A 12-year-old El Dorado, Kan., boy now knows what it's like to have a huge case of buck fever, and still get the huge buck.
Ethan O'Brien thought his chance at killing his first deer was gone. It was too dark to see the deer, he told his host, Kent Marr. Marr, who could see the huge buck, fixed that problem when he plucked sunglasses from the 12-year-old boy's face.
When Ethan saw the huge 18-pointer, a case of buck fever of earthquake proportions had the boy shaking so much that he could hardly stand, let alone shoot. Marr got him calmed, and as daylight was sliding away he got Ethan lined up with the rifle. Then something more important came up.
"I was expecting him to take the shot and he says, 'I gotta pee,' " said Marr. "I told him to hold it and he said, 'No, I really have to pee, now!' So he walked over and peed."
To Marr's surprise, the big buck didn't spook at the noise or movement. With one shot, the young hunter dropped a bigger buck than many avid hunters see.
"This buck was just meant to be for this kid," Marr said. "I can't explain it any other way."
