By Billy Davis

A 12-point buck bagged at Thanksgiving has put deer hunter Eric McCain into first place in the 2011-2012 Big Buck Contest.

McCain, hunting from a shooting house, bagged the buck Nov. 23 when it walked out behind several does in a food plot.

“It was a 60-yard shot. He was real close,” said McCain, who was hunting with a seven millimeter Ruger hunting rifle.

The buck earned McCain 62 points in the current contest at Batesville Gun and Pawn, the contest co-sponsor where entries are measured.

McCain’s buck piled up the points with 12 antler points, an inside spread of 18 and ½ inches, and main beams that measured 25.75 inches. The base circumference measured 5.75 inches

The 12-point was the second buck McCain had seen this season, he said. He routinely passes up young bucks for older, mature deer and estimated the 12-point was at least 4 ½ years old.

He also guessed the weight at more than 250 pounds. “Too big to fit on the back of my four-wheeler,” McCain said.

McCain is not certain to keep his first place lead for long. When the temperatures drop and the rut gets going, scores around 60 are typically bumped by bigger trophy bucks that score in the mid-60s.

The top Big Buck score still belongs to Kenny Crockett, a rancher from Tate County. He bagged an 18-point while searching for a lost cow and earned 68.75 inches in the 2006-2007 contest.

The Big Buck Contest awards first place to the deer hunter with the highest score points.

A second place winner is drawn from the remaining pool of entries and a third place award is given to the top Big Buck scorer under 15 years old.

The 2011-2012 Big Buck Contest ends January 31, the last day of deer season in Mississippi.