DeSoto deer tops Magnolia Records’ archery category.
Kevin Medlin didn’t have time to think about such things as rewriting Mississippi’s archery record book when a monster buck walked out of a thicket 50 yards from his stand on Nov. 11 in DeSoto County.
“I didn’t even have time to get nervous,” Medlin said. “It all happened so fast. I guess from the time I saw him to the time I watched him crash down in a thicket wasn’t much more than a minute, if it was that long. It all happened that quick.”
A green score that day produced over 190 inches gross, beginning a long wait for the 60-day drying period to pass. Friday, the wait ended when the 13-point — a mainframe 10 with three sticker points — was proclaimed the new state record for typical deer by bow. Biologist Rick Dillard, co-founder of the stae Magnolia Records, officially scored it at 173 2/8 inches Pope & Young.
It replaces Will Rives’ 172 4/8-inch buck taken in 2010 in Jefferson County. Click here to read the full story of Rives’ buck, or listen to Rives tell the story of the hunt in a video by clicking here.
“It is the new record, by less than an inch,” Dillard said. “The main beams are the best characteristics of Medlin’s deer. At 28 2/8 (right) and 27 5/8 (left), it is ridiculous — and I mean really ridiculous. I may have scored one or two deer in my life with main beams like that, but not many. It was also wide, with an inside spread of 21 7/8 inches.
“I’ll be honest with you. The net score and even the gross typical score of this buck do not reflect just how big and pretty this deer was. It is remarkable.”