2011 Savannah River Site - Buck Report

Julian Clark and a classic Lowcountry 8-point basket rack buck

Jen H. with SRS displays this 11-point that ran to a lucky dog driver

Scott Greer of Charlotte with a beautiful 10-point buck that weighed 162

Shawnah Banks, 17, of Barnwell with a wide-racked 8-point in rut

Temperatures in the 70's are odd for the week before Thanksgiving, but that doesn't mean that the annual deer control activities at the Savannah River Site will skip a beat. The hunt on Nov. 16 went off with out a hitch, and that includes 50 dog packs and nearly 100 standers - all organized by the dedicated SRS hunt staff. COMMUNICATION and SAFETY are the mantras that are practiced and repeated before a single gun is ever loaded at this Dept. of Energy property. Despite really dry conditions that surely hampers the dogs in terms of less scent on the ground (and in their noses), a harvest of 39 deer and four coyotes was accomplished. John Fuss of Holy City Charters had a pack of nine pigs sneak by his position and he offered one barrel at the closest porker, but could not connect - and no hogs were harvested on 11/16. However, the BIG bucks did show up and plenty of hunters made their shots count! Hunting buddy Julian Clark stopped a classic Lowcountry 8-point basket rack buck with a wrap-around main beams. The shot came about 10:45, and well after the dogs were turned loose at 8 a.m. - Clark was not on high alert when the 3.5-year old buck tried to slip by his stand. One barrel from 50-yards away put the 149-pound buck on the ground - GOOD SHOT! This buck possesses tall tines that are the sign of a mature buck, and the main beams stopped short of touching by less than one inch. They are are perfectly symmetrical to boot! His buck was  likely about the fifth best buck harvested this day, but it is the buck of a lifetime for its classic antlers!

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