Maine Couple Drive Nearly 1,000 Miles to Complete Extraordinary Hunting Challenge — Then Donate Their Deer to Families in Need

A husband and wife from Maine have completed an ambitious hunting challenge after traveling 991 miles along remote forest roads over several months to each harvest four different animals: a turkey, a bear, a moose and a deer.

Lauren Waycott and Melvin Waycott IV achieved what hunters call a Maine hunting Grand Slam, with both completing the four-animal challenge during the same hunting season.

Their journey began in spring and stretched through the first week of rifle deer season in November, involving long drives, hunting camps, guided trips and hours spent tracking animals across the state’s vast wilderness.

According to the couple, they had not heard of another married pair in Maine completing the challenge together in the same year.

The challenge began with a spring turkey hunt

Lauren got the first animal on her list during Maine’s spring turkey season, when she harvested a 19-pound male turkey while hunting with her father.

The couple then turned their attention to bears.

On September 15, Lauren went on a guided hunt with Good Ole Boys Guide Service and successfully harvested a 265-pound female bear.

Melvin had already secured his own bear several days earlier, trapping a 276-pound male during the opening period of bear trapping season.

Later in September, Lauren returned to familiar turkey hunting grounds to help Melvin fill his tag. He eventually harvested a 17.5-pound turkey, bringing both hunters closer to their shared goal.

Two successful moose hunts in October

The next major challenge was hunting Maine’s enormous moose.

Melvin headed out with Tobey Brooke Guide Service and harvested a 652-pound bull moose on October 13. The animal had an impressive 42-inch antler spread.

Ten days later, Lauren traveled north with her father for another moose hunt, this time in Wildlife Management District 5.

Guided by Blackwater Guide Service, she harvested a 352-pound cow moose shortly after sunrise on October 27.

With turkey, bear and moose accounted for, both hunters had only one animal left to complete their Grand Slam.

Lauren completes her challenge first

Lauren and her father continued farther north into Wildlife Management District 1, where they had already rented a cabin for a week of deer hunting.

On November 3, they decided to explore unfamiliar hunting territory.

At approximately 4:10 p.m., Lauren harvested an eight-point buck weighing 188 pounds, completing her four-animal challenge.

Her father also enjoyed a successful hunt the following morning, taking his first-ever patch buck, a seven-point deer weighing 208 pounds.

Melvin, meanwhile, remained at home pursuing a buck he had been monitoring through trail cameras.

One final phone call completes the couple’s goal

The couple’s achievement was not officially complete until November 7.

As Lauren and her father were packing up their hunting camp to return home, she received the phone call they had been waiting for.

Melvin had finally caught up with the eight-point buck he had been tracking.

The animal weighed 220.6 pounds, giving him the final deer needed to complete his own Grand Slam.

After months of planning and traveling, both husband and wife had reached the same goal.

Their hunting app recorded a total of 991 miles traveled on dirt roads between the beginning of their cow moose hunt and the end of the first week of rifle deer season.

Their final harvest helped people beyond the hunting camp

The couple’s season also had a charitable outcome.

Lauren, Melvin and her father donated all three deer harvested by the family to Maine’s Hunters for the Hungry program.

The initiative connects hunters with food banks, soup kitchens and homeless shelters, helping provide locally sourced meat to people who need it.

For the Waycotts, the season was about more than collecting trophies. It brought together months of shared effort, family hunting traditions and a final opportunity to turn their success in the woods into something useful for their community.

After nearly 1,000 miles on remote roads and months of pursuing four different species, the couple completed their remarkable challenge together.