I absolutely love the irony that this buck was an escapee from a high fence operation (aka - places that people can't hunt ... hunt - or at least sit in a blind and pick the deer they want to kill depending on how fat their wallet is). Even if it wasn't 100% wild, who cares. Jacey got to shoot a buck of a lifetime for free!

I gotta disagree. No disrespect to the hunter, who knew no different. But game farms are a threat to real hunting for exactly this reason. This is a genetically modified mutant; it had no place in the wild. Game farms spread genetic pollution and disease, and warp the traditional sporting ethic. The only place Chronic Wasting Disease was found in Montana was on an elk farm. I'm proud that Montana voters took steps to sharply curtail game farming.

We've all seen the shows on tv where a high seat vehicle pulls up and a shooter picks out the deer that he wants to take as it's standing eating corn that has been scattered in the road. The buck that Jayce took was acting as wild as any other mature buck except that she was able to see him more than once. Every time she saw him, he was in and out very quickly even more quickly than most wild deer. If it hadn't have been for trail cameras, they wouldn't have even have known that there were tags in the buck's ears. The only time they would have seen the tags was when he was laying dead on the ground. Kudo's to Jayce for taking him and she should be proud to have him on the wall. As thick as Louisiana is, even if they would have known to contact the original owner, the odds of recapturing him alive would have been next to slim.

As to the original owner, I'd bet that he keeps his gates in good shape from now on and if he has trouble with them, makes sure that they stay closed. It's unfortunate that the lost his breeder buck especially after he was on his place for such a short time, but that's the way it goes when you raise deer. He was a true gentlemen though in his interaction with Kacey after she took her trophy. Hopefully, her buck was able to breed a few does in the short length of time between his escape and his death and that the Broussard's will see some of his offspring later on.

My hats off to Kacey, she did well and will be a deer hunter for life.

Deer have different levels of comfort and different levels of exposure to people. I think its a real trophy if it was shot free range. If you want to split hairs you can question any deer in the record book. If shot in an isolated area you could say it was tame from lack of pressure. If it was shot in a high pressure area it could be desensitized. If it was shot on the first day on a lease hunted by one person how much more sporting is that? Very, that's how much, because every deer is a trophy to the hunter who harvests it.

Great story. It would have probably cost some city guy $7500 to kill that deer and she got it for free. Congrats to Jacey.

First and foremost, Congrats on an awesome buck. Second, people quit putting her down. If any of you would have seen that buck you would have done the same thing. Third I don't like the idea of farming whitetails but it is how these people make a living so it shouldn't matter. And using feeders during deer season shouldn't be allowed anywhere or you should be atleast 200 yds from any working feeder. I plant small food plots to inhance my hunting experiance for both the herd health and to successfully harvest whitetails. I have also hunted just over trails and acorn drops. It's hunting. Hunting has changed the past 20 years and will continue to change. But I won't quit hunting till the day I die. It's a way of life, just like it is for this young woman and her family. So quit arguing about how her deer shouldn't be called legal or that she should have done otherwise. She made a humane shot and harvested a beautiful deer.

So she shot a geneticly engineered high fenced "pet" deer under a feeder? I would love to shoot a buck that huge but not under a feeder. You might as well of went shopping for him.

Again, my hat's off to the huntress. But this does raise the larger troubling issues about high-fence game farms. Visit the Boone & Crockett Club's Trophy Watch page and look at "million dollar deer." That, amigos, is a freak animal and the big $ is selling sperm to grow more like it at other game farms. This is a twisted industry. It pollutes our sportsmen's ethics, and our game gene pools. And yes, the ONLY place CWD has ever shown up in Montana was smack in the middle of an elk farm. This is a well-documented fact and helped convince votes to curtail this dangerous trend.

Congrats. I think its awesome that a 2nd year hunter goes out and puts the time and effort in to get this monster buck and on top of that took the chance away from some lazy "hunter" with to much money that pays to shoot penned up deer. Congtatulations.

people arent getting the idea. she shot a great deer and none of us would have passed it up had we been in that situation, but all you people who are seeing these comments as put downs are failing to realize she shot it under a feeder and it lived 7 years in captivity allowing it to get big. hardly a wild deer, and saying it was a great shot is also a far stretch considering the article says it was only between 10-20 yards away, if she missed from that distance she shouldnt be hunting. She put in her time and deserved it though regardless of all these details.

Texas is not High Fenced from one end of the state to the next. This quote comes from a "deer farmer."

Great deer, but...

Personally, I just hope the deer didn't have a chance to breed. Some of these farmed deer get antlers that are a little grotesque, and I would prefer to keep those genes out of the wild population.

As a result of this "accident" I see a whole new marketing opportunity for enterprising entrepeneurs in our antler-crazed sports world. Properties adjacent to high fence deer farms are about to climb in value significantly. Especially if this "inadvertant" kill of an "accidentally" escaped neighborhood cultivated buck after a three-day stalk is allowed to enter the record books. If I had a couple of million bucks (and I do) and virtually no ethics (guess you know where I stand on that!), I'd rush right out and start buying up that real estate as fast as I could.

Most people I know would've investigated why did this deer have tags. This would be the same as shooting someone's cat over a milk dish. Doesn't sound like much of a hunt to me, cell phone, feeder, trail cam and a deer tied to a tree. I love her perserverance but this story sucks for what some of us consider "hunting". I would much rather hear about the doe or 4 point she bagged (without the cell phone and feeder) but those deer will never make a headline.

It's against the law in some arenas to trap deer with feeding stations. Not that this one was trapped but then did it not return day after day to a feeding station as it was programed to do in it's 'farm' environment?
Sorry I must be on the wrong web site. High powered rifles and feeding stations? That, to me is less sporting than killing cows in a slaughterhouse.

You gotta give the huntress a lot of credit -- I might have dropped dead of a heart attack if I saw a buck with antlers like that. At least I would have had such a case of buck fever I would have missed. She did nothing wrong and a lot of things right. But the fact is, farming, culling and selectively breeding deer behind high fences reduces them to livestock and violates the North American Model of wildlife management that makes American hunting and fishing the envy of the world. That's why the Boone and Crockett Club rejects game farm trophies.

Sure everybody hasn't been had, sure funny there's tags in picture 19 but none in 17, some pics have solid ears and some have left torn ear.
But yea either way I would Of shot it and so would anybody else!

You rock congratulations.

It is unfortunate that there are so many negative comments concerning the ear tag and the condition of ear. Also unfortunate is the fact that they acknowledged the tag in some of the photos and the way it was removed for the staged photos.

So...the possible lack of due diligence about the ear tag and the obvious removal of the tag for some photos casts a cloud over the hunt, which is unfortunate.

Thankfully, the "owner" of the deer is not upset, taking responsibility for their problematic gates.

So...Congratulations!

I know if I had a deer farm 4 Mi. from me I would know it(which would be considered a nieghbor in my neck of the woods)and if I saw a deer with ear tags I would know what's up.But since I don't use feeders(because they're illegal in my state and unethical in my opinon) or trail cams. I would have shot that buck first chance I got till I ran out of Vacation,sick and personal time.Congrats on a magnificent Buck!I sit and watch and try to pattern the buck I want, then get close enough to stick a arrow in him.That's what I enjoy but to each his own.I'm not going to try to make others think the way I do but it's what gives me the thrill of the hunt!

I have nothing negative to say about the hunter because this was an entirely legal act with what is reported to be a lot of effort. It is not the size of the animal, it is the legitimate effort that should garnish respect. For someone to get a tasty doe in an area that is not swimming with deer is no less a trophy. Never judge someone by the size of their kill for it is the experience of participating in nature and living a three dimensional life that counts most of all. And that deer is simply not natural. Hence it is not wrong, just not the same - much like fake breasts.

where is written this buck came from outfit thst is doing genetic engineering! if , this young hunter shot the deer in the field, not in an enclosed "zoo" , then, i would think she has rightfully, shot a wild deer and is entitle to claim it! i do not see ear tag visible, a brand on the flank, or a collar. I would have tried to get him ,myself! congratulation Jacey. hope Boone and Crockett give you credit! where is the ear tag????. what law did she break?????.
it is only illegal if it were not in season, or Jacey did not license, or it had large visible BRand (as in cattle brand) on it! nothing is visble that the deer is private property!!!!

Hahahah lots of intelligent talk going on here. First let me say good job on shooting a monster deer, you pursued under at least what you thought were fair chase circumstances and could be considered fair chase circumstances.

Next i am going to point out to many of the bad posters on here that if it were not for stocking efforts of many animals (trout, turkeys, pheasants, and some elk herds) many would not be able to hunt or fish the areas they do now.

Next point how many of you actually can define what the words "genetically modified"?. i can tell you this no one so far other than maybe ethanb has used the words correctly. The DNA was not modified, it was selected threw breading. much like a dog breeding but before you make the assertion that it is a pet, pets like dogs are bred for temperament not antlers. In reality it could have been his wild tendencies that allowed him to escape.
I don't support "hunting" on deer ranches but to down talk or talk out of your A@# about someone who was using legal and ethical hunting practices to kill a monster buck annoys me. She did something not many have the pacients or smarts to do hunted a single deer. None of you (or i) can disprove that the deer didn't revert back to wild habits, so quit preaching like self proclaimed BIologists.
once again congrats on the deer and a great story

To all the High and Mighties on here that think they have the power to determine what hunting is and what it isn't - Some hunt with flat shooting rifles with high power scopes, some with iron sights, some with black powder, some with archery equipment, some with dogs and knifes. Some hunt over feeders, food plots, farmland, swamps, or mountain timber. Some hunters wear high dollar camo and use chemical scent killers, some wear blue jeans and flannel. Some hunters use every high tech gadget on the market and others use nothing at all. Why do you think you have the authority to draw the line?

First congrats to Jacey on having the patience and skill to bring the hunt to a successful conclusion and yes I too would have probably shot the deer if given the opportunity.

However, like many others, I too am concerned with this so called industry. Thanks to deer farms and the movement of deer across state lines, we now have CWD in some major areas of Wisconsin (and also TB in some of our herd in other areas). In my opinion, if you are irresponsible enough to allow a game farm deer to escape from your property, that should be the end of your ownership (but not liability). The escaped deer should be put down at the first opportunity for prevention of the spread of disease and contamination of local gene pools. Once these diseases get a foothold in the local populations, they can be virtually impossible to eliminate. Unfortunately, there is way too much money in this industry to get the politicians to do the right thing and ban movement of captive deer across state lines.

Its funny how some folks in other parts of the country take their experience and say thats how is should be everywhere.

In my experience in east Texas, the woods are so thick that you can't really chase down anything on foot. Thats just the way it is. I've also been to other regions where you could spot the deer from a mile off.

Any legal kill is an accomplishment regardless of the method. Quit whining about how "I would never do it THAT way" and state how your methods are best. You can get over yourself and congratulate the lady on a good clean kill.

Does anybody else think Jacey little bit like Pam (Jenna Fischer) from the show "The Office"?

I that is nice that this second year hunter got a thrill out of this accidental release.

Congrats Jacey... Bad Comments = Jealous Comments. That thing is gonna look awesome on your wall.

Its all about the excitement, and your right Jacey, nobody can take if from you.

Congradulations, i would never hunt in an enclosed fence. But if one escaped and came on to my place i would definately shoot it. The owner of the high fence operation should be maintaining his fence to both protect his investment and keep from polluting the wild herd with desiese. Also, who cares that theres corn feeders out? Whats the diffrence in that and planting a food plot? Or using doe in heat to lure in a buck? One question i have though, there is one pic after the kill with tags in. But there is a trail cam pic with the right ear torn like in the other pics after the tags were removed. Whats up? All in all though, great deer and congradulations.

lillylangtree- shouldnt say anything if she doesnt have anything nice to say ,how could she tell if it was tame,doubt any1 was petn the deer when she shot it !!

Congratulations, Jacey! Doesn't matter the circumstances, that's a mighty fine deer you've got!

I have a little trouble with these "know it alls" who talk about, "surely you knew it was a farm-raised animal, surely you saw the tags, surely you knew ..." I look at several of those trail-cam photos and I don't see the tags standng out. If I were a young, semi-inexperienced hunter, do you think I'd be looking at the ears and everything else? No, I'd be looking at the horns!

Well done, Jacey, I'm very happy for you!!

Great Job!!! Nice Buck!!! The every day hunter needs to know that 75% of your deer farmers are amish families and I dont think that they are scientists and sitting in labs genetically engineering deer or pumping them full of steroids... Also alot of deer farmers who cant afford to raise the deer anymore are letting them out into the wild which is illegal... Oh and another thing, YOU PEOPLE WHO KNOW IT ALL!!! Prove that deer farms are spreading CWD!!! Hunters who are hunting out west are the ones who are spreading CWD they carelessly disposing of the carcasses...

First congrats to Jacey, thats one crazy freak of a buck. But after finding out the real story, I personally would find it pretty hard to feel proud about that trophy. I think I would end up offering the hunting ranch the opportunity to have it mounted to show their hunters. I'm sure they paid a pile for it.
Shooting a pen raised science experiment with no fear of humans is not my idea of deer hunting. Its hard enough hunting over a feeder or during the rut when the deer are either trained to come in or just stupid with lust. I definitely would have followed up on the tagged ears before pursuing the buck any further.