Okay, so lets start by saying I have put a lot of effort, time and money into deer hunting. My friend and I have put up 5 stands, 6 food plots and know that there a few monster bucks on the 600 acres that we hunt.
I hate going out during gun season, but hate missing out on the rut even more. So, I went out in my blaze orange last weekend (with my bow). I passed on a small buck in the centre of the property on Saturday morning. We have a rule that the antlers must be out as far as it's ears or some tall freak of nature.
Sunday morning was cold and I was a little late... I was also walking really slowly because every step emitted a crunch if I walked quickly. I was walking through an open portion of field (I have no choice) on the way to my stand on the West side of the property. When I got about 40 yards away from the bushline, I bent down to scent up my drag rag. As I stood up, I fealt something looking at me. Sure enough there was a MONSTER buck coming from the north, but still on the other property about 140 yards away.
I looked at him through my crappy binos and I started to shake. He is the owner of the sheds that I found.(He used to be a decent 10-12 point with 4-5 inch tines) Well, he has a very similar rack, but it is welll past his ears and tall and thick. I couldn't see prefectly because it wasn't really light out yet and my binos fogged up... His neck was huge and his body still made it look scronny. If I had to guess, I'd say it was over 300 lbs.
Anyway, he looked at me (obviously admiring my stature and camo) and turned and proceeded to head in the opposite direction. He went straight north for 300 or so yards and never looked back. The thing is, he never raised his flag, snorted or ran very fast. He just basically trotted off (with s few bounds over shrubs, etc).
Will I ever see him in that area again during legal shooting hours? Should I focus on my other big buck on the other side of the property and let that area and buck settle down?
Any and all advice is appreciated.
If I wasn't so excited to see it and know that he was still alive - I would have cried. Okay, maybe not cried, but prolly would have had a minor meltdown and hissy fit.
He beds down just east of the 2 west stands and has the area torn up (rubs and scrapes).
