Bibb County Buck Found Dead, New No. 1 Overall

David Handley, of Macon, had quite the surprise while checking out his Bibb County lock-on stand on Sept. 11, the afternoon before bow season. He discovered deer bones and the rack of a giant buck that appeared to have been dead for a while, likely since the buck had a rack at the end of the 2019-20 hunting season.

“I was checking my stand the evening prior to make sure everything was good to go, and something caught my eye,” said David, “He was right under my stand, not hung on it or anything.”

What a deer to find dead under your stand as you get ready for bow season. David Handley’s name will go down as the one who found the new Bibb County deer record.

The monster buck was a popular suburban buck that made its home around Amerson River Park and the neighborhoods surrounding it. David said he immediately knew what buck it was, even though he had never seen the deer alive himself.

“He has been a big wonder for everyone around here, a special neighborhood deer. You would be surprised at the people in the area who still talk about him,” said David.

Bill Gay, a Bibb County detective who also patrols Amerson River Park, had seen the buck in person. He first saw it on Nov. 29, 2018 in daylight and again on Nov. 13, 2019, when he saw the brute chasing four or five does right at dusk.

There is speculation as what led to the buck’s demise. David thinks the buck was either shot by a poacher or hit by a vehicle. However, since the buck had likely been laying there for a number of months, there is no way to tell cause of death.

“He didn’t have a nickname or anything, but he was just a beast,” said David, “He’s gone, but his legacy is still living”.

The 10-pointer is estimated to be at least 4 1/2 years old and had a net score of 163 5/8 inches, which is the new Bibb County record. The No. 1 hunter-killed buck of all-time for Bibb County remains Kenneth Harrison’s 1966 buck that netted 158 2/8.

Bibb County All-Time Record Bucks