While filming his hunt for Realtree at Honey Brake Lodge in Louisiana, Tyler Jordan harvested a state-record-breaking whitetail buck, which scores 206 3/8 gross and 194 3/8 net typical. This milestone highlights Honey Brake’s commitment to conservation beyond its renowned waterfowl hunting. (Photo courtesy of Mark Reed.)
February 24, 2026
By Haynes Shelton
If you’re a waterfowl hunter, chances are you’ve heard of Honey Brake Lodge, Outfitters and Gun Club . Their website describes them best, I think: “Nestled in the heart of Louisiana’s Mississippi flyway, Honey Brake stands as one of the South’s premier outdoor destinations. Built on a deep tradition of world class hunting, fishing, and dog training, Honey Brake offers unmatched experiences and hospitality year-round. From legendary waterfowl hunts to luxurious lodge accommodations, every detail reflects our commitment to excellence in the outdoors.”
The whitetail buck taken at Honey Brake by Tyler Jordan, on Dec. 5, 2024, confirms Honey Brake’s conservation work and wildlife management isn’t reserved just for waterfowl! Make no mistake, this Louisiana gem is home to a sprawling whitetail herd with incredible genetics.
To confirm, look up Louisiana’s updated trophy whitetail record book for 2025. You’ll see Tyler’s 206 3/8 gross, 194 3/8 net at the top of the all-time list for typical whitetails taken in the state.
I was excited to sit down with Tyler and interview him about his hunt for this incredible southern whitetail. The following article details how Tyler tagged Louisiana’s new No. 1, as well as more information on what makes Honey Brake such a hospitable home for mature bucks.
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No Place Like It Honey Brake’s CEO, Drew Keeth, has overseen the restoration of 19,000 acres through the Wetlands Reserve Program. With over 2 million trees planted and numerous shallow water resting areas created, the land now supports thriving wildlife populations. Tyler Jordan and his father, Bill Jordan, leased whitetail rights at Honey Brake starting in 2020 and have taken several impressive bucks there. (Photo courtesy of Mark Reed.) Honey Brake’s unique habitat is stewarded by Chief Executive Officer, Drew Keeth. Drew’s commitment to improving the already fertile river bottom land is evident to all who hunt there.
“Honey Brake, while known for great hunting, is a true leader in conservation. Honey Brake is the largest single owner Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in the country. The intent of this program is to take agriculture land and return it to wildlife habitat. Honey Brake now has approximately 19,000 acres in WRP. With this program, we have planted just over 2 million trees and have also created 20-plus shallow water resting areas,” says Drew.
“Conservation at Honey Brake is an investment in our land, an investment in wildlife, but most importantly, an investment in future generations being able to enjoy what we love. If we don’t protect and promote this way of life, future generations will never enjoy what we love so much,” Drew continues.
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Tyler and his father, Bill Jordan, founder of Realtree , began leasing the deer hunting rights at Honey Brake in 2020. Since then, the men have taken some really impressive bucks there. Of note are Tyler’s two best bucks prior to 2024, one being a 180-class buck and the other a 190-class buck.
“What makes Honey Brake special, and what most people know it for, is its incredible waterfowl hunting,” says Tyler. “However, because they have enrolled a lot of their open agriculture land into the WRP, the result is high quality native grasses, excellent bedding cover for whitetails and areas that have been replanted with oak trees. Within this thick habitat, food plots have been created in various shapes and sizes — somewhat resembling ‘senderos’ like you’d see in Texas.”
Tyler describes Honey Brake’s dense, swampy river bottom land as being expansive, fertile and prime habitat for deer.
“One thing that makes the habitat different, though, is there are very few trees that are tall enough to hang tree stands in,” Tyler explains. “We tend to hunt mostly from brushed-in ground blinds on the edges of food plots.”
Tyler continues: “Honey Brake is special. There are very few places in the South that have whitetail genetics as good as what’s there. There’s no protein feeding going on or anything like that, either. I attribute much of it to the area’s excellent soil and native browse. There’s a substantial amount of native food for deer to eat, and it’s got to be high in nutrition and protein to be growing such great bucks.”
