With a gross score of 196 3/8", this is one special southern buck! (Photo courtesy of Michael Perry)
December 16, 2021
By Clifford Neames
Breaking News Bucks 2021 Michael Perry hunts public land on several different WMAs in Alabama. And he has great success in areas where others fail. Michael’s success comes from effort and knowledge gained through years of scouting. He puts in miles checking out new places, and he remembers when he finds a spot that looks good.
Two years ago, he found a new spot that looked promising. There was a creek crossing in the spot, and there was a thicket which could serve as a bedding area. On a hunch, he set up a trail camera that soon captured photos of a good buck. The deer was moving through at night, but Michael figured in time he might catch him on his feet during daylight.
Michael had already taken bucks good enough to make the Alabama Whitetail Records program with his bow and rifle. So, when his wife, Kathy, gave him a CVA .50 caliber muzzleloader for Christmas in 2019, he decided to try for the next one with it. In 2020, he didn’t get it done. But he was still getting pictures of the buck back in the thicket.
The buck was much bigger now, and when the 2021 season rolled around, Michael was ready to try the new area. Work and weather got in the way of hunting until the last day of the muzzleloader season. Michael’s wife also hunts. So, she tagged along, stopping well short of the thicket. He walked another mile in with a climbing stand and got set up.
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The morning was frosty, and a little cloudy. Not perfect, but not bad.
At about 9:40 a.m., a nice 3 1/2-year-old deer came within 20 yards of the stand. Michael looked him over and let him walk. That decision proved to be a smart one.
Just five, short minutes later, the target buck showed up. And he was only a few yards further away than the 3 1/2-year-old had been.
Michael put the crosshairs on the big buck’s vitals and touched the trigger.
Michael's Alabama buck will be a tough one to top in the 2021-2022 deer hunting season.(Photo courtesy of Michael Perry) The smokepole roared, and the buck went down quickly. Then, like many successful hunts on public land in the south, a very long drag began.
The 6 1/2-year-old deer has a huge rack featuring long beams, split points, stickers and heavy beading on the bases. With a preliminary, green gross score of 196 3/8 inches, this Alabama buck will be tough to beat!
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