Young Lady’s Giant Georgia Buck Expected To Make Book

When Ragan Souter, of Poulan, climbed into her buddy stand on the afternoon of Nov. 21, she had no idea she was fixing to kill a Worth County giant that a local deer processor and her boyfriend would tape out unofficially at 190 total inches of antler.

Although Ragan will have to wait the 60 days to have it officially scored for GON‘s Georgia Deer Records program, those who have held the rack and put a tape to it believe the buck should net in the mid to upper 170s. That would qualify it for Boone & Crockett—the minimum for typical racks is 170 net.

Ragan, 23, is a college student at Albany Tech and Southern Regional. She had hunted that Saturday morning with her dad at another property with no success.

Ragan Souter, of Poulan, with a giant 10-pointer she killed in Worth County on Nov. 21.

“I was excited to be hunting that afternoon in the woods on my family farm in Worth County. It’s about 60 acres and has been in my family for generations. It’s definitely a special place,” said Ragan.

Ragan, and her dad, Felton Souter, climbed into their stands situated a few hundred yards apart at around 4:30. Ragan was set up in an oak bottom with a small food plot in front of her stand. It wasn’t long after getting settled in when she could hear deer in a section of pines adjacent to the food plot.

“I could hear a buck grunting after I had been sitting for about 30 or so minutes. Then a doe came out in front of me, and the buck continued to grunt from the pines.”

After several minutes, the giant 10-point appeared a mere 10 yards from Ragan’s stand. Ragan recognized the buck from nighttime trail-camera photos they had gotten of the giant deer.

While the buck’s attention was locked on the doe, Ragan slowly raised her .243 and took aim. As she squeezed the trigger of her Savage Axis rifle on the buck of a lifetime, a deafening click was the only response from her gun. The bullet had misfired.

“It was so loud when the gun clicked, I don’t know how the buck didn’t hear it. He continued to walk directly in front of me, only about 35 feet away.”

Ragan quietly bolted another bullet into the chamber and  took aim again, praying that somehow the buck wouldn’t take off. As she gently squeezed the trigger, this time the bullet erupted as expected. Lying dead on the ground in front of her was the biggest buck she’d ever seen.

“I was just sitting there in shock. I was shaking like crazy, I just couldn’t believe it.”

Ragan tried to call her dad, but couldn’t couldn’t get through.

“I called my mom and my boyfriend to tell them the buck was just laying there in front of me and that my nerves were going wild.”

Her dad, who had heard the shot, arrived at her stand a few minutes later and called some friends to help. It took four men to load the massive buck onto a 4-wheeler.

Later that evening at Willis Processing and Taxidermy, the massive buck pulled the scales down to an impressive 235 pounds, even with his nose still touching the ground.

An employee at Willis Processing, along with Ragan’s boyfriend Quinn, were the ones who came up with a rough gross score of 190 inches of antler bone. Measurements included 6-inch bases, matching G3s of 12 4/8 inches and a 20-inch inside spread. Even though an official scorer hasn’t looked at the buck yet, Quinn believes the buck should net in the mid to upper 170s.

Ragan is having the deer mounted and is excited to get an official score on the buck after the required drying time has passed.

“It’s been an amazing season for me. I killed a small 8-point, my first deer ever, during bow season with my dad sitting with me, and then I managed to tag out with such an amazing animal. I’m truly thankful and blessed.”

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