One hour after burying some of his father’s ashes on a mountain in Oxford County, John Desjardins shot a 172.5-pound 10-point buck. For him, the moment was a perfect tribute.
It was Saturday, the last day of the firearms season, when Desjardins and his two brothers, nephew and close friend gathered for a hunt to honor his late father, Harry Desjardins.
The Desjardins family had hunted in Oxford County since the late 1970s under their father’s leadership. One of their favorite traditions was to meet at the big rock atop the 1,700-foot mountain. They would hunt separately during the day but gather there for lunch.
“Dad was a hardcore hunter,” Desjardins said. “He’d go into the woods in the dark, and come out in the dark.”
Harry Desjardins, who died in February 2024 at age 84, had been a guiding figure in the family’s hunting tradition. Some of his ashes were kept with the intention of spreading them on the mountain where so many hunts had taken place.
Life got in the way, and they postponed their planned meet-up last fall. On the last day of the firearms season this year, they finally gathered, which Desjardins said showed how busy everyone had been.
Finally together, they recreated their favorite memory of hunting separately on the mountain. They regrouped for lunch at the base of the rock, where Desjardins’s friend Bill had placed a plaque in Harry’s honor that summer.
After lunch, they split up and were heading down the mountain when a big 10-point buck appeared in front of Desjardins, who shot it with his .270.
“It was crazy,” he said. “I’m not a super spiritual person, but I had to think that dad sent that buck along.”
“It was just an incredible moment for us all,” Desjardins said, “to recover that deer together, literally an hour after burying dad on that mountain.”
The family was just happy to head up the mountain and share the hunt together. The deer was a bonus — icing on the cake, Desjardins said.
The day reminded the family that the memories they make can last a lifetime. Desjardins hopes the hunt sparks another hunting tradition. His family has hunted separately and sometimes together away from this area for the past 20 years, even though they all live in southern Maine.
With Harry’s passing bringing the family together, they pledged to return each year to hunt and share memories as they did on Saturday.
John’s first and only patch buck came from this area in 1999 — the same year his brother also shot one nearby.
“Needless to say, I have to have the buck mounted now.”