Season Of The Book Bucks

Ray Thigpen with his Booner.

Some end-of-the-season good fortune added another Boone & Crockett class buck to the long list of giants killed in Georgia this past deer season.

On Dec. 29, Ray Thigpen, of Fort Valley, went to some family land in Crawford County. He’s killed plenty of deer there in the past, but he hasn’t hunted it much the past three seasons.

“I stumbled on a big shed from last year. My brother scored it, and that number doubled and with a 17-inch spread was like 170. I knew nobody had shot one that good around there,” Ray said.

On Dec. 31, the day before the Northern Zone season closed, Ray was hunting from the ground when the buck walked to within 18 yards.

“I was hunting a 9-year-old clearcut that’s real thick. It’s just a spot I always hunt on that land. There’s a sandy trail that’s always beat down,” he said.

Ray’s buck, like the other potential record-book bucks killed this past deer season, has to wait the 60-day drying period before it can be officially measured.

Two of this season’s bucks have been officially scored. The first official Booner of the season was the Brooks County buck killed by Mike Holland on Nov. 11. A Sumter County non-typical was officially measured with a score of 199 4/8.

There’s also another Brooks County buck that will be measured soon that is expected to exceed the Boone & Crockett minimum, and we’re waiting on confirmation of a reported Booner from Worth County. Plus, there’s a suburban giant from north Fulton that should be close.

The all-time record for B&C bucks killed during a Georgia season was six in 1983. Including the two confirmed so far this year, Georgia hunters have killed 99 B&C bucks.