MERIDIAN —    Josh Saucier normally hunts in Clarke County, but decided to make a trip to Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge near Yazoo City in search of a trophy bow buck. After a long firearms season, a close up shot at a trophy buck with a bow is almost unheard of, but that’s just what Saucier set out to do.

    Shortly after arriving at the refuge and beginning his hunt, a nice buck in the 140 to 150 class made a beeline to his stand, but things went downhill from there. Saucier liked what he saw and decided to harvest this buck. “I drew back on the buck and my bow just exploded,” Saucier said. And his hunt and trip to the Delta was over almost before it began. There was nothing to do but pack up and head home. Or so he thought.

    Fortunately a hunting buddy had a spare bow and offered it to Saucier so he could keep hunting. Facing a long drive home empty handed Saucier decided to take his friend up on the offer.

    “I had a pretty good hunting location and a tree picked out way back in the swamp so I just decided to go back in there and spend the day in that tree,” said Saucier. Saucier was hunting an acorn flat filled with palmettos.

    Walking a mile or more is not an easy feat and harder still carrying a stand in with you. But that’s what Saucier did as he carried his Ole Man tree stand in.

    And even more remarkable is the fact that he also carried a stick and string back into the hinterlands to try and harvest a trophy buck. They’re hard enough to kill with a rifle, but almost impossible to kill with only a glorified stick and string, but that’s just what Saucier set out to do!

    Saucier has only been bow hunting a short time but after he killed his first bow buck he was hooked. “I grew up near the coast and we don’t have big deer down there but once I killed my first buck with a bow I was hooked,” said Saucier. “All I do now is bow hunt and it doesn’t matter what season it is, that’s what I prefer to do," he offered.

    “I’m usually the first one in there and the last to leave, so I decided to spend the whole day in this one tree in an area I hadn’t hunted since last year,” he said. Saucier made his way back to the tree and settled in for a long day of watching and looking for the big one.

    “I’d hunted the stand last year and saw several good bucks but they never got into range for a shot,” said Saucier. “I saw three deer all day long and it was getting late and I hadn’t shot yet. Around 5:10 I spotted a good deer at 80 yards and he came all the way to within 12 or 13 yards and I drew back and let an arrow fly,” said Saucier. “I missed and he ran right under my stand and stopped at 45 yards so I let another one fly.”

    Thwack, sounded the broadhead as it hit the mark and sunk deep into the trophy buck! The buck ran a scant 40 yards before collapsing in a heap! Saucier had made good on his second chance and didn’t waiver when the moment of truth came.

    The massive buck sported 10 fancy points on a rocking chair rack and green scored 170 1/8 Boone and Crocket and netted 165 2/8 and was surely the buck of a lifetime!



    Contact  Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or e-mail him at mikegiles18@comcast.net