213 Inches of Atlanta Antler

The Southeast and city limits. The Midwest and cornfields. Mentioning these things together doesn't seem to jive when you're talking about massive whitetails. But, deer are unpredictable creatures, and giants have a way of thriving where we don't expect to find them. Take this 213 4/8-inch non-typical bowkill, for example, taken in 2007 by Jay Maxwell in an Atlanta suburb.

To make a long story short, Maxwell is an accomplished and well-traveled bowhunter who has hunted whitetails and various other critters across the United States. But prior to last season, he spent much of his hunting effort knocking on suburban doors, trying to gain permission to tiny woodlots. He focused his asking efforts in cul-de-sacs, as he said houses in those areas typically adjoined the largest plots of timber. "I've always had the good fortune of hunting big farms, sometimes thousands of acres at a time," Maxwell says. "But I've also been aware of the success some of these 'metro' hunters have by funneling deer down to them in tiny blocks of woods. By the time season opened, I had permission to hunt several tracts, from 1 to 10 acres in size."

When Maxwell pulled into the driveway of one particular house around October 1st, a couple does were casually feeding in the yard. The homeowner granted him permission to hunt, and Maxwell decided to take a quick look around behind the house. The area was torn up with rubs and scrapes.

Despite the promising sign, Maxwell found himself hunting various other areas once the season opened, at least until the homeowner called him early one morning to say he'd just seen a big buck in his yard. Maxwell had taken care of his pertinent work chores for the day, so he slipped into his hunting clothes, grabbed his bow, and was walking into the tract of woods by 11:30 a.m. With a stiff breeze in his face, he elected to stillhunt, and almost immediately spotted a small 6-pointer standing with a doe.

The two deer seemed to be eyeing something, and with the entire afternoon at his disposal, Maxwell began a careful stalk to get closer. That's when he bumped an unseen doe and several other deer. As they fled, the hunter got a good look at the south end of a giant buck.

Worried that he'd just blown his chances, Maxwell barely had time to contemplate his next move before he heard the deer returning. Sure enough, the big buck stepped within sight, along with several does, and began to settle down. With the wind still in his favor, Maxwell again went into stalking mode. This time, he was able to breach the 50-yard mark, within his comfortable shooting range. When the buck stepped into a small clearing, Maxwell drew his 86-pound Hoyt, settled his pin and released. The buck, hit solidly through the shoulder, actually ran toward him at the shot, and collapsed only a few yards away.

Will Brantley