Jonesboro youth bags 249-pound deer

After spending a week on vacation (fruitlessly pursuing a deer of my own), I returned to the office this week to find a backlog of emails and phone calls about folks who had a lot more success than I did.

Over the next few days, I’ll share a few of those stories. First up, meet Freddie MacLean of Jonesboro.

According to his aunt, Melissa Veith, the 17-year-old three-sport student-athlete at Washington Academy filled his tag on Nov. 10.

17-year-old Freddie MacLean of Jonesboro poses with the 11-point, 249.4-pound deer he shot on Nov. 10. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Veith)

“He has hunted for three years with his grandfather, Mike Lenfesty, also of Jonesboro,” Veith wrote in a proud email. “This was the first time hunting this year without his grandfather and wouldn’t you know it? He found the big one.

“[Freddie] heard a noise of ice breaking while sitting in his tree stand,” Veith continued. “He was able to see the legs of the deer under the tree boughs, when it walked into sight. He brought this big deer down with his grandfather’s .30-30, also known as ‘the meat getter.'”

The buck was Freddie’s first, and it was a monster. The 11-pointer weighed in at 249.4 pounds.

The scale tells the story: 249.4 pounds, field-dressed. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Veith)

“Dragging this big guy out was made much easier with the help of his friends, Nick and Colin Pineo and brother Michael (all originally from Jonesboro),” Veith wrote.

Congratulations to Freddie on a truly memorable first buck.

And stay tuned in the days ahead: I’ve got a couple other great tales on tap.

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.