Chuck Fontenot killed this 7 pointer on his lease (Tri-Parish Hunting Club near Georgetown, LA) at 12:06 in the afternoon on a cold, clear late November day last year (2003). He missed a 10 pointer at 7:35 that ran across the shooting lane chasing a big doe at 180 yards.
"Being a good hunter and not wanting to loose such a magnificent animal, 3 of us searched the thick woods for 3 hours looking for blood. We found none" he said. "Since it was 20 degrees that morning I was ready to go back to the camp for a bowl of hot gumbo to warm up and beat myself up. As I was gathering my gear in my box stand, a 7 pointer stepped out and before I could get my gun up he was facing away from me and started eating corn that I had spread on the ground. He must have known about my stand because he looked back at it. When he did, I put the crosshairs on him at 105 yards and dropped him with a neck shot. The hunters that produce the most on our lease don't use corn feeders. We pour lots of corn down our shooting lanes so that no matter where the come out, there is something to get their attention."
Fontenot continued "I knew the major feeding time was the middle of the day, but I thought our tracking up the woods for 3 hours would have scared off the deer for the day. This 7 pointer came out of the same woods that we were blood trailing in. The next morning the doe came back but snuck out into the shooting lane instead of bolting thru while being chased by the buck. I shot her at 180 yards and founder about 60 yards away in the thicket. I''ve seen that big buck 3 times over the last 2 years. Two other hunters that hunted my stand have seen him, but couldn't get a shot. We need to get him before he dies of old age. I learned some valuable lessons:
Hunt the major feeding times.
Don't give up.
Practice the difficult shots.
I knew all of this but got reminded last year.
