Most veteran deer hunters have memories of one or two really exceptional seasons from their time in the field.
I can recall a couple of my own.
This story, or stories, is about a young 14-year-old boy who was just beginning his trek into deer hunting.
He had been practicing with both bow and gun and had spent quite some time in the woods absorbing the knowledge the outdoors has to offer.
Lucas Pryor had developed a passion for hunting from friends and relatives. He had taught himself how to do European skull mounts and the fencepost hangers to display them.
But he had not yet taken a buck of his own. Early last fall that changed.
On September 27th it was hot. Too hot to hunt. But when you are young and you have a chance to hunt… you hunt.
Lucas got to his stand about 5 that afternoon. The temp had climbed to over 75 degrees. The evening hunt started off slowly. No movement.
The buck had slipped in behind the young hunter silently. When Lucas saw the deer, it was coming around behind his tree.
His movements were slow and deliberate as he raised his bow, drew and anchored.
His 20-yard shot was flawless. The buck jumped and immediately hit top speed.
This death sprint ended as the big deer tumbled head over heels at about 50 yards. He landed on his back with his antlers stuck in the ground.
Our youthful hunter was very proud that his first buck was taken with a bow. He took great care as he prepared the skull for mounting. He was preserving this incredible deer for a lifetime.
I think I should take just a minute right now to let you know that Lucas Pryor can do a Euro skull mount on a platform for you, too. Contact him at 217-440-9230 to find out more.
A few short weeks later it was youth firearms season, and Lucas was accompanied by his dad, Tim Pryor. I have known Tim and Lydia and their kids for decades, and consider them all great friends.
It was about 6 o’clock that evening, right at dusk. The conditions were much better for deer hunting now than for his archery hunt. The temp was in the mid-40’s with little to no wind.
Lucas could not hunt that morning because of a prior commitment. You see, he shoots on a competitive trap team, and they had a shoot that morning. So, the Pryor hunting team was anxious to get into the field.
There were 2 shooter bucks that Lucas had identified on this farm. He had named the bigger buck Hank Sr.
Hank Jr. was smaller, but not by much. The first deer to show up was a small spike. About 20 minutes later a mature doe came running into the field. She appeared nervous.
Our hunters looked back behind her and saw a bigger deer. It was a buck. A good buck. It was Hank Jr. The big deer was coming out to chase the doe.
As young hunters often do, Lucas made a little too much noise getting his gun up and ready. He actually hit the stand rail with the barrel. This noise startled the buck, and he stopped just out of sight.
For several minutes the entire scene was frozen. No deer moved. No hunter moved. The tension was palpable.
Finally, Hank Jr. stepped out at 60 yards. A perfect shot put him down within 20 yards.
There are many of us who can relate to this amazing deer season of Lucas Pryor. I am not sure any of us, including me, could have pulled it off at the age of 14.
Congratulations, young man. I am sure there are more to come.
(Mike Roux can be reached at roux@adams.net.)
