There is nothing sweeter than accomplishing something special or meeting a goal just before deadline.
I had such an occasion once in Texas on a turkey hunt. The weather was awful, cold and rainy and the turkeys were tight-lipped.
We had one more hunt planned before having to leave for home, and the thought of having to head home empty-handed was not something I relished.
I set up one last time the last morning and began calling with not much hope of success. Then I saw him. The image of a big gobbler took shape through the woods and although he never made a sound, he came in silently to my calls and I nailed him.
Slinging the big bird over my shoulder, I hurried back to camp, dressed the gobbler and within an hour was on my way back to Louisiana.
Oak Grove farmer, Dusty Meyers had a similar experience with a big buck he took this season during the Bayou Macon Wildlife Management Area’s 7 day gun season. With one day left in the short season, Meyers way-laid a huge buck scoring 181 7/8 inches.
“My dad knows Bayou Macon WMA like the back of his hand. I usually hunt our family land in W. Carroll Parish but decided for a change of pace, I’d give Bayou Macon a try,” said Meyers.
Bayou Macon WMA is a relatively small area comprising fewer than 7,000 acres. Situated between Oak Grove and Lake Providence, the area is relatively flat with poor drainage and consists of hardwoods, ridges and wetland.
There was a bumper crop of acorns on the area this year and the fact that there was plenty of food on the ground gave Meyers all the information he needed as to where to hang his climbing stand.
“My dad and I scouted together, found some buck sign but the area I decided to hang my stand had little buck sign but lots of acorns,” Meyers noted.
With such a short season, Meyers hunted every day, mornings and afternoons from season opening December 26 with plans to finish out the season here on January 1. However, he didn’t need the last day because good fortune came his way on the morning of December 31.
“I hadn’t seen much the days I hunted that week but on that Thursday morning, I saw a little 6 point come by. He wasn’t big enough to shoot because since Bayou Macon is in the Experimental Quality Season for Deer program, a buck has to have a minimum of 4 points, none shorter than one inch on one side, and this little fellow didn’t qualify.
“Fifteen minutes later, I saw another deer moving through the thick underbrush and saw that it was a buck. I could only see one side of his rack and could tell right away he was a shooter,” Meyers continued.
Meyers picked out a small opening in the brush and when the buck stepped into the opening, touched the trigger on his Remington 30.06.
“The deer ran, made a loop and stopped right under my stand. It was only then that I could see what a fine buck he was and a second shot dropped him right there,” said Meyers.
The buck, which tipped the scales around 225 pounds, was indeed impressive. Sporting 12 points with 18 ¾ inches of space between the rack, heavy mass throughout including 7 ½ inch base on one side, the buck measured 181 7/8 at Simmons Sporting Goods for the store’s annual Big Buck Contest.
Currently, Meyers holds down first place in Largest in Louisiana as well as third place in the Men’s categories in the contest.
‘I believe the Good Lord put me in the right place at the right time,” Meyers said.
Glynn Harris Outdoor column is sponsored by D.C. Pawn in Minden