in an incredible way in the second half, and we’re going to hold on to that,” Lebby said in his postgame radio interview. “We’re going to find ways to get back in the building, get back to work and be able to walk into Davis Wade (Stadium) with a ton of confidence and ready to go win a football game.”
The encouragement from Mississippi State’s comeback effort
Lebby said after beating Eastern Kentucky 56-7 in Week 1 that there is an abundance of teachable moments in wins, just like losses.
There is plenty to point to after losing to Arizona State.
Mississippi State came out incredibly flat. The Sun Devils scored on their first five possessions. The MSU offense had one field goal, two punts, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a turnover-on-downs in the first half. MSU had -13 rushing yards in the first half.
There were concerns entering the game about the travel distance, late kickoff and high temperature. But let’s be real, Mississippi State was playing so poorly at the start that it was hard to judge if those were factors.
“I got to do a better job getting these guys ready to go play out of the gate,” Lebby said. “I thought our energy, our effort and our emotion was really good, but then we did not play clean there in the first quarter, so that part was frustrating.”
The Bulldogs outscored the Sun Devils 20-0 in the final quarter and a half. It was a surprise. Arizona State was rolling. Mississippi State was not.
MORE: Introducing Sam Sklar, the Clarion Ledger’s new Mississippi State beat reporter
For Lebby, a first-time head coach at any level, let it be a learning moment for him. It was his first time getting pinned in a corner. The Bulldogs adjusted correctly in the second half like good coaches do.
The rushing offense and defense both need to improve. Badly. Quarterback Blake Shapen has been impressive in his first two Mississippi State games and the wide receiver room is deep and talented as ever, but they can’t be the only answer.
That’s just for this season.
Mississippi State has its first tally in the loss column. But it isn’t a strike against Lebby leading the future of the program.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Sam Leavitt leads ASU to convincing victory in 1st career start
Leavitt and the Sun Devils cruised past visiting Wyoming 48-7 on Saturday night at Mountain America Stadium.
The Arizona State football team elevated its play on the field in its 48-7 win over Wyoming in Week 1.
It is elevating its uniform game for Week 2 against Mississippi State.
ASU football is wearing a gold alternate jersey against the Bulldogs at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Saturday night.
The jersey includes maroon “Arizona State” lettering and maroon numbering, along with a noticeable Big 12 logo.
The Sun Devil football team unveiled the uniform last month, with Athletic Director Graham Rossini posting that “you’ll see this on the field early this season.”
On Thursday, ASU football announced that it would be wearing the uniform against Mississippi State with a video that said “Modern shine, with a classic design.”
On Friday, it posted another look at the uniform.
More: Arizona State vs Mississippi State live score updates, analysis for college football game
ASU vs Mississippi State schedule, TV: How to watch college football game
Promising look: Arizona State football’s 2024 win prediction doubles after Week 1 victory over Wyoming
Social media reacted favorably overall to ASU football’s uniform vs Mississippi State:
Do you like the look for ASU football?
ASU vs. Mississippi State picks: Who wins Week 2 college football game?
Looking promising: Arizona State football makes huge leap in college football ranking, Big 12 power rankings
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
'Divine intervention': Why Brian Brennan has officiated high school football for 54 seasons
China and US push each other on priorities for UN COP29 climate talks
Paris Paralympics set records
How Trump and Harris are preparing for their first debate of 2024
Harris quick to call for gun control after Georgia shooting, stays mum on armed Venezuelan migrant gangs
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
At least 2 dead as tornadoes hit Alabama, damage homes across Southeast
Paris Paralympics set records
How Trump and Harris are preparing for their first debate of 2024
Cross-Tabs: September 2024 Times/Siena Poll of the Likely Electorate
Bold prediction: What the Senate GOP campaign chair says about winning back the majority
Philippine authorities arrest church leader charged with sex trafficking
-
Politics1 week agoTrump impersonates Elon Musk talking about rockets: ‘I’m doing a new stainless steel hub’
-
World1 week agoBrussels, my love? Is France becoming the sick man of Europe?
-
Politics1 week agoTrump campaign slams Harris as 'still a San Francisco radical' after CNN interview
-
Politics1 week agoHarris says no regrets about defending Biden fitness for office
-
World1 week agoLocals survey damage after flooding in eastern Romania
-
World1 week agoWhy is Belgium struggling to name a European Commissioner?
-
World7 days agoTaiwan court orders release of ex-Taipei mayor arrested in corruption probe
-
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(722x354:724x356)/Angelina-jolie-becomes-maria-callas-100923-01-2cce48d3de044c459234fd2c2ef1e0d7.jpg "'Maria' Reviews: What Critics Are Saying About Angelina Jolie's Transformation and Singing as the Opera Diva")
Movie Reviews1 week ago'Maria' Reviews: What Critics Are Saying About Angelina Jolie's Transformation and Singing as the Opera Diva