Photo by Ralph Hensley.

Last month, we focused on the best places in the Magnolia State to bag a deer -- any deer. This month, we turn our attention to another aspect of Mississippi deer hunting -- trophy bucks. Here's an overview of the trophy deer action available in the state, plus areas that exhibit the most potential for producing those mega-sized whitetails.

DEFINITION OF A TROPHY
Webster's Dictionary tells us that a trophy is a memorial given or gained in victory. It is, in simplest terms, something worthy of being remembered. For deer hunters in Mississippi, a "trophy buck" can mean many different things.

For a youngster who has yet to take his first buck, anything with antlers might be that trophy. On the other end of the spectrum, a veteran hunter with a number of fine whitetails to his credit may consider a buck sporting a rack of anything less than less than 150 inches to be unworthy of that status. Then there are those of us that fall somewhere in the middle.

The bottom line is that for most deer hunters in Mississippi or anywhere else, a trophy buck is determined by three antler characteristics -- spread, points and mass.

Trophy bucks harvested in Mississippi are eligible for entry in three different record books. As is the case throughout North America, the Pope and Young Club recognizes trophy bucks taken with archery equipment. The Boone and Crockett Club keeps records of trophy whitetails harvested by any legal method, as well as picked-up antlers and bucks that are found dead.

Back in 2000, Mississippi combined the best features of the P&Y and B&C clubs in creating the Magnolia Records Program. All three of these record systems have a separate category for non-typical and typical racks.

In order to make the P&Y all-time record book, a typical rack must score 125 points, while non-typical racks are required to score 155 points. The minimum requirements for entry into B&C all-time records are much higher, with 170 points for a typical rack and 195 points for a non-typical.

The Magnolia Records Program utilizes the same minimum scores as P&Y, but follows the B&C guidelines when it comes to method of harvest.

However, the MRP takes it one step farther. Not only are the harvests broken down by archery, firearms and pickups, but there's also a category for muzzleloaders.

This information can prove invaluable in helping you identify the areas of the Magnolia State that have the most potential for producing a trophy buck. As we pointed out last month, knowledge is power. The details on the MRP can be useful and truly powerful stuff.

While Mississippi is better known for its total deer numbers, it's also gaining a reputation as a hotspot for trophy bucks. The Magnolia State's trophy potential is evident from the host of entries in all three of these record books.

To date, Mississippi has produced over 250 bucks that have made the P&Y record book and 68 bucks with racks large enough to be listed in the B&C records, while more than 3,000 have qualified for the MRP.

To top off those statistics, most of these bucks were harvested within the last decade. It's worth noting that more than 150 bucks in the MRP have been harvested on wildlife management areas, national wildlife refuges, or U. S. Army Corps of Engineers lands.

In 2002, Ray Barrett of Leland harvested the largest non-typical ever taken from public land. His 201 3/8 B&C buck was a new state muzzleloading record. With outstanding deer like this being taken with increasing frequency, Mississippi is becoming known as one of the best places in the South for taking a trophy whitetail.

PRODUCING A TROPHY
When it comes to producing record-class bucks, a combination of fundamentals must be present. As any deer biologist will tell you, three key factors determine antler size: age, genetics, and nutrition. Since we have little control over the genetics in a wild deer population, we have to play the hand we've been dealt.