I sure can understand that. Most of my hunting isn't half a hr away and the more bucks I put in the freezer the more I'm interested in body size instead of inches of antlers. Speaking of horns, though, do you think antler potential varies a lot more down in MS than it does here in TN? Sure seems like it from what I've heard and read. Guess what I'm asking is do you think the "quality potential" of the delta and fertile region of northeast MS compared to most of the rest of MS is exaggerated? Or not?
My nephew's parents live between Jackson and Meridian but lives up in West Point where he works. So I've been trying to help him decide which public lands to try and any tips you might have would be greatly appreciated!
Mississippi has incredibly varied antler scores based on incredibly different soil types. Much more varied than TN.
For example, deer reach 90% antler growth at 3.5 in the Delta... some of the richest soils in the country. While where I am in south MS, deer don't hit 90% antler growth until 5.5. The genetics are basically the same between regions, it's just the difference in soils.
The best soils in MS are the Delta (obviously), along the MS river south of the delta (Port Gibson, Natchez, Woodville), and the black belt in east central MS. Soils close to the Big Black are also rich and produce larger bucks than surrounding areas. The are other pockets with bigger than average bucks, but those are the areas you want to focus on for bucks that have the potential to score higher than other areas.
The best public hunts are draws in the delta and south of the delta along the MS River. Public lands where I live (mostly Desoto National Forest) are dog hunted HARD so I don't bother hunting there, not that it's impossible to kill a decent deer.
There are good deer around West Point (being the northern edge of the black belt), but I don't know anything about public lands there. I would guess there would be some honey holes in the Corp land along TN Tom waterway. My son is a freshman at MS State and he has had a decent amount of luck duck hunting the public near Starkville, but he seems to think the public is a bit overpressured for deer (but he hasn't really deer hunted it yet)
