THE BIGGEST BUCK EVER TAKEN AT BENT CREEK LODGE

EDITOR'S NOTE: Bent Creek Lodge, located in Choctaw County, one of Alabama's deer-rich sections, homes vast acreage for some of the finest deer hunting anywhere and also big bucks.

QUESTION: Tell me about the biggest buck you've seen taken at Bent Creek Lodge.

ANSWER: Ken Lewis of Jackson, Mississippi, killed a 10-point that scored in the high 160s. He went on a typical evening hunt and happened to see the buck in a greenfield. I think he won several big-buck contests with that 160+ point buck.

QUESTION: When do hunters usually take most of their big deer at Bent Creek?

ANSWER: We normally kill more big bucks in January than at any other time.

QUESTION: What is it about January in Alabama that causes the big deer to come out and move around more?

ANSWER: The rut takes place in January in Alabama, which is the main factor influencing when the big deer come out more into the open.

QUESTION: When does the rut generally start in your area, and when does it end?

ANSWER: Usually the rut begins about the middle of January in the part of the South where we live and ends in mid- to late February.

QUESTION: Have you ever seen anyone bag two or three bucks on a three-day hunt?

ANSWER: Oh, yes, a lot of people have.

QUESTION: Tell me about the different regions a sportsman can hunt at Bent Creek Lodge. You have one where hunters can shoot only trophy bucks, one where they can shoot any size bucks and one where they can take bucks of limited size.

ANSWER: In one Bent Creek area, you can shoot any buck with antlers 4 inches or longer. In another section of our lands, the buck has to have one main beam 13 inches or longer before you can take him. Yet in another part of our property that we've named the trophy area, you can shoot whatever you want to shoot, but if you kill a buck there, you'll have to pay an additional $750 for your hunt.

QUESTION: How big is the trophy area?

ANSWER: The trophy buck area has 13,000 to 15,000 acres.

QUESTION: Do most of your biggest bucks come from the trophy area?

ANSWER: Yes, usually they do but not always.

QUESTION: What's the average shot a hunter will have at Bent Creek?

ANSWER: The average shot is about 125 yards, but you may have to shoot 300 yards or so.

QUESTION: Bent Creek Lodge has a bowhunting season from about October 15th each year to January 31st, even during gun season. How do you set up your bowhunting areas?

ANSWER: We set them up according to where we think our hunters can get and take good, close shots.

QUESTION: One thing that makes Bent Creek good for bowhunting is that your property has numbers of clearcuts next to hardwoods, and the deer will lie in the clearcuts and come out and feed in the hardwoods.

ANSWER: That's right.

Call or write John Lanier at Bent Creek Lodge, P.O. Box 4267, Jachin, AL 36910, (205) 459-3065, or Leo Allen at (205) 398-3437 or email bclodge@pinebelt.net for further information.

TOMORROW: TURKEY HUNTING AT BENT CREEK LODGE

Check back each day this week for more from John Lanier and Bent Creek Lodge...

Day 1 - Deer Hunting At Bent Creek Lodge
Day 2 - Hog Hunting At Bent Creek
Day 3 - The Biggest Buck Ever Taken At Benk Creek Lodge
Day 4 - Turkey Hunting At Bent Creek Lodge
Day 5 - Why Bent Creek Lodge Is So Popular

John's Journal