Monster killed in Bankhead

Somebody post the pic that Micheal Perry killed with a smoke pole today. Look him up on Facebook

Come on man most of us don't fool with face space. Post up so pics.

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Woulda been a good’un next year. 😃

Congrats to tha killer!!!

Would have been a good bow buck. I’d passed with a rifle😬I bet the drag out took years off his life

Congratulations, he puts in a lot of time up there

That’s a freaking giant again. He spends a lot of time to kill the deer he does.

Dude!!!

Holy moly. That’s a hoss

Dang stud of a buck! I know he worked for that one out there, Congratulations to him!

Some true monsters in Bankhead.

Congrats to the hunter.

Congratulations to him , he seemed like a really nice guy the one time I met him . Think he used to be a contributor to Alabama outdoors news magazine . I don’t know if that thing is even still in print .

A sure enough good one!

How many he got?

Dayum

I know of 3 toads in the last 3-4 years. I’m talking 140 plus class deer on public land.

He generally kills one early in the season and then another when the rut gets kicked up good. He only shoots mature bucks. He does podcasts and articles and things of that nature to let folks know how he does it - he wants to help others do the same. It's really pretty simple. Definitely not easy but not complicated at all. He loses most hunters when he describes walking three miles up a creek at 3:30 am to approach where he knows a mature one is.

Yep. Michael and his wife earn every one they kill!!!

Wonder how deep he’s getting to find these year after year? I would love to spend a couple days with him on sone of my properties lol.

How "deep" can anyone truly go on any property in Alabama??

Why does he drag them out that far? It’d be way easier to quarter it and pack it out on his back.

You can get several miles into Bankhead and that’s not “easy” topography. Matt Brock could probably tell you in detail but I think 3-4 miles is doable from nearest road.

He has killed some absolute giants! Congrats to him! There ain’t no doubt he’s putting in a lot of time.

Wow!!!!
Congrats to the hunter!

Dang....What a Deer... some people just got kind of a smell about them that big bucks draw too, He must be one of them guys...

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Wow congrats

No telling what that joker will score! Doggone what a buck! He's definitely put the work in for it, use to see him and talk with him up there several years ago when I use to hunt alot there nice fella

I’m pretty sure he kills all his deer in one general area. He says on several podcast him and his wife hide their stands somewhere. I’m surprised folks ain’t stalking him

Full grown. Sounds like a good hunter , patient woodsman , willing to put in the work , hunting where big bucks live. Those types always kill grown uns.

Someone that skilled at hunting is actually better off hunting public land than an expensive QDM club or private land. They get hundreds of thousands of acres of land to pick the exact spot they want and go after any deer they want. There are probably 50 or less deer roaming this state right now that are that big and if you hunt private land and one is not on your place, you are out of luck. This guy is like a sniper who seeks out and finds deer like that instead of waiting for one to come to him.

Yep, the more sweat equity you put in the hunt, the luckier you get. That doesn't mean that you don't still have to hunt smart.

Congratulations Michael !!
Job well done again , great example for putting in that extra time and effort !
Like I tell my kids ‘ You do what you gotta do to get to do what you want to do ‘ !

I'll add I bet that feller is a student of whitetails and knows the areas he hunts like his own living room. Probably feels out of place in a shooting house , if he ever gets in one at all.

I just wonder how he gets them out of there after he kills them!

I know how he does it. It’s why most ppl don’t kill deer like that. It’ll take a half a day or longer to get them out some times.

Hey Matt , anyone use a horse or mule to hunt Bankhead area?

We didn’t hunt off of them, but we used to use em on Choccolocca when I was in high school. Old man I hunted with a fine pair of mules “sally and Suzy” If we killed one, use young boys would go get his mule, usually sally she was easier to catch, take it back up and drag out the deer with it. Never was sure If that was legal but it was sure easier. Lol

Unless there’s some freaky rule saying you have to bring it out whole, that’s dumb.

They could be of great help up here too, but I've never known of anyone using them. Most folks up here gut them and go down hill if they aren't close to a road or can't get a 4 wheeler close. Used to be a group of coonhunters hunted off mules up here , but I reckon it was a passing fad.

Don't know bout quartering , but I'd dang sure gut them.

Packing them out is way faster and easier than dragging all day. Fo sho

On a WMA; they have to come out whole. Unless they have changed the rules. No 4 wheelers off open roads.

On a WMA; they have to come out whole.
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When did that law get put in place? It must have been recently.

