Daulton Jennings of Calhoun, La.’s little heart pounded like a jackhammer inside of his chest on December 28, 2011.  He’d already taken three shots at the monster buck that he was aiming at, and all three were closer than the 300 yard pop that he was about to take.  He knew that settling down was the only way he’d be able to make the right shot on the deer, and when he finally was able to, he added another buck to his Dad’s taxidermy bill.

Daulton’s luck began when his name was drawn for the youth lottery hunt on the Tensas NWR.  This particular type of hunt takes place in a restricted area within the refuge, that is only hunted on the youth lottery hunt and a handicapped hunt each year.  The youths have to draw for a guide for the hunt and then they are taken to the stands within the selected area.  Low and behold, Daulton drew one of the best guides on the hunt, Bayou Bucks very own Darren (dkjones) Jones as his guide.

The Jennings both struck up a kinship with their guide, as all three have very strong ties to Union Parish.  The hunt would go like this; Daulton’s Dad, Kevin, would have to stay behind while Daulton and Darren rode in the truck to their selected spot and make the hunt.  “He told me as we were riding to the stands that he hoped we’d get this particular one because he’s seen a lot of deer from it,” said Daulton.

Sure enough, the cards fell right and the pair got the leaning stand they wanted for that morning’s hunt.  “Before I take each kid out, I try to feel them out to see how experienced they are at deer hunting and shooting.  That way I know about how far to let them shoot at one.  Well, when I asked Daulton if he’d killed any deer, his Dad pulled out these pictures of this 146 inch buck that he took earlier in the year.  I knew right then that I could let him shoot pretty far out,” laughed the guide, Jones.

Daulton Jennings shows off the other big buck he took earlier this season.

The pair got settled in for the mornings hunt and it didn’t take long before they began to see deer.  After seeing a few does early in the morning, Daulton spotted a doe in the green field they were hunting. As they watched the doe, they saw a buck following close behind.  Both of the deer made their way out into the field and at 130 yards Darren made the buck stop.  The only problem was Daulton wasn’t able to get on him at the opportune time.  The buck soon began to chase the doe again and no matter how much Darren tried to stop the buck, he only had one thing on his mind.  “I hollered and tried to stop the deer, but he wouldn’t.  Daulton finally said he thought he had a shot, so I let him take it,” said Jones.

When the boy shot, the deer acted like he was hit, but he still continued in pursuit of the doe.  Daulton fired two more shots at the deer, but again, he never stopped.  When he finally did stop, the buck was three football fields away and was perfectly broadside.  Remembering their conversation earlier that morning, Darren knew Daulton had the know how and experience to make a shot that far and he could also tell that he first shot was a hit by the way the deer was standing, so Darren let him give it a whirl.  After advising the boy where to aim, Darren left it entirely up to the 12 year old and when he was comfortable with his shot, Daulton put a .270 bullet right through the pump station of the massive deer at 7:48 AM.

This picture show the unique characteristics of Daulton's Tensas buck.

With the other kids still hunting, the pair had to wait until 10:00 AM before they could get down, so they had a long wait.  While they sat in the stand, they passed the time in a good way; Daulton shot two more deer, both does, and finally it was time to get down.

Meanwhile, Daulton’s Dad was pacing after hearing all of the shots.  “He tried to send me several text messages, but I didn’t get them all because of the poor cell service.  Between 7:30 and 8:00 there were a lot of shots, but when one of the guides came out, they didn’t have any deer.  I made the comment that there sure was a lot of shooting for them not to have any deer.  He asked me if my son was sitting with Darren and when I said yes, he said “Well, that’s where all of the shooting was at!’,” laughed Kevin.

The game wardens wouldn’t let Daulton or Kevin go with them to look for the deer, but after a quick wait, they finally were able to lay their hands on their newest prize.  The deer had 11 points, an inside spread of 21 3/8 inches, weighed 245 pounds, and was estimated at 5 1/2 years old.

When asked about his part in the hunt, Jones laughed and said, “I may have been the guide for this hunt, but he did it all.  His ability to take a shot like he did, at that distance is something most 12 year olds can’t do.”