Wounded deer turns tables on La. hunter

Brian Albert Broom | The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger

The hunter became the hunted when a Clinton, La., man was attacked by a massive deer he had wounded on his property.

According to Bayou Bucks magazine, Bobby Neames was airlifted to a Baton Rouge hospital and nearly bled to death after the buck gored him through his left thigh on Christmas Eve.

Neames, a veteran hunter who also hunts near Brookhaven, told Bayou Bucks that when he arrived at his deer stand overlooking a shooting lane, he saw a large buck standing near the end that he had captured images of on his trail cameras. Neames then set up for the shot and sent a bullet downrange, striking the deer in the neck. The deer ran into the woods, and Neames said he heard it crash shortly after.

Neames began trailing the animal about 15 minutes later and didn't get far before he found it. It was still alive and only feet away.

Neames said the deer was facing him and had a gaping wound in its neck. When their eyes met, the hunter became the prey.

"It happened so fast. I was 20 feet away when he lunged up from a squatted position, and within one-tenth of a second, he'd hit me," Neames said.

With an antler lodged in Neames' thigh, the buck tossed him to the ground about 8 feet away. "I knew I was in trouble then," Neames said. "Before I could even get to my feet, he was down on me attacking me again.

"I was lucky enough to grab his horns when he come down on me because he's just trying to ram them through my chest. I knew I had to protect my heart and lung area and my face."

As the struggle continued, Neames' rifle strap became entangled in the buck's antlers and to make matters worse, it was loaded with the safety off.

"I got to worrying then, thinking maybe the gun was going to go off," Neames said. "The deer ain't going to kill me, but the gun's going to go off and kill me."

After several more charges, Neames said, the deer gave pause long enough for him to regain composure and on the next charge, he took control.

"When he come at me one time, I twisted his neck trying to choke him or do anything — just trying to get him off — and he actually did a complete flip over me and his horns stuck in the ground, in the dirt, for just a few seconds," Neames said.

That was the break Neames needed to put some distance between himself and the would-be killer, which looked back at him then ran into the woods toting Neames' rifle.

While the rifle was later found by Neames' son, it was the last anyone would see of the buck.

Soaked in blood, Neames struggled to walk the 400 yards to his home. From there, he was flown to Baton Rouge and underwent surgery. Neames said he had more than 13 inches of tears in his flesh from the buck's antlers that took 25 staples and an unknown number of stitches to close.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries could not be reached for comment, but Lann Wilf, deer program leader for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks said, "I've heard stories about wounded deer attacking hunters forever, since I was a kid."

While he has heard those stories, Wilf said few involved injuries. "Most of the stories I've heard about were folks getting chased."

Wilf warned about getting near an injured buck, particularly during the breeding season when they are highly aggressive.

"These bucks are extremely dangerous. Certain individuals are very tenacious," Wilf said. "They are a whole lot stronger than any man."

Jason Aycock, publisher and owner of the Hammond, La.-based Bayou Bucks, said he's never encountered an attack like this either.

"No, I've never heard of anything to this extent before," Aycock said. "I've never heard of a buck trying to outright gore someone with their antlers."

Aycock said that because the deer was wounded and had a high testosterone level, it was a fight-or-flight situation for him when he saw Neames. Because the deer was facing Neames, Aycock said he chose to fight.

While it has been five weeks since Neames suffered the attack, it still haunts him.

"I was lucky to live through this," Neames said. "It was a terrifying experience, and I still have nightmares over it."