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Larry Benoit: The Dean of Deer Tracking
By Hal Blood
March 21, 2025
Most deer trackers know the name Larry Benoit quite well, but most of them don’t know much else about Larry. Tracking whitetail bucks in the snow is an art that goes way back, but not very many hunters honed their skills at it. Larry was one that did at a young age and figured out how to consistently kill bucks this way. He naturally taught all of his sons the craft as well.
Larry became know nationally back in the 70’s when he was written about in several outdoor publications, Sports Afield, Field and Stream, and Outdoor Life. back in those days, everyone read these publications as a way to hunt and fish the world through the eyes of a writer. I’m sure hunters were intrigued with tracking, but it didn’t seem like very many hunters were willing to give it a try. Peter Miller was one of those outdoor writers who thought he should write a book about Larry and his style of hunting. That book “How to Bag the Biggest Buck of Your Life”, came out in 1975. I was 18 years old and headed into the Marine Corps then and I bought the book through the outdoor life book club.
I was intrigued with tracking animals since I was a little kid. Me and my friends would track rabbits around and shoot them with our .22’s. When I read Larry’s books, I got excited about the idea of heading to the north country to give it a try. That time came after my four-year tour in the Marines. I headed north to the Jackman area with my father in 1980, in hopes of having some snow to track on.
That first trip hooked me on hunting in the Big Woods of northern Maine. I eventually moved north to make my living as an outfitter. When I did have snow to track on, I tried to put to use some of the lessons, that I had read in Larry’s book. I guess I didn’t understand the lessons, because as much as I tried them, I couldn’t seem to make them work for me. I finally decided that I would have to figure it out on my own. The important lesson that I did learn was that instead of trying to do exactly as someone else, you need to put your own personality into your hunting style. Once I met Larry, I learned that it was a lot easier to learn from talking to someone than reading a book or article.
In 1989, I ran into Larry and the boys on a logging road up here. We didn’t talk much, and I didn’t get to sit down and talk to Larry until later in the 90’s. from our first conversation I think we developed a kindred spirit. Deer hunters and especially trackers, have a common thread that makes us friends from the beginning. I hit it off with Larry and got to understand the man himself, not just a famous deer hunting figure.
Larry was a simple man, who led a hard life providing for his family and deer hunting was his passion and outlet from the world. He was set in his ways, as am I. I remember one time when I was first starting the Big Woods Bucks business, I was doing a sportsman’s show in New York. Larry was looking at my buck pictures on the game pole and asked me why I hung my bucks by the antlers? I said because, my father and grandfather did. He thought it was disrespectful, but I never knew why he thought that. I’m just sure that his father and grandfather hung them by the back legs. We told many deer stories whenever we got together.
The last conversation we had was about two months before he passed. Chris and I were on our way home from a spring scouting trip in the Adirondacks. I called Larry on the way home and asked if he wanted some company. He said he would love it, so We wheeled into his house. What I thought might be an hour visit, turned into an afternoon event. He had just been in the hospital for a gall bladder operation. He told me that he had a few other health issues as well. We told story after story that afternoon.
Once we got going Chris asked if he could film us. Larry had always been skeptical about people’s motivations when it came to that. He thought for just a second and nodded “sure”. That was the day that I got to know Larry the man, not the deer hunter. Sadly, passed on shortly after that and that little bit of video footage Chris took was the last time he was on film, and we are honored to have it.
Larry was the dean of deer tracking as he was the one who inspired others to give it a try, some of us took up that challenge and are carrying on the tradition. It’s up to us to pass that tradition on to the next generation of hunters. Larry is gone but will not be forgotten!
Larry became know nationally back in the 70’s when he was written about in several outdoor publications, Sports Afield, Field and Stream, and Outdoor Life. back in those days, everyone read these publications as a way to hunt and fish the world through the eyes of a writer. I’m sure hunters were intrigued with tracking, but it didn’t seem like very many hunters were willing to give it a try. Peter Miller was one of those outdoor writers who thought he should write a book about Larry and his style of hunting. That book “How to Bag the Biggest Buck of Your Life”, came out in 1975. I was 18 years old and headed into the Marine Corps then and I bought the book through the outdoor life book club.
I was intrigued with tracking animals since I was a little kid. Me and my friends would track rabbits around and shoot them with our .22’s. When I read Larry’s books, I got excited about the idea of heading to the north country to give it a try. That time came after my four-year tour in the Marines. I headed north to the Jackman area with my father in 1980, in hopes of having some snow to track on.
That first trip hooked me on hunting in the Big Woods of northern Maine. I eventually moved north to make my living as an outfitter. When I did have snow to track on, I tried to put to use some of the lessons, that I had read in Larry’s book. I guess I didn’t understand the lessons, because as much as I tried them, I couldn’t seem to make them work for me. I finally decided that I would have to figure it out on my own. The important lesson that I did learn was that instead of trying to do exactly as someone else, you need to put your own personality into your hunting style. Once I met Larry, I learned that it was a lot easier to learn from talking to someone than reading a book or article.
In 1989, I ran into Larry and the boys on a logging road up here. We didn’t talk much, and I didn’t get to sit down and talk to Larry until later in the 90’s. from our first conversation I think we developed a kindred spirit. Deer hunters and especially trackers, have a common thread that makes us friends from the beginning. I hit it off with Larry and got to understand the man himself, not just a famous deer hunting figure.
Larry was a simple man, who led a hard life providing for his family and deer hunting was his passion and outlet from the world. He was set in his ways, as am I. I remember one time when I was first starting the Big Woods Bucks business, I was doing a sportsman’s show in New York. Larry was looking at my buck pictures on the game pole and asked me why I hung my bucks by the antlers? I said because, my father and grandfather did. He thought it was disrespectful, but I never knew why he thought that. I’m just sure that his father and grandfather hung them by the back legs. We told many deer stories whenever we got together.
The last conversation we had was about two months before he passed. Chris and I were on our way home from a spring scouting trip in the Adirondacks. I called Larry on the way home and asked if he wanted some company. He said he would love it, so We wheeled into his house. What I thought might be an hour visit, turned into an afternoon event. He had just been in the hospital for a gall bladder operation. He told me that he had a few other health issues as well. We told story after story that afternoon.
Once we got going Chris asked if he could film us. Larry had always been skeptical about people’s motivations when it came to that. He thought for just a second and nodded “sure”. That was the day that I got to know Larry the man, not the deer hunter. Sadly, passed on shortly after that and that little bit of video footage Chris took was the last time he was on film, and we are honored to have it.
Larry was the dean of deer tracking as he was the one who inspired others to give it a try, some of us took up that challenge and are carrying on the tradition. It’s up to us to pass that tradition on to the next generation of hunters. Larry is gone but will not be forgotten!
