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Hunter Lukavitch was on quite a streak to begin his hunting career.
The 14-year-old from Shickshinny began hunting at age 9 and harvested a buck every year.
Still, the accomplishment pales in comparison to what Lukavitch achieved this season, when he harvested a buck, bear and gobbler to achieve the unofficial “triple trophy” of Pennsylvania hunting.
“It was the best experience I ever had hunting,” Lukavitch said. “I didn’t know it was going to happen. It was just random.”
Lukavitch’s unexpected journey toward the milestone began on Nov. 7 of last year when he was hunting the final weeks of the fall archery season with his father, Joe. At dusk, they noticed a doe that was being followed by a buck. When the buck was 18 yards away, Hunter connected on his shot and downed the 7-point.
It was the sixth buck of his hunting career, and more success was on the way.
Shortly after archery season ended, Hunter and his father were back in the woods for the statewide bear season. They were hunting in the Shickshinny area and spent the early morning in a treestand nestled deep in a valley. A half-hour into the hunt, the pair heard something walking their way.
It was a bear, and Hunter made an accurate shot with his 30-06. The 150-pound sow was his first bear and Hunter said he’s getting a full body mount made to remember the trophy.
“It was definitely one of the best things to ever happen to me while hunting,” he said. “I was happy. Proud.”
After hunting bears without success for his entire hunting career and watching his son get a bruin in his first season, Joe knew he was on the path toward something special.
“That’s when I started thinking he could get the triple trophy,” Joe said. “He had the buck, and now he had the bear which is the hardest to get.”
After harvesting a doe during the rifle deer season, Hunter had to temporarily halt his triple trophy attempt until April 21 of this year when the gobbler season opened for junior hunters and mentored youth. While he had plenty of success with deer, Hunter had never harvested a gobbler before but he was motivated to change his luck.
Thoughts of the triple trophy were on the mind of both Hunter and his father as April 21 approached, and they decided to spend the morning hunting state game lands 260 near Shickshinny.
“I was hopeful and thought the triple trophy was definitely a possibility,” Hunter said. “There are a lot of turkeys and a lot of good areas around there.”
His father was equally optimistic and just as determined.
“We both knew he had to get that gobbler. That morning when we set out the triple trophy was on both our minds,” Joe said.
The morning began with plenty of walking and the final piece to Hunter’s triple trophy puzzle didn’t come easy.
Right away a gobbler responded to Joe’s call, but the bird was deep in a valley. The father and son did a little more walking hoping to entice the gobbler into approaching, but their calls suddenly went unanswered.
While the bird remained silent, Hunter and his father walked to the top of a mountain and called again.
They got a reply, and it was from more than one gobbler.
“They went nuts,” Hunter said. “We picked a spot to sit and quickly heard them coming up the hill.”
As a group of three gobblers crested the hill in front of him, Joe knew his son’s triple trophy milestone was within reach.
“It all came down to the shot,” he said.
When the gobblers walked within range, Hunter pulled the trigger on his .12 gauge. His father watched as two gobblers flew away.
But the third one was on the ground.
The gobbler had a 9 1/2-inch beard and 1-inch spurs — a fitting trophy to cap off a triple trophy achievement.
“It was the best thing I ever experienced,” Hunter said. “And it meant a lot that my dad was with me on every hunt. I felt like I had somebody on my side while I tried to get the triple trophy.”
For as excited as Hunter was to achieve the triple trophy, Joe was even prouder. He credits the special opportunities offered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s youth hunting programs for getting his son involved in the sport.
“To see a young kid so involved in this is great. The youth programs really made him love hunting,” Joe said. “He is so passionate about the outdoors and pursuing the triple trophy was a real exciting journey.”
So what’s next outdoors pursuit for the Northwest Area eighth grader?
Hunter said he’s going to enter the lottery for an elk license and hopes to have a chance to harvest the largest of the four big game species found in Pennsylvania.
In the meantime, Hunter will continue to spend as much time as he can hunting and enjoying the outdoors.
“I just like nature and the excitement that comes with hunting,” he said. “If you’re patient, you’ll get rewarded. I’m always learning when I’m hunting and I’m going to do it for the rest of my life.”
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