> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://big-buck-journal.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Mississippi Bowhunter Tags 23-Inch-Wide Velvet Buck - URL: https://big-buck-journal.ghost.io/mississippi-bowhunter-tags-23-inch-wide-velvet-buck/ - Published: 2026-10-06T12:41:01.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-06T12:41:01.000Z - Author: Dale Richey Jake Arceneaux finally closes the loop on a 23-inch-wide Mississippi velvet buck. ![Big Buck Journal](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/bda7b12e-9dc4-4b8e-b592-b9edddcfc7d1/BBJ_Logo2-removebg-preview.png?t=1780529087) The buck, the why, and the gear [ ![Kings Camo](https://www.ftjcfx.com/image-101631136-17068371) ](https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-101631136-17068371?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) Mississippi Bowhunter Tags 23-Inch-Wide Velvet Buck. Jake Arceneaux had been watching the same Mississippi buck since 2024\. By 2025, the deer had turned into the kind of whitetail worth rearranging a season around, but Jake’s two encounters ended with one buck out of range and another appearance too late to shoot. When the buck finally showed again in August 2026, the rack had spread past 23 inches. Jake moved cameras, adjusted where he was looking, and set a shaded lock-on stand for the Mississippi heat. The first morning produced plenty of deer. The second sit produced the one he had been waiting on. Let’s dive in. The Buck 𐂂 Mississippi whitetail · Bowhunting · Early season · October 5, 2026 23+ INCH SPREAD 2 2025 CHANCES <100 YARD RECOVERY Jake works for a company that owns hunting ground in Holmes County, Mississippi, and he first picked up the buck on cell cameras in 2024\. By the next fall, the deer had become a serious target. Jake saw him twice in 2025, but one encounter stayed outside bow range and the other happened after shooting light had faded. The old pattern had been late October into early November, so Jake started looking in different places instead of assuming the buck was gone. A camera finally caught him in late August with a rack wider than 23 inches. Jake hung a lock-on in the shade, a small detail that mattered once the early-season heat settled over the South. The first morning brought plenty of deer but not the target buck. Jake skipped the next morning for camp chores and climbed back in around 4 p.m. That evening a young buck started down the trail. Knowing the deer were still running in bachelor groups, Jake stood, grabbed his binoculars, and checked farther up the trail. The big rack was behind him. Jake drew when the buck passed behind a tree, stopped him for the shot, and watched the deer wobble out of sight. After settling himself and grabbing a light and briar-proof pants, Jake returned and found the velvet 10-point only a few feet from where he had last seen him. The buck had gone less than 100 yards. 𐂂 Field Fact Velvet shedding does not happen on one national calendar. The National Deer Association notes that antler mineralization and velvet shedding are driven largely by hormones and changing daylight, and Southeastern states can have a broader shedding window than the Midwest. [Read the Full Story ](https://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/editorial/breaking-news-jake-arceneaux/560936?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) ![](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/a7a470a3-132d-4efe-bde3-ac4375901c2f/Big_Buck_Journal__18_.png?t=1780524494) The Woodsman’s Edge 𐂂 When bachelor groups are still together, the first buck may be your warning. Jake did not treat the young buck on the trail as the whole story. He treated it as a signal that more deer could be following. 𐂂 Use the first deer as an alert. If bucks are still traveling together, one young deer entering the setup is a good reason to get organized before the next set of antlers appears. 𐂂 Glass the trail behind him before you commit your attention. Jake saw the young buck first, then used his binoculars to pick up the wide rack coming behind. 𐂂 Make your early-season setup easy to hunt without extra movement. Shade, clean access, and gear within reach matter when the temperature is high and deer arrive in a group. Dress For The Heat, Not The Calendar Mississippi early season can feel more like summer than deer season. I want a light system that lets me stay comfortable on the walk in and sit still once the woods start moving. Kings Camo is the kind of practical lineup I look at when heat management matters as much as concealment. [ ![Kings Camo hunting gear](https://www.lduhtrp.net/image-101631136-17068372) ](https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-101631136-17068372?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) ![](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/a7a470a3-132d-4efe-bde3-ac4375901c2f/Big_Buck_Journal__18_.png?t=1780524494) The Field Call 𐂂 Would You Stand Up Now? Late afternoon. One young buck starts down the trail. Your target buck has not shown. You know the local bucks are still traveling together, and you only have a partial view of the trail behind him. Daylight is starting to get short. What’s your move? [Stand Slowly And Glass Up Trail ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/6e/8c6e93d4-78db-4e2a-9e0f-2b8581640c45/content/images/2026/10/bbj-15.png?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) [Stay Seated Until Another Buck Appears ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/6e/8c6e93d4-78db-4e2a-9e0f-2b8581640c45/content/images/2026/10/bbj-15.png?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) [Watch Only The Young Buck ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/6e/8c6e93d4-78db-4e2a-9e0f-2b8581640c45/content/images/2026/10/bbj-15.png?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) Tap your call to see why Dale treats the first young buck as a heads-up, not the whole story. ![](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/a7a470a3-132d-4efe-bde3-ac4375901c2f/Big_Buck_Journal__18_.png?t=1780524494) Gear Bench 𐂂 ![Vortex Crossfire HD 10x42 binoculars](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8c/6e/8c6e93d4-78db-4e2a-9e0f-2b8581640c45/content/images/2026/10/image-7.png) Vortex Crossfire HD 10x42 Binoculars $149.99 *Dale’s note:* Jake’s hunt changed when he stopped watching the first young buck and glassed farther up the trail. A simple 10x42 is hard to beat for that kind of deer-woods check. The Crossfire HD gives you 10x magnification, a 325-foot field of view at 1,000 yards, waterproof and fogproof construction, and it comes with a GlassPak harness. Keep it close enough to use before the rack is already in your lap. [Check the Gear ](https://rogerssportinggoods.com/vortex-crossfire-hd-10x42-binoculars-green/?ref=big-buck-journal.ghost.io) ![](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/a7a470a3-132d-4efe-bde3-ac4375901c2f/Big_Buck_Journal__18_.png?t=1780524494) The Last Word 𐂂 The big buck did not step out first. A young one did. That small detail is what makes Jake’s hunt useful. He knew the deer were still grouped, so he stood up, got the binoculars on the trail behind the first buck, and was ready when the wide rack appeared. He did not need a dramatic rut chase or a perfect camera timestamp. He needed to read the order the deer were moving in. Early season gives you fewer obvious clues than November. Pay attention to the small ones. When the first buck steps out, do you glass behind him or stay locked on the deer you can already see? Reply and tell me. Watch the deer. Read the sequence. ![Dale Richey headshot](https://beehiiv-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/asset/file/6d6f9854-bed6-4fa7-a9a2-aa4ab9e4b9ea/BBJ-AuthorHeadshot__2_.png?t=1780581127) Dale Richey Big Buck Journal Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, Big Buck Journal may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.