Nelson Cannon was hunting during the early muzzleloader season in November 2007 when this 37-point monster made an appearance. With a score of 227 2/8 non-typical B&C points, Nelson's unbelievable trophy ranks No. 3 on Tennessee's all-time non-typical list.

Approximately 400 miles west of Tennessee's rugged and majestic Great Smoky Mountains, the topography drops over 6,000 feet in elevation to a gently rolling terrain of hilly uplands and small stream drainages. Lying between the Mississippi River to the west and the Tennessee River to the east, this area of the state is actually part of the Gulf Coastal Plain. Often referred to as the "Tennessee Bottoms," this large geographic land area follows the Mississippi River northward from the Gulf of Mexico to southern Illinois.

The landscape of the Coastal Plain region includes a mixture of agricultural land and pastureland, interspersed with wooded uplands and hardwood creek drainages. In other words, it's a perfect combination of ideal deer habitat. An additional benefit comes into play where scattered segments of old field acreages in the region have been placed in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and allowed to grow up in high weeds and brush. This provides excellent cover that is, in many cases, adjacent to agricultural food sources.

THE NELSON CANNON BUCK
In 2007, during Tennessee's early November muzzleloader season, Nelson Cannon of Memphis was hunting a tract of farmland in the region that included several fingers of hardwood timber surrounded by CRP acreage and cotton fields. He had hunted the farm earlier in the year during bow season, but on this particular occasion he decided to try a different location in a somewhat inaccessible area of dense hardwood thickets and CRP land.

Well before daybreak, the hunter made his way along a dim farm trail to where a 1-acre clover plot had been established at the end of a narrow CRP field. Not wanting to take the chance of jumping any deer that might be nearby, Nelson waited until there was just enough daylight to see across the opening before continuing on to the bordering woods line and climbing into position in his stand.

Shortly after getting settled in, Nelson began hearing rustlings in the leaves that he couldn't attribute to normal squirrel activity. Minutes later, he spotted five does between the woods line and the clover plot standing about 75 yards away.

"The deer were intently staring off to my left into an area of thick saplings, brush and briars," Nelson said. "At first, I didn't see anything, but as I continued to watch, I suddenly spotted a small tree shaking back and forth."

Realizing that the tree was being rubbed by a buck, the hunter attempted to find an opening in the undergrowth through which he could possibly get a glimpse of the deer. Unfortunately, he was able to see very little through the maze of branches and leaves.

"Once the buck stopped rubbing the tree, he moved slightly off to the side and raised his head, enabling me to partially see several antler points on one side of the rack," Nelson stated. "I knew that if the opposite antler even approximately matched the side I had seen, the buck definitely had one heck of a rack!

"The does remained standing near the clover plot, and I assumed the buck would eventually head in their direction, providing me with a clear shooting opportunity. But much to my surprise and disappointment, the buck turned in the opposite direction and completely disappeared in the dense undergrowth."

A Split-Second Decision
Moments later, Nelson spotted the buck moving through the thick understory between two trees. Nelson was also able to see that the buck had turned and was now walking straight away from his position.

"At that time, the deer was approximately 40 yards away and walking through a small opening in the brush. Although I had never previously considered taking a rear-angle shot opportunity, I remembered a friend of mine saying that if properly placed, the result was just as lethal as taking a broadside shot. With only seconds to make a decision, I quickly aimed and squeezed the trigger."

Through a haze of smoke, the hunter attempted to keep track of the big deer, but he neither saw nor heard a thing. Amazingly, the does never moved from their location near the woods line. After several additional minutes, though, the deer slowly meandered out into the clover and began feeding.

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