From a cull to wall hanger in one year

By: Glynn Harris

When a particular buck stepped out this time last year, Rick Guillot, who lives in Elm Grove, decided he needed to be taken out because a strangely formed seven points labeled him as an obvious cull; his genetics needed to be removed from the herd.

“I hunt on a 2,000 acre private piece of property three other guys and I have under lease in Red River Parish. We have some good deer on the place and this weird looking seven point had no place in the herd. When he showed up last year, I thought it best to go ahead and remove him as we didn’t want his genes to have a negative effect on our deer,” said Guillot.

The buck stepped out, Guillot drew his bow and released an arrow but unfortunately, there was a small branch in the way that deflected the arrow, giving the seven point a new lease on life.

“I saw him several times last season but never got another chance at him,” Guillot said. “However when this summer rolled around, something magical had happened to what had been a cull the year before. His scraggly seven points had transitioned into a massive 8 points frame with several kickers when added up made the buck a 13 point bruiser. Also, his body was quite a bit larger. I was glad I missed him last year because I could tell he would be a real shooter this season,” he added.