RE: finally got one
Yeah, but don't beat yourself up about it. It is just so hard to tell. The butting of the heads could have been an indicator though....[8D]
Um, some things to look for. Bucks are generally more curious than does, so they will sometimes come closer to investigate. Also, if there are several yearling deer in a group, the does will be smaller. For us meat hunters, that's bad news for a button buck. Before I learned that info, I would shoot the button every time.
Unless they are really close, and you can see the knobs, rely on binocs, and just do what you can do.