By Justin LanclosIt was summer of 2013 when Doug Fruge, of Kinder, first caught a glimpse of the then elusive 3 year old buck. He had multiple night time pictures of him over a span of a few weeks, and then nothing; until 2013 that is. Each year the buck would return to the 1500 acres behind his home near the Calcasieu River to forage, rest up, and prepare for his favorite time of the year. It was Doug's favorite time of the year too. "I have a total of 1 daylight picture of this buck in 3 years," he said. While Allen parish, located in South Central Louisiana, is not known for its bucks as much as its pine trees, Fruge knew he had a good one in his sights. "I've got 5 cameras spread out over the property and I've got him on them all." At 8:40 am, on October 7th, 2015, this crooked hoofed ghost made his last daylight appearance. "I knew it was him when I got him from his crooked hoof. He leaves a funky track. So I'm 99.9% sure this is the guy I've been after." He was hunting the same spot as last year, just a little deeper into the thicket. "It was tight in there," he described. "When I first caught a glimpse of the deer I knew it was him. The wind was in my face and he circled me first to try and catch my wind. When he put his head down to feed, that's when I raised my Mathews Chill R loaded with Gold Tip Hunter Pros." He was almost directly facing away he explained. "At the first hint of an angle I slipped my 125 grain Slick Trick behind his back rib.
" Fruge is a very confident shot. He's a Senior Pro Shooter for Mathews Inc. and practices regularly on his 30 target backyard range. "I knew I made a good shot but sitting there you start second guessing everything. I knew it had to sink because I'm using 125 grain tips I had left over from a previous elk hunt." The elk sized tip made for a quick kill and Fruge claimed his trophy after nearly 36 months of chasing only him. "I walked to the stand from my house. I've got tracks from this deer in my yard. I have a long history with him. It's just good to finally close the deal after passing so many other deer," he explained.