A Vermont man considered one of the country’s greatest deer hunters has died, leaving a void when the season begins next month.
Lanyard "Larry" Benoit, of Duxbury, was known for his tracking skills, which he shared in dozens of books and videos. He was 89 when he succumbed to cancer Oct. 8.
Benoit’s son, Shane, says his dad taught him how to watch the way a deer’s feet sink into the ground, and how much room the animal leaves for its antlers as it moves around trees.
“You know you put that all together and you get a pretty good mental picture of how big the deer is," the younger Benoit said. "And the reason that my pop and I hunted together is that we just enjoyed each other’s company.”
Shane Benoit says this hunting season won’t be the same without his dad. But he’s happy the aging deer hunter bagged an especially prized buck last year—one of over 200 in his lifetime.
When he’s not hunting, Shane Benoit shares some of his dad’s deer tracking secrets on a website.
Larry Benoit’s survivors include his wife and eight children.
