Matt Joiner's 20-point non-typical buck from Mitchell County scored 179 4/8 B&C points, including 49 2/8 inches of abnormal antler growth. Taxidermy by Grayson Roberts. Photo by Bill Cooper.

Over the years, southwest Georgia's Flint River corridor has produced an extraordinary list of big whitetails. Virtually every county bordering the stream has recorded one or more record-book class bucks, and this includes Dougherty, where river corridor hunting acreage is very limited.

The key connection, of course, is excellent habitat, which includes a diverse mixture of both understory and overstory plant species, not the least of which is mast-producing hardwoods. Another very important factor is that agriculture -- either row crop or pasture -- is within reach of nearly all riverbottom deer populations. Combine these natural and supplemental food sources with an abundance of cover and better than average genetics and the result is an ideal prescription for producing big whitetails.

Obviously, taking a record-class buck in one of these counties is not totally dependent on hunting the river corridor, but unless a hunter has acquired access to plantation properties or some other large-acreage landholding, the task will be much more difficult. Not surprisingly, gaining hunting rights to lands bordering the river is no simple proposition, regardless of the county.

Well aware of the Flint River's connection to big whitetails, brothers Matt and Jay Joiner, avid deer hunters from Albany, took advantage several years ago of an opportunity to acquire a Mitchell County hunting lease along the river corridor. This particular area on the Flint, including both the lease and surrounding properties, is primarily composed of woodlands interspersed with large-acreage pecan orchards.

"About five years ago, the landowners initiated a major timber harvest on the lease" Matt said. "Except for a few scattered big pines, most of the woods were clearcut. There were no trees planted, however. The open cutover was quickly covered in a mixture of volunteer hardwood and pine seedlings."

The resulting ground cover of lush vegetation attracted deer like a magnet, providing the brothers with an ideal observation and hunting location. Unfortunately, by the third season, the tremendous growth of the hardwood and pine saplings began to seriously reduce visibility. By the fourth year, the cutover resembled a jungle.

"Last summer, we hired a guy to bring in a wood chipper and cut several open lanes through the dense undergrowth, particularly around one of our primary stand locations near the river," Matt noted. "Our intent was to convert sections of these lanes to permanent food plots, but last year we simply didn't have enough time to get the sites completely prepared and planted."

From an observation standpoint, the new openings made a remarkable difference. During the early weeks of season, the hunters sighted numerous deer, including several bucks in the 125 or smaller size-class. On the day before Thanksgiving, the brothers arrived at the lease shortly before daybreak. Jay elected to watch one of the pecan orchards, while Matt hunted the river bluff location.

"Around 7:00 o'clock I heard something below my stand and saw a coyote come out of the brush and head off down one of the open lanes," Matt recounted. "I seriously considered shooting, but I really hated to disturb the morning's hunt, especially since it was still very early."

About an hour later, while enjoying the morning and near perfect weather conditions, Matt laid his head back and momentarily closed his eyes in meditation. Within a matter of seconds, after reopening his eyes and looking around, the hunter was shocked to see a large buck standing 100 yards away in one of the newly cut openings.