Jay Maxwell took his new state-record non-typical archery buck from Fulton County last Nov. 20. Photo courtesy of Jay Maxwell.

Regardless of whether the specific location happens to be in Georgia or anywhere else, hunting urban whitetails amid suburbia’s sprawling checkerboard of mini-habitats has become common.

Usually, the surroundings, the very small acreages involved and local laws or regulations combine to make bowhunting the only viable option. Not only does the bow have a relatively limited range, it’s an efficient and, perhaps best of all, silent weapon.

Bowhunter Jay Maxwell lives and works within the cluster of counties surrounding the city of Atlanta. Over the last several decades, this entire area, which could aptly be referred to as a developer’s playground, has seen ongoing construction of highways, office buildings, strip malls and residential neighborhoods. In the process, the local whitetail population has been relegated to small, disjointed pockets of undeveloped habitat, large corridors along drainage ravines (sometimes referred to as “greenbelts”) and areas bordering the Chattahoochee River.

“I’m always on the lookout for new potential hunt sites,” Maxwell said. “In mid-October I scouted a Fulton County tract of woods and thickets approximately a quarter of a mile from the river. Within that tract I located a small stand of big hardwoods bordered by a shallow stream drain and grown-up brushy thickets. There was also a fair amount of deer sign scattered throughout the area. After asking and receiving hunting permission from two of the property owners, I left, making a mental note to recheck the location during the November rut.”

Over the following weeks, Maxwell became involved with hunting two other locations, one of which appeared to have great potential, and never found time to revisit the Fulton County site. But two days before Thanksgiving, through an unusual sequence of events, that opportunity suddenly materialized.

“On that particular morning,” he recalled, “while traveling between two scheduled client meetings, I received a message regarding the Fulton County location. Supposedly, earlier that same morning, one of the landowners had spotted several deer behind his house and one of them was a big buck. While I was definitely interested in hearing the news, I was well aware that the term ‘big’ can have dramatically different meanings, depending on the specific reference and the individual. However, knowing the rut was in full swing, and having never hunted the location, I made the decision to take the afternoon off and check out the report.”

During deer season, Maxwell always keeps a bow and hunting equipment packed in his truck, so at noon he drove directly to the hunt site. After briefly talking to the property owner to find out the exact details of the deer sightings, the hunter changed into his Scent-Lok hunting outfit, gathered his equipment, and headed to the woods.

“From the information given, I was pretty sure the landowner had observed one or more bucks chasing a hot doe,” Maxwell explained. “Not knowing whether or not the deer were still on the property, I decided to follow the woodsline of the big hardwoods, being careful to move slowly and into the wind. The very last thing I wanted to do was jump the deer and have them leave the area.”

A thicket of briars, high weeds and saplings covered the slope of a shallow ravine to the hunter’s left. Evidence of fresh buck sign was scattered all along the woodsline, including a number of small pines and cedars that been severely rubbed and broken. After walking a short distance, Maxwell suddenly spotted a young 6-point point buck standing about 60 yards ahead, staring into the thick cover of the ravine. As the archer continued to watch, the buck moved slowly into the brush, then abruptly turned and ran back out into the trees.