Belfast hunter’s patience pays off as 16-point buck returns

Larry Dyer Jr. and his wife bought property near Belfast in hopes of building a home there someday. In the meantime, he figured the large parcel would provide a perfect place for him and his son, Larry Dyer III, to deer hunt in the fall.

Larry Dyer Jr. of Belfast captured a trail camera photo of this deer back in August. On Nov. 19, the deer returned. Dyer's 212-pounder sported a 16-point rack of antlers. (Larry Dyer Jr. photo)

Larry Dyer Jr. of Belfast captured a trail camera photo of this deer back in August. On Nov. 19, the deer returned. Dyer’s 212-pounder sported a 16-point rack of antlers. (Larry Dyer Jr. photo)

And when Dyer, who lives in Belfast, captured a trail camera photo of a huge buck on that property back in August, he became eager for hunting season to begin.

“Between me and my son and a buddy of ours who hunts a different piece of land [nearby], we kept saying, ‘Man, wouldn’t we like to see that guy again, one more time,'” Dyer said of the deer that had an enormous rack, still in velvet.

A profile view of Dyer's buck. (Larry Dyer Jr. photo)

A profile view of Dyer’s buck. (Larry Dyer Jr. photo)

For more than three months, that didn’t happen. The deer didn’t show up on trail cameras. It didn’t show up during hunting season.

Then, on Nov. 19, Dyer’s luck changed.

“He just popped out,” Dyer said. I saw him, but didn’t even realize it was that particular deer until I saw him on the ground.”

Dyer saw the buck in a chopping about 150 yards away, and made a good shot. When he and a friend, Greg Curtis, found the deer, he knew the big buck had returned.

“It was just extreme, extreme excitement, to realize it was that deer,” Dyer said. “It was so easy to put the photographs together and not even doubt which deer it was.”

Larry Dyer Jr. with his 211-pound 16-pointer. (Photo courtesy of Larry Dyer Jr.)

Larry Dyer Jr. with his 212-pound 16-pointer. (Photo courtesy of Larry Dyer Jr.)

The buck weighed 212 pounds, field-dressed, and the tagging station registered it as a 16-pointer. Dyer expects that official scoring of the antlers may reduce that total to 13 or 14 points. But for now, he’s calling it a 16-pointer.

Dyer said hunting with his son, who is now 21, has been a favorite fall pastime. And despite not seeing the big buck for three and a half months, he never lost hope.

“Zero frustration,” he said. “Hunting is about putting your time in, enjoying yourself, and being in the right place at the right time.”

 

 

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.