Mossy33oak, you did the right thing. To me ethics comes before trophies, and it's obvious your head was on straight when you came across that buck. It's too bad someone else had to wound him and let him go for you to clean up after.

I've had an unproductive season in MD so far. On opening day I spotted a big doe browsing along the edge of a field, but she walked into the state park bordering my spot a few minutes before legal shooting time. I didn't see any more deer that day, although a red fox trotted past me at 15 feet and came back along the same path a few minutes later. And just as the sun began to clear the tree tops a hawk flew right over my head and screamed so loud I felt my eardrums shudder.

The following Monday I had a shot at another doe in the same field just before dark...and missed. I measured the distance before I left, and she was at 70 yards when I figured she was at 50. The slug went just under her belly and into the hillside. [:@] I'm still kicking myself over that, but the season's not over yet.

Last Saturday I was back out there, sitting against a tree, freezing my butt off. My cousin and I decided to come in for breakfast just before 9:00 since we hadn't seen anything all morning. As we came through the gate between a hay field and a horse pasture, three does crossed the lane in a new development bordering the property about 150 or so yards away. My cousin waited until they entered the hay field and moved away from the houses before taking a shot at the bigger of the three. He dropped her where she stood with a sabot slug through both lungs at just over 100 yards. She dressed out at 84.5 lbs. I sneaked along the fence line going after the other two, but they made it into the park before I could get close enough with my smooth bore.

That evening, I was sitting behind some deadfall facing into the field next to the state park when I heard some brush cracking behind me. After a few moments a little doe jumped out of the treeline about 10 yards away. I grunted to try and stop her, but she just kept bounding off into the park. I heard some more noise, so I got ready, when all of the sudden a small animal jumped out and stopped in the field. It was about the size of a fat house cat, all black except for a small white throat patch. It didn't have a visible tail, and I didn't see any ears. I still don't know what it is, but I'm wondering if it might be a pet dog that got loose on the property. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a skunk, and it didn't make any noise except for the crunching leaves. I pulled up my binoculars, but it ran off in the direction it came from before I could aquire it.

Still not sure what it was, but whatever it is, the doe didn't seem to care for it.

I have yet to see any of the bucks that loiter around the property, but with the warm early fall, they haven't had to go very far for food. I'm still keeping my hopes up, and I'll be back in the woods ASAP.