Louisiana Dentist Shoots Potential Archery State Record Non-Typical Buck
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.10.17
A dentist in Louisiana has a great reason to be smiling this month, after he took down a buck that could go down as the biggest non-typical deer taken with a bow the state has ever seen – and the hunting story is as good as gold . . .
As Louisiana Sportsman reports, Dr. Frank Sullivan had more than a couple run-ins with this buck – in fact, he thought it died twice!
Sullivan said his first encounter with the buck was during last season, and he and his plumber’s son went after it hard hunting on property very close to each other.
“He shot him the second day of the season last year,” Sullivan said.
However, the deer survived the shot and the 3-year-old buck pushed onward.
Another encounter with the buck occurred from inside Sullivan’s dentist office, where he watched the deer through binoculars get hit by a car. Sullivan said he assumed from the impact that the buck was dead, but when an officer went into the ditch in search of the animal, it got up and ran away.
Still, Sullivan was worried the buck wouldn’t be able to make it because of his injuries.
But then, 3 weeks later, the deer – which by now should be called Ghost Buck or something – showed itself again; this time right behind Sullivan’s office.
Sullivan, who is an avid deer hunter, keeps regular tabs on the deer living behind his dental practice, so he started paying extra close attention to this one buck in particular.
“I had him patterned so much,” he said. “I check the camera every day at 8 a.m. before I see patients, and I knew that if he stayed at my office after 5 a.m. he was going to bed down before crossing that road.”
Finally, during an evening hunt that was full of ups and downs, Dr. Frank Sullivan got the job done, and put a 25-yard shot on this brute of an 18-point buck that gross-scores between 220 and 230 inches.
Here is video showing the moment Dr. Sullivan recovered his buck:
The rack now has 60 days to go through a drying process before it can be officially scored. Although folks who have already laid eyes on this thing have said they have total confidence it will land in the Pope & Young record books as the new archery state record.
Good work, Dr. Sullivan!
