State-record buck offers plenty of incentive to aim high, the second time.
David Lecuyer doesn’t always take 280-yard shots at deer. But when he does, he shoots twice.
The first two bullets – David’s and his buddy Bobby’s – probably whizzed underneath the lovestruck buck at the opposite end of the Kansas cornfield. The third one, from David’s .30-06, connected.
The long poke was the exception, not the rule, according to the man who fired twice. Not shooting at a whitetail of such magnitude was out of the question.
“I don’t take shots that far unless I have to, and I had to,” David said. “The bullet just drops too much.”
Two people had told David about seeing a huge buck in the vicinity, but he never thought he’d actually see it. As soon as the animal exited the timber, he knew it had to be the same deer.
While bowhunting a few weeks earlier, David was at his truck when a passer-by stopped and mentioned he’d seen a buck with a giant rack. A friend of David’s saw it as well.
The 32-year-old equipment operator wasn’t able to bowhunt in 2016 as much as he wanted, because he was driving into Missouri on most weekends to see his wife and daughter. But there was no way he was going to miss opening weekend of rifle season.
David and his friend, Bobby, arrived at their lease about 3:30 on Dec. 3, the first Saturday of rifle season, which had opened the previous Wednesday. It was about 48 degrees, and an 8-mph wind was blowing out of the east.
The guys sat on the ground next to each other, their backs to trees, beside a cut cornfield.
About 5:15, two does ran out of the timber and into the field 280 yards distant. Behind them were the big buck and a smaller one, which seemed content with the pecking order.
“I told Bobby ‘There he is. That’s him!’” David said.
David shouldered his rifle and fired first, but he missed. Then Bobby shot and missed.
David’s second shot obviously connected because the animal mule-kicked before rocketing off the field and into the neighboring property.
When David and Bobby walked to the spot in the stubble, they could find no blood whatsoever. Rather than venture onto the private property, they opted to leave and seek permission to search for the deer the following day.
“I actually hit the deer below its heart, and it didn’t react as much as you’d think. Just a little kick,” he said. “Considering where the bullet hit, you’d think there would’ve been a blood trail, but there wasn’t a drop.”
As soon as the lady who owned the property returned home from church, they secured her blessing and walked in the direction the buck traveled. Even if there had been blood the previous evening, there would have been no trace remaining because of the rain that night.
The path angled toward a grove of cedar trees, which is where they found the animal.
The guys were able to drive a four-wheeler right up to the thicket and load the beefy deer without having to drag it more than 20 yards. David said he didn’t have the means to weigh it, but he’s certain the 5- to 6-year-old buck would’ve tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds.
David’s deer is a new Kansas record among Typicals taken by modern rifle. It’s No. 9 in the world for its category.
He says his best buck prior to that day might’ve tallied 140 inches.
This article was published in the Jan/Feb 2018 edition of Rack Magazine. Subscribe today to have Rack Magazine delivered to your home.
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