They have to come out whole on mandatory check-in days since they weigh them. I've asked about packing them out on non-mandatory check-in days and got mixed responses, but I don't see how you could ticketed as it isn't in the regs.

Not the one I’ve hunted.

Correction; Bringing out whole only applies to mandatory check in days

Can you still gut them in the woods?

Yes. That is not a problem.

That must be WMA specific.

You would be correct.

I don't know if it's a rule, or just a common sense "case by case" exception if you ask, but I've used a 4wheeler twice at Choccolocco to retrieve deer. Both time I was muzzleloader hunting alone during the week, both deer were extremely far from any road, in steep terrain, would've been basically impossible by myself even with a wheeled cart. Each time I contacted the WMA officials and they granted me permission. This was also about 10+ years ago (maybe 12-15 years ago), so who knows if they'd still do that today.

I've always assumed someone like Perry is consumed with hunting. What I mean is it's the only outdoor hobby they have, it's what they do and who they are 24/7/365. I usually lose interest in deer and start fishing by mid January, and give ZERO thought to deer hunting until October again. I don't Summer scout or anything like that (I might make some mental notes of stuff I find in Spring turkey season, but that's all). I know guys (like Perry) who don't fish or do anything else....they are deer-focused-101%, period. They walk ridges in the Summer, run cameras, do all sorts of crazy stuff on rugged public land even in 100 degree July. We're stopping on our first tournament hole on a Saturday morning in August, and they're already three ridges deep checking cameras and hanging a loc-on that same morning. They are shooting bows all Summer, going to the shooting range with a new scope, it's complete obsession. They probably take a few out of state hunting trips for other species in the parts of the year when it's not deer season in Alabama, like I say, hunting is what they do! And most of these guys are single, or have a wife who also hunts, otherwise nobody would tolerate the obsessive devotion they give to hunting deer.

When I kill a deer on public land, I'm just as surprised as the deer was

The unifying factor that most consistently successful public land hunters seem to have is time. Unlimited time in the woods seems to be the key to success. I don't have that kind of time to throw at it and I would bet most people are in the same boat.

Unless I missed it, Black Warrior WMA wasn’t one of them that required it. Maybe someone can post a link for the rule.

How does he get the deer out?

Agree 100%. A box stand on a green patch just seems awkward.

The thing is he said he's watched this deer for 2 years

That's remarkable.... that deer would've been extremely big two years ago. I'll assume he meant he's had pics for two years (cause ain't nobody in the world woulda walked that joker)

He had pics for two years. He said the first year he found him, he was mid 160’s he assumed. It’s amazing what age will do huh?

If any of y’all know him, ask if he’ll post the yearly progression pictures. I’d like to see the yearly change

It had to eat nothing but acorns and browse… unless it was on he back side of some of that private…

I dont know him, I just heard him speaking on the subject during a podcast a few days ago. What I can say is that there isn’t a chance he’s gonna show anything to give away where the deer was living. He said he drug that deer solo for over an hour uphill just to get it into a location where he could have someone help him without knowing exactly where he killed it.

This is the reason Bankhead will not be overrun with hunters looking for the next giant. Rough terrain will drive 95% of weekend warriors away.

That just means he probably drug it downhill for 15 minutes from where he killed it.

He can crop the pics just to show the deer’s head. I’d like to see the yearly jump.

That group of guys he’s standing with are all local and all kill good deer out of that forest with a gun of some sort.

I'd bet no motorized vehicles has more to do than the terra. SxS and 4 wheelers would be a game changer for Bankhead.

Most deer hunters aren’t going to walk 1/2 mile on flat ground to get to a spot to hunt. Add in other factors such as terrain, and weight of carrying a stand and that number gets even smaller. I’m very thankful that the WMAs I hunt have locked gates and a no motorized vehicle policy.

That deer has been living on private land inside Bankhead. He got busted slipping on public.

A few years ago a guy killed a 170” with his ML on Bankhead and it was slightly over 5 miles from where it had been on camera for several years. The private guy got so tore up he started harassing the guy who killed it day in and day out. Was pitiful.

Geez, what a clown!

Ya that's ridiculous...if u want a 170 go find another one...it's out there

They out there, just not many. 170” on public in Alabama is my goal. Just may not be able to do it in Jackson county. I had one at 52 yards, but I was holding a bow. It wound up getting killed on the adjoining private a few months later. It scored in the 170’s as a main frame 8 pointer 😒