Fifteen-year-old Beau Barrios, a ninth grade student at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, was after a particular buck that had been showing up on his trail cameras.
Beau’s dad, Dr. Joey Barrios, who is a surgeon in Lafayette, checked Beau out of school at noon on Nov. 21 and they prepared for the two hour drive from home to their Corbett Farms bow-hunt only hunting club in Avoyelles Parish.
A few days earlier, Beau had a chance at the buck late in the afternoon, but with fading light he was afraid to take a shot.
“We got in our box stand that afternoon around 3 p.m.,” Dr. Barrios said. “The stand overlooks a big clear cut with a clearing where we had rice bran and feed out in a pen we had set up to keep hogs out. A farm adjoins the area where we were hunting.”
Beau was armed with his Striker crossbow with a Rage broadhead mounted on the bolt.
The opportunity arrives
The weather was warm and the pair was prepared with a fan circulating in the stand, along with a Thermacell to keep mosquitos at bay. They felt that because it was warm the buck was not likely to show up until later in the afternoon.
“It was 5:25 before we saw anything, when a spike and two young does came to the feed,” Dr. Barrios said. “In a few minutes, a big deer stepped out and we could tell it was the buck we were after. Our heart rates went up rapidly when it looked like Beau might have a chance. The buck turned broadside, but before he could get a shot, the deer hopped into the pen with his rear end facing us. He finally turned to give a broadside shot. Beau took it and the deer hopped out of the pen and took off.”
The pair started packing up their gear and waited some 45 minutes before going down and looking for the deer.
“There was a decent blood trail we followed for a bit until the trail faded out,” Dr. Barrios said. “We decided to back out, call someone with a dog that could trail the deer. We called John Winn in Oakdale and he agreed to come. He didn’t get there until about 10:45.”
On the trail
Once the dog got on the trail, it wasn’t long before he started barking. Winn told them when his dog barks like that the deer is still alive. They headed for where the dog was barking and found the buck standing alive in water. He had to be finished off. Beau’s arrow had entered a bit far back and clipped the liver. That’s the reason the deer lived as long as it did.
Six hours after making the shot, Beau was finally able to put his hands on his buck, a main frame 8-point with 17 5/8 inch inside spread and 5-inch bases.
“I was super excited,” he said.
The buck was estimated to be 4 ½ years old and weighed 245 pounds. The rack was measured at 145 4/8 inches.
