There are two types of deer hunters in this world: trophy hunters and meat hunters. Jim Rhodes of Spearsville, LA always considered himself a meat hunter—that is until the evening of November 7, 2009. Jim had hunted his own private tract of 45 acres pine plantation in his northern Union Parish community for the three-straight evenings. And for three-straight evenings, nothing had shown up to his corn pile. “I was disgusted—more like just plain aggravated because I hadn’t seen a deer,” he divulged.

The fateful evening was warmer than usual and deer’s movements were hard to pattern because of a bright moon and a plentiful acorn crop. “I was just sitting there thinking, ‘This is another wasted evening,’ when all of the sudden he just walked out into my corn at 5:20 that afternoon,” Rhodes recalled. “I took good aim and shot him in the neck—dropped him in his tracks. I knew he was a good buck, but didn’t know he was this big until I got up to him. All I remember saying was ‘Thank you God!’”

When I received an email that a big deer had been taken over the weekend and the picture that was included, two things stood out to me. One was the mass of the antlers. The other was the fact that he had sawn them off with the skin still attached, obviously meaning Jim had no intention to mount the deer. When I asked him about it, he calmly said, “No, my wife said, ‘No more deer on the wall.’  I have a drop tine 12-point that had three legs and he’s up there along with another good buck I killed.” I asked Jim where the horns were now. “They’re in the closet,” he casually replied. “I’ve never been too concerned with a score—all I”ve ever known about was height and width.” Astonishing, yet admirable at the same time!

Most hunters could hardly fathom chopping the antlers of a buck of this caliber and tossing them in the shed, but to Jim Rhodes of Union Parish, it's just another day and another deer down.

Jim did wind up getting it scored, and the buck measured 168 4/8″ BTR at Simmons Sporting Goods Big Buck Contest in Bastrop, LA. If it hadn’t been for his cousin seeing the deer earlier in the year, Jim would have never guessed there was an animal like that roaming his land. His cousin had witnessed him late one night while driving through the area, and that was the last that anyone saw of the beast until he met his maker on November 7. “I feel blessed,” Rhodes remarked, “blessed because there’s people who spend a lot of money every year to kill deer like this in Missouri or Ohio, and I got one right here at home which makes it all the more special.” When asked if he practiced any sort of management on his land, Jim answered, “No, I don’t. I’m a deer hunter, not a trophy hunter. You never know when you’ll get an opportunity to get a deer, and to pass on some isn’t what I typically like to do.”

As we parted ways on the phone, Jim told me to stop by anytime I was close to him and see the horns. “They’ll be in my barn because they’re starting to stink,” he laughed. Jim also asked me to do one thing for him: “Greg, I’m an old retired Elvis Presley impersonator, and he sung a song called My Way. Will you be sure to tell the folks at BayouBucks.com that I’m up here in Union Parish doing things My Way?” This one goes out to you, Mr. Jim; congratulations on a fine buck! Elvis has left the building.