When Milt May purchased a 3,000-acre tract of land in Madison Parish six years ago, it already had a head start on helping May fulfill his purpose for the purchase – to turn the former farmland into a mecca for waterfowl. Appropriately, the tract was named Waverly Waterfowl, was enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program and had been planted in thousands of ash, cypress and oaks.
Ducks haven’t been the only species to respond, however: Deer, which were few and far between when May bought the property, have increased dramatically in number. And the benefit of that was reinforced Saturday (Dec. 18) when 24-year-old Corey May knocked down the best buck ever taken from the property – a 150-inch stud.
The kill came while Corey May, Milt May’s son, was hunting with friend Tyler Breed while home from Louisiana Tech University.
“Tyler and I had gone to the camp with plans to be on stands at daylight Saturday (Dec. 18),” Corey May explained. “We overslept a bit and didn’t get on our stands until around 6:30.”
The stand May was hunting has been known as a “honey hole” stand because some of the biggest bucks taken on Waverly Waterfowl have come from this area of the property.
“I have had trail cameras out since before season opened, and had been able to isolate three different mature bucks,” the forestry and wildlife management student said. “We try not to shoot a buck younger than 4 ½ years old.
“This particular buck got my interest because it was obvious he had the age and his rack was impressive, with palmation on one side.”
Although late getting in his stand, things began happening quickly.
“I had been in my stand just a few minutes, had seen a spike and some does, when I looked up far down the lane and saw this big buck following a doe,” May said. “Fortunately, the doe was walking my direction where there was a food plot, rice bran and corn we’d put out.”
At first, the buck was so far away that the hunter wasn’t real sure how big it was.
“When I spotted the buck, he was some 300 yards away and, frankly, the closer he got, the more nervous I got,” May said. “It felt like my heart was about to explode.”
When the buck, which had continued walked on a straight line following the doe, got to about 80 yards away, it turned broadside and gave May the shot he wanted.
“I squeezed off a shot, and he dropped in his tracks,” May said. “Ironically, I had shot a big buck from this stand two years ago that I watched walk virtually the same path this buck did, turned where this buck turned and fell when I shot within 5 feet of where this buck fell.”
May’s big bruiser buck sported nine points with the left side being significantly palmated. The buck carried an inside spread of 17 ½ inches, and scored 152 3/8 at Simmons Sporting Goods.
The weight was an impressive 265 pounds.
May credits the property’s wildlife management scheme, of which he has taken the lead, to the growing the big buck. Two rules involved in this management are hunters can only bucks they will mount and shooting plenty of does.
To prove just the taking of antlerless deer is to May, he did his part while celebrating the shooting of the highest scoring and heaviest buck ever taken at Waverly Waterfowl
“While I was walking up on my buck, a big doe stepped out,” he said. “So I popped her, as well.”
Visit the Nikon Deer of the Year contest to view other bucks killed this season and to enter the contest yourself. If you aren’t already a registered user of this site (a requirement to be eligible for the contest prizes), click here to get started today!
