I'm off all week hunting the rut and as I found out, the action is fast and furious right now out there!

I got into the stand at about 5:45 Am and settled in. Shortly after daylight, there were two small bucks, a 4 and what I think is a 5 pointer hounding this doe all over the place. They ran back and forth, grunting and chasing for about 15 mins, then dissapeared. An hour later, another buck, nose to the ground trolls on through. He was another smaller 6er, with no brow tines.

Around 9:30, I hear another deer slowly cruising to my right. It had the unmistakable walk that I could tell was most likely a buck on the prowl. Sure enough, out of the corner of my eye, there he was, a big racked 10 pointer! He was about 45 yards out walking by me. I stood and grabbed my bow, all at the same time and got into position, in case he made his way around me. I grunted to him twice and he stopped behind a big pine. I could only see his rack through the limbs. He stood there for what seemed like 15 minutes or so, scanning for the source of the call, but then, all of a sudden, he turned and walked straight away from...out of sight.

An hour later, I looked up to see yet another large racked buck cruising the timber 100 yards out. He was a very nice 8 pointer with long tines. He never came close and appeared to be tracking a doe.

I sat all day today and saw 27 deer, including 13 bucks. My best day to date. All the while, less than 500 yards from me, we are currently timbering some of our property to get rid of some of the dead stuff the gypsy moth hammered.

Just bums me out that I didn't get a shot at any of the decent bucks I saw today! Oh well, I still have the rest of the week.