After months of anticipation, Ronald Courville’s buck arrowed on Kisatchie National Forest has been accepted into the national Pope & Young Record book, as well as the Louisiana Big Buck Recognition Program. After the 60 day drying period, Courville’s buck officially netted 136 3/8″ P&Y and 139 1/8″ on the Buckmaster’s scale, placing it at #17 in the Louisiana Recognition Program for a documented typical buck arrowed on public land in Louisiana.
On November, 14, 2008, Opelousas native Courville began his opening morning hunt on Kisatchie National Forest’s Kisatchie District in Natchitoches Parish. He was positioned 16 feet up a pine tree in his climber, armed with a new crossbow, and facing the top of a ridge that tapered off into a creek bottom on the other side. He had chosen this location because of a nice rub and scrape line which ascended the creek bottom, crested the ridge, and passed 20 yards in front of his tree. “The wind was perfect that morning,” Courville remarked. “At around 9:30 AM, I caught a scent of what smelled like a rutting boar upwind on the other side of the ridge. A few minutes later, I was surprised to see that it wasn’t a hog, but two bucks making their way towards my location along the rub line.”
Once the bucks crested the ridge, Courville was able to see that it was a “nice buck” and a spike together, but having no cover on his tree and being eye level with them made lining up a proper shot impossible. The bucks spotted the hunter and bolted back in the direction they came from.
Reluctant to call it quits, Courville returned early the following morning to the same area, but this time armed with his compound bow. “I had just bought that crossbow and was excited to try it out, but I knew this buck would be coming back through the area,” he recalled. “I figured I had just as good a chance at taking the deer with my old Browning® compound bow, so I switched to what I was confident with.” Instead of hunting the same tree that he knew the bucks were already leery of, Courville moved over the ridge closer to the direction they came from.
Like clockwork, at 10:20 AM, the same “rutting boar” smell permeated the cool November air. “I knew he was coming this time,” Courville stated, “so I prepared myself in advance for the shot.” The two bucks were still together, once again traveling the same rub line. They had emerged from the creek bottom, slowly working their way towards Courville, when the actual size of the chocolate horned beast began to manifest itself. “I knew he was a good buck, but don’t pay any attention to horns when it’s crunch time,” he stated. “If he’d been a spike, I’d have treated him the same way.” Although this buck was following a spike, there was little doubt which deer Courville had his sights on. When the buck closed the distance to a mere 25 yards, the wind shifted, immediately alerting the monarch to the predator’s presence. “I was already at full draw, but was waiting for him to get a little closer. That all went out the window when he looked up at me, so I took the only shot I had.” At the sound of the arrow’s release, the buck bolted forward, causing the Rage 2-blade® to strike the animal far back near his hind quarter. Sensing an ill-placed shot, Courville returned to camp, anxiously wondering whether or not he’d made a vital shot.
