And to think this awesome 13-pointer -- in death, at least -- almost eluded Johnny Vead Photo by Glynn Harris

The deer hunters who arm themselves with muzzleloaders are only one step removed from the ones who take up bow and arrow to pursue their quarry. Granted, bowhunters have it harder, since their targets usually have to be within 35 yards for their weapons to be effective. Too, the motion of pulling back a bow is not nearly as discreet as that involved in easing off the safety on a firearm. However, using a muzzleloader to hunt deer means that you've got only one shot at a deer that has to be fairly close; blow the shot, and you rarely have the chance to follow up.

Even so, smokepolers around Louisiana continue to bring in eye-popping bucks year after year. Perhaps you're thinking that if you had access to prime private acreage on which the bucks grow big and feel little hunting pressure, you might score on a big blackpowder buck as well. You may be surprised to know that over the past several hunting seasons, some of the most impressive bucks taken in Louisiana were brought down by hunters using primitive firearms. But even more astounding, many of these wallhanger bucks were taken on public land, where hunting pressure can be intense.

The following are accounts of several monster bucks that were taken off public lands by blackpowder weapons over the past few seasons.

JOHNNY VEAD/RED RIVER WMA
It was on Dec. 7, 2003, while hunting with his muzzleloader at the Red River Wildlife Management Area, that good fortune came Johnny Vead's way. "I was in an area with lots of deer tracks and since it was either sex hunting that day, I would have been satisfied with a doe," he recalled.

Vead explained that while he was sitting on a log after sneaking along for a while, he heard something walking in the water that had flooded the bottoms after recent rains. Then he glimpsed a deer as it moved closer. When the deer stopped in a small clearing 30 yards away, the hunter from Marksville saw antlers, but had no idea how many or the size. He fired, and when the smoke cleared, the deer was running away from him through the water. It was only then that he got his first glimpse of the rack.

"'Man -- it's a big one!' I remember thinking," he said. "I found lung tissue and hair floating on the water, and we found blood on the other side where he hit dry ground. However, we eventually lost his trail, although I looked for him the rest of that day. I came back the next day and looked but was unable to find the buck."

On Dec. 26, a full 19 days after shooting the big buck, Vead was hunting the same area, having given up on ever finding his buck. "I noticed buzzards in trees, so I went over to investigate. Imagine my surprise and relief when I saw a buzzard sitting on the antlers of my buck. They had about picked him clean, and it was a smelly job, but I cut off the head and finally claimed my trophy." Vead's buck, a 13-pointer, scored an unofficial 172 3/8 points.

BILL JORDAN Jr./CAMP BEAUREGARD WMA
Bill Jordan Jr. lives less than 400 yards from the property line of the Camp Beauregard WMA. "My brother-in-law, Eddie Feazell, had invited me to hunt with him the morning of Dec. 1, 2001," he said. "I got up well before daylight and was about ready to leave. Eddie called to say his daughter was sick, and he couldn't go hunting."

So Jordan decided to hunt alone. But when he got to the area he'd planned on, he saw beams from the flashlights of several other hunters who'd beaten him there. "I decided to loop around these hunters and head for the other end of the same ridge. I hadn't scouted this area, so I just had to take pot luck and hope for the best."

Around 7:30, Jordan heard something moving and caught a glimpse of a buck about 120 yards away. The deer stepped into a clearing, but the animal was too far off for a muzzleloader shot. Finally spotting the deer again, he put the scope on the deer's shoulder -- and, dismayed, realized that his scope had fogged up.

"I couldn't see a thing," he said. "I used my orange vest to clear the scope, and couldn't believe it when I saw the buck still standing there broadside at 60 yards. I squeezed the trigger and at the shot, the buck took off, running right under my tree. He was running hard like nothing was wrong so I assumed I'd missed."