Lane knocks down big 14-point near East Carroll Parish
It is a well-known fact that on the football field, LSU and Ole Miss are mortal enemies: Very little love is lost between the two state-line rivals.
Although it may be difficult to imagine, on Oct. 4 a former Ole Miss quarterback passed up the chance to down a huge 14-point buck, and handed the honor over to a former LSU QB. That Ole Miss guy is Bob Lane — and the LSU fellow is his 59-year-old dad, Robert Lane.
“My son and I hunt on a 7,600-acre property, Pittman-Hogue Island, a group of us purchased in East Carroll Parish,” Robert said. “Actually, the land is technically in Mississippi, although it lies west of the Mississippi River. An old river boundary that marks the boundary between the two states makes a loop around our property. The river is to our east, but Pittman-Hogue Island is determined to be in Mississippi. We abide by Mississippi fish and game laws.”
The club has some rather strict rules about bucks that can be taken on the property. A buck has to have at least 10 points, and must be 5 ½ years of age or older.
And just such a buck started appearing on game cameras before bow season in 2017.
“Last year, this was a fine deer but we felt it was somewhat short of the minimum we shoot,” he said. “He had a drop tine on his left antler but lacked just a little being a shooter, so we decided to let him go, hoping he’d survive to this season.”
In August prior to bow season opening, the buck began appearing on camera and according to Lane, its characteristics had exploded. “DT,” which was the big buck’s nickname for its drop tine, was a definite shooter this season.
“My son and I hunt from a Primos ground blind that allows you to see out, but a deer can’t see in. On Monday, opening afternoon and Tuesday, my son and I sat in the blind together, he with a bow and me with a camera — I wanted him to get the deer while I filmed the hunt. Although several bucks came out both afternoons, DT was not one of them,” Lane said.
As Friday rolled around, the elder Lane was faced with a dilemma: He could hunt that afternoon, but his son had other obligations and couldn’t go.
“I asked my son ‘Would I be a terrible dad if I went hunting without you and got DT?’ He quickly said go ahead, that I was deserving of a chance at him, so somewhat reluctantly, I went,” Lane said.
The temperature was approaching 90 degrees late that afternoon as he climbed into the blind. As he waited, deer began coming out and suddenly, out walked DT.
“I said a little prayer…’Lord, don’t let me do anything to mess this deer up. If he presents himself, let me make a perfect shot.’ It was as if the Lord answered my prayer immediately as the buck turned broadside at 16 yards and I released my arrow,” Lane said.
The buck traveled about 90 yards, and with the help of two young members of the club, was recovered.
The 14-point hammer sported a main frame 10-point rack with four additional points, including the drop tine. The 220 pound buck, aged at 5 ½ years old, was green-scored at a whopping 167 ⅜ inches of bone.
“I shot him with an old Darton bow I’ve used for the last 20-plus years,” Lane noted. “My impression of this event is that an old man, shooting an old bow and an old arrow, shot an old deer.”
Click here to read other big-buck stories from the 2018-19 season.