Matt Migues had little time to think about what was happening Jan. 22 while deer hunting the western side of the Atchafalaya Basin, specifically on the back end of the Catahoula Hunting Club’s Line 10.

The 41-year-old Lydia outdoorsman’s instincts honed from countless hours of hunting kicked in during a span of approximately 30 or so seconds. He fired all five rounds from his Browning BAR Semi-Auto Rifle in which three other hunters in the area shot 11 times.

It was the quickest “highlight reel” of his hunting career that no doubt will be remembered as long as he lives.

“It’s a fast story but a lot that led up to it,” Migues said with a soft chuckle. “That story will last forever.”

 Target-rich environment

As four-legged targets splashed across the swamp in front of his ground stand, Migues fired the .30-06-caliber bullet in the chamber on a 4-point, 140-pound buck, walking with a doe away from the neighboring Lucky Buck Hunting Club.

“I waited until I got a good, clean shot. I shoot. Right when I shot, the guy right behind me shoots. That scared me.

“Rooster” (Randal “Rooster” Savoy of Catahoula) said, ‘Look at the hogs!’ There must have been 20 hogs,” he said.

Migues swung on the small herd of wild pigs headed toward Lucky Buck Hunting Club land (6,800 acres), missed with his first shot at them, downed a big ol’ feral hog, missed again, and, wondering if he had fired four or five shots in all the commotion, pulled the trigger one more time and dropped another wild pig.

Meanwhile, Rooster Savoy, who was with Migues, Bryan David of Cecilia, standing a short distance away, and young Rylin Savoy of Catahoula opened fire as the group of 20 or so wild pigs split following Migues’ first shot with about half running toward him and Rooster Savoy while the others were hoofing it toward David and young Savoy. David picked off two of the critters and Rylin Savoy dropped one.

Rooster Savoy, who was with Migues, joined in on the shoot at the feral hogs gone wild but missed.

Sixteen shots in 30 seconds

Migues, who also loves to hunt ducks, likened hearing 16 total gunshots to high-powered, noisy action in a duck blind when a flock of ducks passes over the duck decoys.

“Thirty seconds, if you can imagine. I could just hear from inside. It was a lot of fun (being) inside but had to be a lot of fun (to hear) outside. I shot the deer. When I turn I see the hogs running toward us. It was really exciting. We were all standing in our ground stands and walking in knee deep water,” he said.

“When I turned and shot, I think I missed that first shot (at the feral hogs). My second shot at the hogs, I killed one for sure. My third shot I missed a hog. They were still running. As a matter of fact, I thought to myself, ‘I think I have another shot’ ” in the four-bullet magazine.

Migues, a draftsman for PHI Aviation Inc. since 2001, did have that last bullet and it found its mark to roll a second hog.

When the smoke cleared, the deer and five wild pigs were on the ground.

“That (the shooting) was the fun part. The hard part was dragging them out. We made two trips dragging them out,” Migues said.

The Lucky Buck Hunting Club member was grateful to have been invited as a guest to hunt that day with friends in the neighboring 7,000-acre Catahoula Hunting Club.

After short wait, a quick hunt

Migues was looking forward to the final hunt of the season. The Lucky Buck Hunting Club scheduled a “man drive” for that day.

Chuck Savoy of Catahoula, the CHC’s hunt master, asked club members to wait 30 minutes or so before leaving the boat ramp in their mudboats.

“Tee” Roy Savoy of Coteau Holmes, Catahoula Hunting Club president, was the first deer hunter dropped off along Line 10. Rylin Savoy was next. Then David stopped approximately 50 yards from young Savoy. Rooster Savoy and Migues walked 50-75 yards away and set up shot, er, shop.

There was a light moment following the one-sided firefight. Migues scanned the swamp without spotting the deer he shot at and, for a fleeting moment, wondered if he hit it.

“When all was done, I said, ‘Rooster,’ I don’t know where the deer is.’ True to a Cajun, he said, ‘It did funny when you shot,’ ” Migues said, with a chuckle.

They found the carcass, all right, with a well-placed shot behind the shoulder blade.

A photo of Migues squatting in the water with deer’s horns in his hands and the two wild pigs, plus a brief description posted on Migues’ Facebook page Jan. 22, generated 161 likes and 68 comments, a lot of them humorous.

Nice, peaceful deer hunt

Brennon Berard replied: “Nothing like a nice and peaceful still hunt.”

David’s reply: “It sure was fun for a couple minutes.”

Lane Savoy wrote: “That’s fiya. Dead animals everywhere. Finally a shooter went back there.”

Russ Louviere’s post read: “I’m gonna have to nominate you for ‘The Most Improved Shooter’ for this season.”

Migues replied: “I’m back in my groove look like …”

Later: “I didn’t even have to track nothing this year. All I shot laid down.”

Tommy Stevens posted: “Look at all the groceries.”

Migues’ 4-point deer was his second and last deer harvest of the 2022-23 season. He shot a 7-point buck on the second day of the season about 200 yards away from where he shot the buck Jan. 22.

Before going deer hunting the day before, Migues told his wife, Jennifer Allain Migues, he’d probably be home around noon. As luck would have it, Rooster Savoy killed a spike buck and that, naturally/of course/you know how it goes, delayed the return trip.

He let his wife know he’d be back the next day, the day of all the commotion on Line 10, around 12. After all hands pitched in to haul the deer and four wild pigs a quarter mile from the swamp for the return to the boat ramp, Migues was back home at 4:30.

His buddy, Rooster Savoy, had said he was going for a “spikefecta” that Sunday. That opened the door for Migues to get the 4-point.

Migues’ opening line, in an understatement on his Facebook page Jan. 22: “I had a good hunt today. It wasn’t a spike so Rooster Savoy let me shoot.”