Deer Hunt

Peter Lefcourt, a novelist, producer, and screen-writer, contributed to television shows like Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Cagney & Lacey, and Desperate Housewives. He has authored a number of books, but I was mostly interested in his 1976 Pyramid paperback Deer Hunt. It neatly slides into the “Deer Hunter Horror” niche. 

Deer Hunt stars two brothers, Sid and Dave, that live in a small northern Vermont town. Years ago two events transpired that drastically altered their relationship. The first was when Cora dumped her boyfriend Dave right after high school and chose Sid, who she married and has been with (kinda happily) ever since. The second event is that the two inherited their father's pharmacy.

Sid is the responsible small business operator that runs the store and the books. Dave mostly labors at the pharmacy and does just enough to warrant his role in the business. Sid is a fair man and still provides 50% of the profits to his bitter brother.  Sid has often asked his brother to sell his half, but Dave refuses and the relationship just gets worse every year. 

In a strange scenario Dave accuses Sid of stealing money from the pharmacy cash register, which is nuts. Sid has much easier ways of stealing money from under Dave's nose. Dave accuses Sid of being a thief and begins to treat Cora poorly. It is just a really bad situation.

Dave and Sid used to go on deer hunting trips together, but years ago Dave stopped going and now remains as an elusive weirdo that spends his time reading gun magazines. So, this new hunting trip that Sid is about to embark on this year runs afoul when Dave volunteers to go. Sid gets the feeling that Dave is wanting to go deer hunting with him so he can shoot and kill Sid in a revenge plot to get the pharmacy to himself and to somehow get Cora back. However, things get really wild when Dave outlines a hunting map with one side labeled Dave and one side labeled Sid. Dave explains that this hunting trip will be different because Dave and Sid will hunt and kill each other. Whoever wins and kills the other will explain to the police that it occurred by mistake while shooting at a deer. 

Of course Sid thinks this is all crazy. But, Dave warns him that if he doesn't participate in this hunt that he will come to Sid's house and just kill him in his sleep or at a time when he least expects it. Sid can't live with the fear and paranoia that his brother is going to murder him so he agrees to this macabre deer hunt so he can at least have a fighting chance and can finally clear his mind from the stress. 

Deer Hunt is a terrific book if you enjoy the slow burn. Three-fourths of the narrative is just leading up to the hunt. The relationship wrinkles, Cora and Sid's relationship, and how the small town perceives the brothers. The hunt itself is only about 25 pages, but I was perfectly satisfied with the development and finale.

 However, the author didn't understand firearms when he wrote the novel. He has Sid carrying a .22 rifle to go deer hunting and to participate in the hunt for Dave. He then describes how the .22 “slug” would punch through one of the hunter's vests and completely turn him around. In reality, I've seen people dig a .22 bullet out with a pocket knife. You typically don't kill deer or people with a .22 rifle. It is ridiculous. But, other than that this was an entertaining novel.