Big Buck 411 Blog

A Testament to Homework

A Testament to Homework

By Mike Handley

Jacob Lamar of Athens, Alabama, might well be among the best public land deer hunters in the Southeast.

After throwing a dart that landed on Kentucky's Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, he pored over maps and aerial photographs before driving up there with his brother, Adam, to walk a portion of the 171,280-acre tract.

LBL, one of the South's most popular public tracts, is a vast peninsula between Kentucky and Barkley lakes. Some of it lies in Kentucky, and the rest in Tennessee. It attracts lots of hunters, both residents and nonresidents, but there's plenty of ground to share.

The Lamars chose it in 2015 because of its trophy potential.

"Kentucky has a history of producing big bucks," Jacob told John E. Phillips, who's writing his story for Rack magazine. "The drive from Alabama to Kentucky isn't far, the license costs less than they do in Illinois, and Kentucky had a bow season starting the first week of September."

The brothers hoped by braving the mosquitoes and hunting the early season, they might avoid hunters waiting for cooler weather. They also chose an area of about 180 acres.

Their first reconnaissance trip was in July. They drove roads to learn the lay of the land and its access points. They also set out on foot.

"I discovered one soybean field a long distance from any public access road," Jacob said. "To take a mature buck on public land, you have to walk away from access roads."

While approaching the field together, the brothers jumped a 170-class buck still in velvet. There was also a bachelor group in the beans.

Jacob and Adam went back the next day to set out trail cameras, and they returned to check it two weeks later. All the bucks they'd seen were photographed.

The Lamars were in treestands 10 yards apart on opening day. Adam took along a video camera to film his brother taking the big buck, if he didn't get the first chance himself.

They saw one small buck.

The next day, Sept. 5, Adam took Jacob's stand, and Jacob set up closer to where they'd heard deer entering the beans after dark.

With 45 minutes of shooting light remaining, Jacob saw a big buck skirting the field, about 20 yards inside the tree line. The trail brought it straight to him.

Fifteen minutes after he shot, Jacob heard his brother grunt, followed by a thwack.

Jacob's buck carries a BTR composite score of 179 3/8 inches. Adam's was a 131-inch 8-pointer.

— Read Recent Blog!

A Break in the Weather: Brandon Hazel / BTR Composite Score: 189 3/8

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd