
Lucas Deshautelle, a 29-year-old plant inspector from Moreauville, hunts on the 100 acres he owns in Avoyelles Parish. Neighbors had trail camera photos of a big buck for the past 2 ½ years but it was one Deshautelle had never seen on camera or otherwise. On the morning of Jan. 5, he got his first look at the buck as it stepped out in front of his stand on the trail of a doe.
Deshautelle hunts out of a ladder stand that overlooks two food plots. One 150-yard plot is to his west; another 80-yard long one is to his south.
“I got on my stand that morning early before daylight, and soon after settling in I could hear deer walking or running in the woods,” he said. “It was too early to tell what they were, so I just sat and waited for daylight hoping that the deer I was hearing would show up.”
Daylight finally came as he waited and watched for the deer he had been hearing. At about 7:15, he watched a doe step out on the food plot to his west. Anxiety was beginning to increase for him when he saw something moving in the woods behind where the doe had stepped out. He was able to see a big set of antlers and his interest level increased significantly.
“I had no idea if this was the big buck my neighbors had on camera; all I knew was this was one big enough I wanted a crack at,” Deshautelle said. “In fact, I was looking at the biggest rack I had ever seen in my life.”
A big set of antlers
The buck took a few steps and stopped at the edge of the plot behind a patch of high weeds, locked in on the doe standing in the food plot.
“I shoot a Winchester .308 and could see enough of him in the weeds to squeeze off a shot,” Deshautelle said. “He took off but I noticed he was limping real bad, and I assumed my shot had broken his shoulder.”
Luck was on Deshautelle’s side when the buck stepped into his south food plot and stopped broadside, giving him another shot. When he shot, the buck took off and ran about 50 yards before crashing.
“I walked to where he was standing when I last shot, looked into the woods in the direction he had run, and all I could see was a big set of antlers,” Deshautelle said. “I was so excited I just took off running to where he was and realized this was the big buck everybody had on their cameras for the past couple of years.”
The buck was impressive indeed. The rack was a main frame 8-point with a small 1-inch kicker making it a 9-point. Main beams were 26 and 27 inches, inside spread was 18 ¼ inches, bases were 5 ½ inches. The buck was 5 ½ years old and weighed in at 210 pounds. Measuring the rack, the score came out to be 163 1/8, most impressive for a main frame 8-point.
Deshautelle was able to lay claim to a genuine trophy buck.