The Hunt for Stomper Jr. With a strong north wind on December 5, Tyler and guide Cole Cooper set up a ground blind in a chicory and clover food plot where Stomper Jr. had been spotted. That evening, deer flooded the field, and Tyler spotted the giant buck moving along the back edge. As cameraman Bryan filmed, Tyler steadied his .308 rifle and waited for the perfect shot. When the buck paused broadside, Tyler took the shot and dropped him instantly. (Photo courtesy of Mark Reed.) Tyler’s hunt for the 200-class typical he nicknamed “Stomper Jr.” started not long after he killed an eerily similar buck — that one nicknamed “Stomper Sr.” The uncanny similarities between the two bucks’ racks are what earned them the father-son namesake.
“There was a buck at Honey Brake that we’d named ‘Stomper’ a few years back,” Tyler remembers. “He was a 190-class buck with extremely similar genetics to this buck — which is why we naturally named his younger clone ‘Stomper Jr.’ I was very fortunate to kill Stomper Sr. on camera in December 2020, while filming for Realtree.”
Prior to the 2024 season, Tyler spent much of 2023 pursuing another huge buck — a massive-framed 8-pointer that had captivated Tyler’s attention.
“I had the big 8-point in bow range twice in 2023, but wasn’t able to get a clean shot,” says Tyler. “Once I had him at 18 yards, but a doe spooked, and he blew out of there. I also had him at 30 yards with no shot. I continued hunting that big 8-point into the 2024 season and ultimately had made over 50 sits trying to kill him.”
Tyler’s quest for the big 8-point was put on hold in November of 2024, when Stomper Jr. showed back up on camera. Tyler recounts: “Nov. 2, 2024, was when Stomper Jr. showed up on Spartan trail camera — which is when we immediately switched gears into trying to kill him.”
Tyler continues: “Before the 2024 season, we knew Stomper Jr. had the potential to blow up into a mega-giant. Prior to the start of season, we were wondering if he’d show back up, and if so, how big he’d be. We did hear a report from one of our neighbors that there was a ‘world-class whitetail’ in the area.”
Nicknamed “Stomper Jr.,” Tyler’s 2024 trophy buck bore a striking resemblance to a previous giant he harvested, “Stomper Sr.” The uncanny genetic similarities between the two bucks inspired their names and fueled Tyler’s pursuit. (Photo courtesy of Mark Reed.) Tyler’s suspicions about whether the buck the neighbor had seen was Stomper Jr. were confirmed when the big typical stepped back in front of Tyler’s Spartan trail cam. The giant buck had put on more tine length, mass and spread. By all accounts, Stomper Jr. looked like a 200-class typical.
Tyler got to see Stomper Jr. with his own eyes on a bowhunt on Nov. 11, which turned out to be a day he’ll never forget. “Nov. 11, 2024, is the day I had him in bow range after legal shooting light,” Tyler explains. “I was hunting in a ground blind on a food plot. I’d just gotten my Hoyt RX-9 bow and wanted to knock the dust off it.
“While in the blind, my jaw dropped when I looked up and saw Stomper Jr. standing in the food plot at 150 yards,” Tyler continues. “When Stomper Jr. appeared, we already were pushing it on both camera light and legal shooting light. And by the time Stomper Jr. made it to 20 yards, it was three minutes after legal shooting light, and I couldn’t shoot him.”
Just imagine the position Tyler was in during that moment! He was stuck — not legally able to shoot the world-class typical that was within easy bow range, feeding in the plot at a mere 20 yards. Tyler had no choice but to sit back and watch this epic whitetail as the last light of day faded away. His decision to honor the law and not shoot that buck speaks to Tyler’s ethics and integrity as a hunter. But, despite not being able to shoot the deer that evening, there was one thing Tyler could do . . . and that’s film it. It was cameraman Bryan Brown who was by Tyler’s side, filming the incredible scene.
But that’s when things took a turn for the worse!
The buck’s massive frame and towering antlers were a testament to years of dedication and habitat management. Official Boone & Crockett measurements confirmed the buck as Louisiana’s new No. 1 typical whitetail. For Tyler, the experience was not just about records, but about honoring the land and the legacy of Southern deer hunting. (Photo courtesy of Mark Reed.) “As Stomper Jr. stood feeding in the plot at 20 yards, we continued to roll the camera on him and get as much footage of him as we could,” Tyler explains. “That’s when Stomper Jr. actually saw the light of our camera and went on high alert! My heart sank when he blew and bolted out of the food plot, obviously spooked by the dim light of our camera within the darkness of the ground blind.”
