Luling hunter fells massive buck in Des Allemands

Luling’s Matt Caire has loved hunting since the age of 13 — and never has he been prouder of an effort.Caire dropped an eight-point swamp buck about 6:30 a.m. Friday morning in Des Allemands, 5-and-a-half year old deer green-scoring 141 4/8 when it was all said and done. The buck is thought to be among the biggest ever killed in the area, a deer of such size almost unheard of near the swamps of South Louisiana.

“You don’t really hear about deer that size around here,” Caire said. “Everything happened so fast. My buddies are really fired up about it.”

Caire sprayed Buck Bomb Doe in Estrus on his way in that morning, and he suspects that’s what lured the big deer to his shooting lane. He said he set up about 2,000 yards away from a feeder he’d set up in a spot on the land he felt could be advantageous.

“I thought in that little section, you might have one come out,” Caire said. “He stepped out and it seemed like he was trying to pick up the scent. I could see his body and his horns … I could tell it was a big deer.”

Caire was ready.

“It all happened within five seconds,” he said.

Caire fired his .308 and dropped the buck. He was fairly sure the shot was fatal, but as excited as he was, he stayed clear for about 30 minutes to be sure.

“You don’t want to rush into it or take the chance it’s still alive,” Caire said. “You just want to give them time. I waited for what was about the longest 30 minutes of my life.”

It was worth the wait. The buck featured 20-inch main beams with a 15-inch inside spread. Initially, he had estimated the deer would be scored around 136, but the official score exceeded that estimate.

While Caire notes he has dropped at least one larger deer, this one holds special meaning to him because of how rare it is to do so in this region.

“This is the one I’m most proud of,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to hunt in a number of different places … up in Canada, Alabama, Mississippi, the Midwest … this was down here, on my home turf. The life these deer have down in this area is very hard. The marshes, the heat, alligators … to even see one of these here is unexpected and it really makes it awesome. I’m grateful for it.”