224-inch bruiser leads 110 contest entries
There could be only one winner of the 2015 Louisiana Sportsman Big Buck Contest drawing for the brand-new Yamaha 350 Grizzly — and the single ticket pulled out of the pot bore then name of Lynn Bayard.
The New Iberia hunter, who had entered a buck into the contest to be eligible for the free drawing, was not in attendance. But he’ll be riding in style when the next hunting season opens.
The contest, which was hosted by the state chapter of the Quality Deer Management Association, featured 110 bucks that filled a 75-foot wall. And there some true monsters on display.
For instance, Lloyd Dempster’s nearly 200-inch Mississippi buck featured on LouisianaSportsman.com drew much attention, and did Curtis Brown’s 146-inch 13-point killed in the Bonnet Carre Spilway in November.
The largest deer scored was a 224-inch monster from Kansas, but there are several deer scoring north of 170 inches.
In fact, the overall quality of the racks submitted this year was particularly impressive, said Dave Moreland, retired Deer Program leader and contest coordinator.
“I think it was excellent,” Moreland said. “We had good participation with a lot of Louisiana deer and a lot of Mississippi deer, and a lot of deer that will make our Louisiana Recognition Program and the Magnolia Records in Mississippi.
“We also had a good many Pope and Young bucks, and some Boone and Crockett bucks, as well. It’s been a good show.”
Category winners of the contest, the scores and locations of the kills were:
Louisiana – Bow Division
1) Garrett Tregre — 147 6/8 inches, typical (West Feliciana Parish)
2) Mark Dugas — 172 1/8 inches, non-typical (Avoyelles Parish)
3) Ben Larriviere — 142 inches, typical (Avoyelles Parish)
4) Chris Evans — 140 4/8 inches, typical (East Feliciana Parish)
5) David Reynerson — 135 5/8 inches, typical (Avoyelles Parish)
Louisiana – Gun Division ***
1) Donald Forbes —172 6/8, typical (East Baton Rouge Parish)
2) Britt Clark Jr. — 164 inches, typical (Ouachita WMA)
3. Andy Kliebert — 150 1/8 inches, typical (R.K. Yancey WMA, Concordia Parish)
4. Curtis Brown — 146 1/8 inches, typical (St. Charles Parish)
5. Edward Talbot — 144 inches, typical (Assumption Parish)
6. Ryan Williams — 143 1/8 inches, typical (Concordia Parish)
7. Kirk Braud — 143 inches, typical (Pointe Coupee Parish)
Mississippi – Bow Division
1. Lonnie Bickford — 146 4/8 inches, typical (Adams County)
2. Glenn Gomez — 145 4/8 inches, typical (Adams County)
3. Jeff Banderet — 140 7/8 inches, typical (Jefferson County)
4. William Marcello — 135 6/8 inches, typical (Yazoo County)
Mississippi – Gun Division
1. Lloyd Dempster — 197 7/8 inches, non-typical (Claiborne County)
2. Matt Moss — 186 3/8 inches, non-typical (Jefferson County)
3. Claude Bourgeois – 151 4/8 inches, typical (Jefferson County)
4. Ryan Dreaux — 145 2/8 inches, typical (Pearl River County)
Youth Division
1. Brady Barlow — 152 6/8 inches, typical (Pointe Coupee Parish)
2. Jessica Jacob — 137 3/8 inches, typical (Copiah County, Miss.)
3. Bryan Castjohn — 138 2/8 inches, non-typical (Pike County, Ill.)
4. Kade Delee — 134 2/8 inches, typical (West Feliciana Parish)
5. Kade Esquivel — 127 2/8 inches, typical (Jefferson County, Miss.)
Out-of-State Bow Division
1. Matt Yancey — 224 6/8 inches, non-typical (Rice County, Kan.)
2. Dustin Durapav — 164 inches, non-typical (Stephens County, Okla.)
3. Duane Dwelle — 132 3/8 inches, typical (Shannon County, Mo.)
4. Chris Evans — 132 inches, typical (McDonough County, Ill.)
Out-of-State Gun Division
1. Brooks Moran — 150 4/8 inches, typical (Missouri)
2. Devin Speligene — 142 4/8 inches, typical (Oklahoma)
3. Chase Viola — 134 5/8 inches, typical (Nebraska)
4. William Hackney — 102 2/8 inches, typical (Indiana)
Crossbow – Muzzleloader Division
1. Anthony Alford — 191 3/8 inches, non-typical, crossbow (Kansas)
2. Scott Bordelon — 184 5/8 inches, non-typical, muzzleloader (Kansas)
3. Ray Fontenot — 148 1/8 inches, typical, crossbow (Mississippi)
4. Brandon Graves — 147 inches, typical, muzzleloader (Louisiana)
In addition to the ATV, a $500 Bowie Outfitters gift coupon donated by the Louisiana Chapter of the Quality Deer Management Association was awarded to category winner Dempster through a random drawing.
And Yancey and Forbes — the hunters who entered the largest largest typical and non-typical bucks — each received a $360 custom-made Arno Bernard knife donated by QDMA-Louisiana Chapter and RGS Imports DBA David and Nathan Reynerson.
The winner of the youth division, Brady Barlow, received a $200 Bowie Outfitters gift certificate donated by Dave Moreland.
