My computer crashed so I haven't been on here in a few days, but...I killed a nice doe a couple of weeks ago and then my nicest buck ever with a bow on monday morning! After having 21 bucks within 40 yds. this season...I finally got my buck!

... I was only in the stand for 20 minutes and I looked over a saw a doe standing in the brush about 25 yds. below me. I went to grab for my bow and out of the corner of my eye I saw a big buck come walking out towards the doe! He was all bristled up with his ears layed back and looked kinda pissed. I grabbed my bow and started to turn towards the buck Just then I heard a deer running behind me coming right towards the stand. I froze...and a nice 8-pt. comes trotting by at less than 10 yds. Even though he was a smaller that the other buck, he was still a nice deer and I didn't think that the bigger one was gonna come up my way so I decided to take a shot at the 8-pt. if he presented one. He stopped broadside at 10 yds. and I sent a NAP Nitron through his lungs/heart. He kicked his back legs up and went trotting off. After he went about 30 yds. he stopped and stood still, flicking his tail. He started to get all wobbly and layed down within 20 yds. of the tree that I was in. I thought he was down for the count, so I hung my bow back up and put the binocs on the bigger buck which was standing about 30 yds. away in the brush watching the buck that I had just shot. Upon closer inspection he turned out to be a 10-pt with a broken G-4 on his left side making him a 9-pt. He wasn't real wide but had some good mass and probably would have score around 120-125". Finally, he went off after the doe and I turned back towards my buck. I couldn't believe it...he had gotten up and was slowly walking back the way he had come from. I knew that he was a dead deer walking though because I could see the arrow hole right behind his shoulder. I waited a few minutes after he went out of sight, got down and found my arrow and it was completely coated in bright red blood. I left and came back about an hour later, followed a short, but really heavy blood trail and found him piled up. He ended up going about 70-80 yds. I was pretty pumped. After I found him I realized that he was a nice 2.5 yr. old buck that I watched all summer and fall in the alfalfa field across the road from my house. He definately wasn't the biggest buck in the area but he was still a pretty good buck.. 145 lbs., 14.5" spread, 6.5" G-2 (the other one was broken off about half way up. . The only thing that would have been better would have been if my dad coulda got a shot at the big 11-pt. that snuck in on him last night. The buck was only 10 yds. away but had my dad totally pinned down in the tree. He said he was a monster though...a basic 10 pt. with a big mule deer fork on one of his G-2's and probably had about a 18" spread. Hopefully, he'll get another crack at him.

It seems like almost everyone I've talked to has been seeing some really good bucks cruising for does. The breeding phase of the rut is definately kicking into full swing right now. I was driving by my aunt's alfalfa field before dark last night and saw an absolute bruiser P&Y class 8-pt tending a doe. I watched them from the road at about 80-90 yds. for around ten minutes. While I was watching them through the binocs I got to see the big boy make a couple of scrapes and heard him give out a couple of snort-wheezes, which was pretty cool because it was the first time that I've ever actually heard a buck do it (besides on TV).

The bucks are definately on the move so don't give up yet. I'm gonna be out there this weekend trying to fill a doe tag or two. Good luck to everyone