Mississippi deer hunting: Hunter in MS takes huge 10-point buck
When a hunter in Mississippi first saw a young buck during the 2021-22 deer season, he thought it had potential to become a trophy.
He was a 10-point and with time, the Hinds County buck became a 150-class giant.
“This was my No. 1 buck to get on this year,” said Dylan Cadby of Livingston, Louisiana. “I actually had a 3-year history with him. He was a 2 1/2-year-old, which are a dime a dozen.”
But deer like this one aren’t a dime a dozen. The buck’s antlers were nearly symmetrical and Cadby knew they’d only get bigger with time. He talked with hunters on adjoining properties and asked them to let the buck, which he named Baby Ten, walk for a few years to see what he might become and it paid off.
“This year he was 5 1/2 years old and he changed completely,” Cadby said. “This year he blew up.”
Dylan Cadby of Livingston, Louisiana harvested this huge buck while hunting in Hinds County, Mississippi.
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Big Mississippi buck became hard to pattern
But the buck’s antlers weren’t the only thing that changed. His behavior did, too. In previous years, the buck would show up on camera regularly and would eat at feeders and food plots. This season he didn’t eat in food plots or visit feeders.
He would also disappear for periods of time. Cadby said the buck showed up on camera before archery season began in the fall and then Cadby had no photos or sightings of him for roughly a month.
“I thought somebody had killed him in that early velvet season,” Cadby said.
However, the buck was alive and well. Photos of him began coming from trail cameras, but they weren’t consistent until the end of November. All the while, Cadby was hunting and kept passing on other good bucks in the hope of getting the big 10-point.
“I was crazy for passing on these bucks, but I wanted him,” Cadby said. “I had my heart set on Baby Ten.”
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Hunter passes on another big buck, second-guesses decision
Photos of the buck began coming from a wooded area with white oaks that were dropping acorns and on Dec. 10, Cadby was in a stand near them and got there early that afternoon.
“With those white oaks on the ground, they were feeding early,” Cadby said. “I got in the stand about 2 o’clock.”
And 30 minutes later, deer began moving into the area. After a while, a big mature buck came into view, but Cadby didn’t shoot.
“It was a deer that any other year, if I didn’t have a target buck, I would have taken,” Cadby said. “He was a good deer.
“He was knocking on 130 inches as an 8-point. When I saw him walk off I said, ‘Man, you’re crazy.’ I was second-guessing myself. I really was.”
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Does lead big buck to hunter
Cadby didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on his decision. Fifteen minutes later, he saw two does coming to the area and they were looking behind them. Cadby figured a buck was following them and he was right. It was Baby Ten and he was 60 yards away.
“I was shocked, honestly,” Cadby said. “I didn’t expect to see him even though I was in a good spot. When I seen the horns, I got excited.”
To keep his nerves from getting the best of him, Cadby focused on the deer’s body rather than the huge antlers. Cadby made the shot and knew it was good.
“After I shot, I came to pieces,” Cadby said. “I called every hunting buddy I have and said, ‘Hey, I smoked a good one.'”
Buck was everything hunter expected
Cadby called a friend with a tracking dog. He knew he didn’t need a dog to recover the buck, but this dog was young and needed to get some experience under his collar. Cadby knew this would be an easy job for the dog.
The dog came and found the buck 30 yards away. It was everything Cadby expected.
The buck had a 17 1/2-inch inside spread with main beams measuring 21 3/4 inches and 22 inches. The longest tine is 11 inches. Cadby has not had the deer scored yet, but with the measurements taken along with the mass, he said it will be in the 150s.
“He has crazy mass,” Cadby said. “It’s between his G2s and G3s is where it’s crazy mass.”
And although Cadby said he’s thankful to have taken the buck, it came at a price.
“A lot of neighbors were hunting him,” Cadby said. “It stinks to see that chapter close, but I was tickled I was the one to be able to take him.”
Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Deer hunting: Hunter in Mississippi bags huge 10-point buck
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