Greenville resident Jim Plourde had never seen the 196-pound deer that walked into his shooting lane on opening morning of Maine’s regular archery season.
He shot the 9-point with a crossbow around 7:45 a.m. Saturday from a treestand in Wildlife Management District 9.
The buck came through a thicket but turned around just before reaching the shooting lane. It stood behind the trees for nearly 10 minutes before turning back and stepping into the opening.
When it entered the lane, Plourde stopped it with a bleat call and took the shot from about 30 yards away.
Because the deer didn’t have an exit wound, tracking was difficult, he said. When he found it about an hour later, he was surprised by its size and rack.
Although he has two trail cameras in the area, neither had captured a picture of the buck.
The successful hunt marked the second consecutive year when Plourde has taken a buck with a crossbow. Last year, he shot a six-pointer.
Hunters can take one antlered deer per year with their big game license. A second antlered deer can only be taken in designated expanded archery areas.