Braxton Rodrigue, 14, a freshman at Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, with the buck he killed in Concordia Parish over Thanksgiving break. The deer was rough scored at 152 6/8 and sported 26-inch main beams and 9 scorable points.
“Braxton had been counting down the days to Thanksgiving break so he could get back to his family’s land and hopefully tag the trophy buck that had been showing up on trail cameras all season — always at night, never in daylight. After long talks and daily phone calls with his uncle about where the buck might appear, the evening of Nov. 28 would finally bring all that preparation together.
He’d been seeing plenty of deer throughout the week and had even passed on a few bucks. That evening, the temperature started to drop, and with rain in the forecast for the next day, Braxton decided to hunt a good stand that overlooks the Mississippi River, hoping his target buck might show. Around 4:30, deer began moving — small bucks and does, just enough action to keep him alert. He was watching a pair of does pass under his stand when he spotted movement at the edge of the clearing. Lifting his binoculars, he realized it was the big 9-point.
Slowly, he raised his Browning .308 and took the shot. The buck dropped instantly. Overwhelmed with excitement, he called his dad, barely able to breathe as he tried to relay what happened. His dad calmed him down and told him his uncle would come with the side-by-side. But when Braxton hung up and looked back, the deer had vanished.
They decided to give the buck time, not wanting to risk pushing him. After about two hours, they returned and found only a small amount of blood and no clear trail. Following a well-used deer path, Braxton suddenly spotted a white belly and the buck’s massive rack sticking up. He had found him. Braxton celebrated his hard-earned trophy with his paw-paw, his dad, and his uncle Michael.”