Today was the opener of Zone-T anterless in Wisconsin, as well as the Earn a buck season in CWD units. We got to our farm early, and i plugged a doe right away. 50 yard shot, she was alone, and in estrous, as her hocks were very dark and she was alone. just my guess. i put my bullet actually too far in front of the left front shoulder, but the angle was great and i blew the opposite shoulder up. dropped in her tracks. Now that i was buck eligible, my dad decided to walk out a long ridge and i posted up on a hill road that ran parallel to it. we knew there was a nice buck in there, i have a few pictures of a nice 8 and a dandy 9, so i got ready. I couldn't hear hardly anything because of the frost melting and dripping down and all the leaves falling. I heard some rustling in the little woodlot up above me and i saw a doe. i coudlnt get a shot, so i figured i'd try for another doe that'd probably be behind her to get another buck tag for my pops. I was really surprised when i looked behind her to see a nice buck lip curling. After 5 mins, i took a 75 yard shot and watched him run off. i really had thought i'd missed, and i got back to covering the opposite hillside. a fat doe came through, and i just blew it and missed. a 2 1/2 year old 8 pointer followed her, nose to the ground, bird dogging, was pretty cool. my dad came out soon after and we got up on the opposite woods to look for blood. immediately, i found a chunk of something on a tree, and we followed a great blood trail 40 yards to find the buck piled up. He's a 120" 8 pointer, 15" inside, 11" g-2's, hardly any brows, i estimate him at 200 lbs field dressed, very large bodied buck. I feel just absolutely blessed to take this guy, not my biggest, but he's still damn nice. great day overall. the rut is defintely on here in wisconsin. might not be peak rutting, but the bucks are really cruising, and there are does in estrous.

this buck was very yellow/orange around his eyes and top of his head, i'd suspect due from the secretions released when they rub the forehead and orbital glands. Also, his legs were wet from his hocks on down from urine and tarsal gland secretions. Overall, he smelled terrible. Stomach contents were corn and acorns, with some alfalfa