Second chances do not come around often, but when they do, they typically bring a strong sense of satisfaction. Father and son Brian and Landen Ray embraced that second chance when Landen raised his 350 Legend to take a buck he had failed to shoot just one year earlier.
Landen Ray, 17, took advantage of school break and decided to go hunting on the morning of Oct. 18 on private family land in Natchitoches Parish. While most teens would have filled the night with video gaming, Landen tried calming the anticipation and excitement he felt the night before his hunt. The thrill of the hunt would win, and Landen left his residence at approximately 4 a.m. and arrived nearly two hours early before first light. The effort waged over the past year would come full circle while he had the time to contemplate his run-in with what would later become his trophy in just a few hours.
Failed ammo
One year to the date, Landen spotted a buck bigger than anything else he had killed. He attempted a shot, but his ammo failed. Four more attempts yielded the same response.
“I guess he had a bad batch of ammo,” said Landen’s father, Brian. “All five shells were dented by the firing pin but never went off.”
Failed ammo is a hunter’s nightmare, and Landen had those long two hours to relive that moment repeatedly. Seated in the same box stand from the botched hunt one year prior, Landen was amazed to see his adversary step into view.
At 7:30 a.m., he raised his rifle, took aim, and squeezed off his kill shot at approximately 50 yards. He hit the deer inches from the back shoulder. The buck ran, but not far enough where it could not be found.
“I was at a doctor’s appointment,” Brian said. “When he called me from the stand, he was absolutely beside himself, so I told him to stay put and regain his composure before doing anything else.”
Real good deer
Landen was hunting with his brother. Monitoring the area where the deer was shot, they only had to track the animal for about 100 yards before they got a close-up view of Landen’s prize. The 8-point rack would scale 149 7/8 inches, an impressive buck by any standard.
“That was his first real good dear,” Brian said. “I’m really happy for him, and we are so blessed to have this land to hunt.”
Brian, a skilled deer hunter, estimates that Landen’s buck is five and a half years old. He and his sons have been watching the deer grow as they have worked to clear and plant the land. They look forward to more hunts of memorable moments and deer. As for Landen, having already been infected with the deer hunting bug, he now more than ever is looking forward to the next morning in the stand while he still basks in the glory of a second chance seized and not squandered.
“I’ll remember this hunt for the rest of my life,” Landen said.