After spooking Stomper Jr., Tyler didn’t get another photo of the buck for two full weeks. When Stomper Jr. did show back up, he was roughly 1/2-mile away from the food plot where Tyler had seen him on Nov. 11. And it was Nov. 22 when Stomper Jr. showed back up on Spartan trail camera.
“We picked Stomper Jr. up on Spartan cameras once again on Nov. 24 in that same spot — which was a food plot planted in chicory and clover,” says Tyler. “We didn’t have a blind or stand set up in that spot, so that was our next step! Assuming the buck wasn’t bedding far off the plot, we knew we had to sneak into that plot as quietly as possible and get a spot set up to hunt.”
Tyler continues: “The buck was angling into the trail camera from the north, so I knew I needed a north wind to hunt that spot. Low and behold, there was a strong north wind on Dec. 5, and everything about that day felt perfect. We decided to make a move, put up a ground blind and try to kill him.”
With the help of Honey Brake guide Cole Cooper, Tyler went in on Dec. 5 at noon when they had the right wind to access the plot. The strong winds were gusting 25 miles per hour at midday, which helped to cover any noise the men made putting out the blind. They brushed-in the blind heavily to conceal their position and hopefully not alert any deer to the newly placed pop-up.
Score break down of Tyler's Louisiana typical. (Art by Rob Wyszkowski.) “A few hours later, we were in the blind hunting for the evening,” Tyler explains. “It wasn’t long before deer were piling into the plot. The cold front really had deer on their feed and headed to feed that evening.”
As Tyler watched several young bucks feeding in the plot, he caught movement along the back edge of the field.
“I looked to the back of the field and spotted Stomper Jr. walking left to right,” Tyler remembers. “I knew it was him instantly. He was on the move, and I didn’t have any time to waste. I had to get on him fast and kill him.”
As Bryan hit record on the video camera and filmed Stomper Jr. walking with his head down through the plot, Tyler steadied his Franchi .308 rifle and waited for the buck to stop.
“I didn’t want to yell to stop the deer and risk spooking him,” Tyler says. “Luckily, he stopped broadside and gave me a clean shot. I didn’t hesitate; as soon as my crosshairs were on him, I dropped him right there in the field.”
And just like that, Tyler’s quest for this unbelievable Louisiana whitetail had ended . . . But the celebration of this incredible trophy was just beginning!
Records Rewritten Frontal view of the new state record whitetail. ( Photo courtesy of Tyler Jordan.) Drew Keeth and Cole Cooper met Tyler and Bryan there in the food plot to help recover Stomper Jr. Together, the men walked up to Louisiana monarch. The buck was easy to spot, thanks to his massive body (weighing 250 pounds) and towering rack with long, thick tines reaching towards the sky. It was pure joy as the team congregated around the buck they’d admired for years and spent so many hours scouting and trying to figure out.
Once the mandatory 60-day drying period had elapsed, Tyler had the buck officially measured and entered into the Boone & Crockett record book . The measurements are beyond impressive, with an inside spread of 19 1/8 inches, greatest spread of 23 6/8 inches, and main beams of 27 2/8 (right) and 26 6/8 (left). Of note are the rack’s G-3 tines, tallying 12 6/8 inches (right) and 13 5/8 inches (left). All circumferences are over 4 inches, and several measure more than 5 inches. The 6 4/8 inches of abnormal deductions come from the rack’s split G-1 on the right side, and split G-2 on the left side.
Side view of the buck. (Photo courtesy of Tyler Jordan.) The Tyler Jordan buck has a gross typical score of 206 3/8 and net typical score of 194 4/8, making it the new No. 1 typical ever taken in Louisiana.
“I never set out to break any records, and I wasn’t hunting with the intention of taking the biggest typical ever killed in Louisiana,” says Tyler. “I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to hunt this buck.”
Tyler, a Georgia native, who has traveled across North America in pursuit of free-range whitetails, knows all too well the significance of taking a world-class typical like Stomper Jr. And for this buck to have come from as far south of the Mason Dixon line as Louisiana, is an amazing feat.
“Taking this deer in the South just makes it that much sweeter for me,” says Tyler. “I’m happy for the Southeast that a buck like this can represent what is truly possible when it comes to growing big deer in this part of the world!”
