The hunter's plan was sound -- but, alas, unsuccessful; he found neither the deer nor any sign of a blood trail. Frustrated, he continued to sweep the area, including the plot that he'd shot the buck in, but nothing indicated that he'd hit his mark. Darkness finally halted the search.

"My son arrived that night," continued Larry, "and the following morning we rode out to resume looking. Surprisingly, we found the buck almost immediately, lying in weeds near the edge of the food plot. To this day I can not explain how the buck ended up where it did, or how I could have missed seeing it the evening before. But, most importantly, we found the deer."

The rack has 15 scorable points, 10 of which comprise the basic typical frame. From an overall size standpoint, the main beams are somewhat short, measuring just 23 and 21 inches. That deficiency is more than compensated for by great tine length, however -- paired G-2s taping to 12 1/8 and 11 7/8 inches, for example, and G-3s of 11 4/8 and 10 7/8 inches. Antler mass is substantial, with all eight circumference measurements topping the 4-inch mark.

The 5x5 frame grosses 165 3/8 and nets 160 2/8. The five additional abnormal points, totaling 15 7/8 inches, bring the final non-typical score to 176 1/8. This ranks the Macon County buck as the state's No. 2 non-typical of the 2005 season.

KORY HOBBS' LONG-TINED WALLHANGER
During a mid-November hunt with his dad on a small Crisp County hunting tract, Kory Hobbs was positioned in a stand of mature pines overlooking a shallow wet-weather bottom. At around 8:30, two does crossed the bottom about 70 yards to the hunter's left and continued on their way.

Minutes later, the hunter heard a deer running and promptly spotted a buck with a large rack coming toward him from across the bottom. The buck eventually slowed to a walk and then came to a halt 80 yards away.

"When the buck stopped, I pulled the trigger and then lowered my rifle, waiting for the deer to drop," Kory said. "To my amazement, the buck never moved, but after a few seconds it resumed walking. I quickly picked out an opening just ahead of the moving deer and fired a second round. This time the buck hit the ground. I still have no idea what happened to my first shot."

Kory's buck's awesome 13-point rack has long, sweeping main beams of 26 and 25 inches. Tine length is exceptional, including paired G-2s that tape to an amazing 14 1/8 and 13 1/8 inches followed by G-3s of 12 7/8 and 11 2/8 inches. The 9-point typical frame grosses 167 4/8 and nets 157. Adding in 13 6/8 inches of abnormal points brings the final non-typical score to 170 6/8 B&C.

DANIEL JOINER'S TERRELL COUNTY 14-POINTER
Not a half-hour of light left, and Daniel Joiner was combing a Terrell County cotton field for the 8-pointer he'd just shot at. While walking through the standing stalks, the hunter jumped a small 4-pointer and then, as he watched the young buck head for the nearby woodsline, saw a second deer running in his direction.

"The second deer was a doe, and as I watched her coming toward me, I suddenly saw a bigger deer behind her," Daniel said. "As I continued to watch, the big deer raised its head, and I could see that it had a very big rack. I got my rifle in position and when the buck turned slightly so that I could see its shoulder, I fired."

Nightfall prevented the hunter from finding either buck that night. Fortunately, he was eventually able to retrieve both deer.

The massive rack of his second buck has 14 points, including a unique split beam on the left antler that measures 19 inches. In spite of significant asymmetry deductions between the right and left antlers, over 28 inches of abnormal points give the buck a final non-typical score of 174 3/8 B&C.

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