Tyler Jordan, 28, works with Realtree, one of the world’s best known manufacturers of camouflage. A company started by his dad, Bill Jordan, more than three decades ago.
Tyler works in marketing and video production for the company, and has had the opportunity to deer hunt all over the country in states known for the production of big bucks. He has chased big bucks in states such as Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois and has taken some real trophies. Tyler had to come to Louisiana, however, to take his personal best buck.
‘If you had told me I’d get my biggest and highest scoring buck in Louisiana, or any state in the deep south, I’d never have believed it,” said Jordan.
Honey Brake
Realtree became involved with Honey Brake a couple of years ago in a business partnership. Honey Brake is located on 20,000 acres of the old Louisiana Delta Plantation in Catahoula Parish and sits on the banks of Larto Lake.
“I hunted here for the first time last year and we identified a really good buck we judged to be 4 ½ years old,” Jordan said. “The decision was to wait until he reached his maximum potential, probably age 6 ½ before deciding to take him. The big buck was given the nickname ‘Stomper.’
Arriving from his home in Columbus, Ga., on Dec. 4, Jordan was interested to see what this big buck looked like as a 5 ½-year-old. However, something had happened to the buck since last season as trail cam photos showed him with a serious problem with one of his feet.
“He had developed foot rot, a bacterial infection, and had lost the hoof on one foot and was struggling to get around,” Jordan said. “A year ago, he probably weighed in the 250 range and from the photos it was obvious he had lost an excessive amount of weight. We felt that he would likely not survive the rest of this season, so it was determined to take him if for no other reason than to relieve him of his obvious misery.”
Stomper
On the afternoon of Dec. 7, Jordan climbed into a box blind that was overlooking a planted five-acre food plot surrounded by thick brush. A big 8-point had been showing up on cameras in the area, so after talking with Honey Brake CEO, Drew Keeth, it was decided that Jordan would go for either the big 8 or Stomper, the old club footed buck.
“The afternoon was getting late and I had seen a 2 ½-year-old 8-point step out as well as some does,” Jordan said. “Just before the end of legal shooting time, I could see a deer coming through the brush. I identified him as a buck and could see that it was ‘Stomper.’ When the deer stepped onto the food plot at 120 or so yards, he appeared nervous at first and didn’t want to challenge the 8-point on the plot. As soon as he turned broadside, I got him in the scope on my Franchi 308 and pulled the trigger. He ran about 50 yards and dropped.”
The buck, a 5 ½-year-old, had lost so much weight and checked in at only 150 pounds. The massive rack held 14 points with a 21-inch inside spread. The buck was taken to Simmons Sporting Goods in Bastrop and entered in that store’s big buck contest. The antlers were measured at an astounding 190 4/8 inches.
“I spend a lot of time in the woods,” he said, “and I can’t say I have ever seen a buck with a rack that big.”