Caleb Huff of Bentley gives all the credit to his father-in-law, Marty Rector, for his being able to stand over the fallen form of the biggest buck he ever shot. On opening day of archery season, Oct. 1, Huff released an arrow into the vitals of a big 8-point he had targeted since finding the buck on his trail cameras on private land he has permission to hunt in Grant Parish.
He and his father-in-law were sitting in identical lock-on stands that afternoon. Huff armed with his APA bow; his father-in-law with a video camera.
Huff’s story really begins on May 8, 2015 when he was given his first bow, a gift from his father-in-law.
“I remember the day because it was at my rehearsal dinner,” Huff said. “It was then that he told me he looked forward to teaching me the outdoors and how to bow hunt. From my first hunt with him, I was hooked.”
The buck he was after
Huff is in the National Guard and had been away on duty for a year. After returning, he put cameras out and began getting images of a big buck. On Oct. 1, as the pair sat in their stands, they were looking at a food plot and feeder set up in the hardwoods on the property.
“We got in our stands around 5:00 that afternoon with a good wind direction that would keep our scent from the food plot,” he said. “Not long after getting settled in, the wind changed a bit as three does came onto the plot, winded us and nervously departed.
“As the afternoon wore on the wind settled, a doe and yearling came out and fed for probably 30 minutes. About 10 minutes before dark I saw movement and then I saw a big set of antlers and felt sure it was the buck I was after.”
The buck came up to the feeder at 30 yards, but stood facing him for what to Huff seemed like an eternity. Finally the buck moved forward another five yards, turned broadside offering him a shot, and he took it.
“We watched him run off and I felt I had made a good shot, but I was too nervous and excited to immediately climb down,” he said. “We waited awhile until it was dark, went to the truck and got a flashlight.”
The blood trail
Finding the arrow and a bit of blood, the pair began following the scant blood trail until some good blood was spotted on the side of a tree.
“I was still looking for blood on the ground when my father-in-law shined the flashlight into the woods, bumped me on the chest and said, ‘Look at that!’” Huff said. “The buck, which had expired, was there at eye level having hung up in a bush by his rack. The deer traveled about 150 yards.”
The buck sported a heavy rack of 8 points with a 17 ½-inch spread, weighed approximately 200 pounds and was estimated to be around 5 ½ years old. Taking the buck to K&K Taxidermy in Reeves, the rack measured an unofficial 147 3/8 inches.
“I am thankful I was able to share the moment of harvesting this buck with my father-in-law who taught me. Much like my own father,” Huff said, “he puts emphasis on faith and family first. I’ve learned that enjoying the outdoors by way of hunting is another way to bring family together and give thanks to our Savior, Jesus Christ. I look forward to continuing this legacy with my own children.”