In early September, during the first week of bow season, Jeff's younger brother, Loy, braved 90-degree temperatures to take an 18-point buck that scored 171 6/8 non-typical Pope & Young points. Amazingly, while sitting in the stand shortly after arrowing the massive deer, Loy saw another buck that was bigger than the one he had just shot. (You can find the complete story and photos of that hunt in the October 2006 edition of Georgia Sportsman.)

The following month, on the second weekend of gun season, Lamar -- as you know, the father of Jeff and Loy -- was stationed in a box stand during a late-afternoon hunt. Shortly before 6 o'clock, he heard a buck grunt. Immediately rising to his feet, the hunter placed his rifle in shooting position and alertly scanned the surrounding woods for deer movement.

Minutes later, Lamar saw a doe step into an open lane roughly 100 yards out. Grown up in Johnson grass, the lane separated an area of natural pines from a planted pine stand. The doe paused briefly before continuing across the narrow opening and disappeared in the pines. Within seconds, a huge buck appeared where the doe had been standing.

"The buck was standing broadside when I first saw him, but almost immediately he stepped out into the open strip and turned toward me," Lamar recounted. "The Johnson grass had grown quite high, and I believe the buck was looking for the doe. Although I continued to watch the buck through the rifle's scope, I really wasn't comfortable with taking a head-on shot. On the other hand, I realized that at any minute the buck could suddenly turn and step into the pines just as the doe had done."

As Lamar looked on, the big animal took a couple of additional steps, offering a slightly better shooting angle. Placing the scope's cross hairs at the base of the buck's neck, the rifleman squeezed the trigger. At the shot, the buck immediately dropped and, in spite of its large size, completely vanished amid the tall grass.

"I felt really good about the shot, but not being able to see the deer had me a little on edge," Lamar admitted. "Everyone has heard stories of big deer suddenly jumping back to their feet and running off -- but fortunately, that wasn't the case in this instance. After getting out of the stand and walking to where the buck was lying, it was obvious the deer had never moved."

Lamar's amazing buck has 24 scorable points, 15 of which occur on the left antler. The rack has a basic 12-point typical frame with 23-inch beams that hook sharply inward, forming an unusually narrow inside spread of only 12 7/8 inches. Tine length is impressive, with 6 1/2-inch brows (G-1s), and G-2s that tape to 10 5/8 and 9 5/8 inches. Antler mass is truly exceptional, with basal circumference measurements of 8 5/8 and 6 3/8 inches.

As for scoring, the 6x6 typical frame grosses 158 7/8 inches and nets 149 1/8. After adding in the 12 abnormal points, totaling 36 6/8 inches, the final non-typical B&C score is 185 7/8. In addition to qualifying for B&C's awards record book, the Morgan County buck ranked as Georgia's top non-typical of the 2005 season.