I saw my first buck fight on Saturday Morning!
10-20-2003, 09:27 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Omaha Nebraska USA
Posts: 530
I saw my first buck fight on Saturday Morning!
This weekend I saw my first fight between bucks. I thought at first the loud clicking and clacking, some 75 yards away, was another hunter rattling because I had heard loud, measured steps and a loud cracking of a branch in that direction a few minutes earlier. I figured some clumsy hunter had come on my property and was trying to rattle in a buck. In fact, I was packing up and was ready to lower my bow out of the tree when the rattling started. When it started I figured I would try to see where the hunter was before getting out of my stand, so that I could go over and tell him he was too close to my house and that I had a 3 year old that would be playing within 50 yards of him in an hour or so.
Anyway, I’m looking down through the mass of saplings that separated me from the noise when I suddenly caught a flash of white. My heart jumped out of my chest when my eyes focused and I saw the tangle of antlers between the two bucks. I had seen the white of one of their necks/chins. I could not see very clearly because of the saplings and every time they stopped and parted, I lost them altogether. But as soon as the heads lowered and came back together, I could pick them up. I couldn’t tell much about them except that they looked big and had a mess of antlers between them.
After about 5 minutes and 4 breaks in the fighting of about 30 seconds each, the fight was over. Because of the close proximity of my house to their left, my neighbor’s house behind them, and a field and a subdivision to their right, I figured I had a good chance to see them come by. Sure enough, about 2 minutes later here comes one of them right towards my stand. He had his head down and coming straight towards me, but we still had a lot of saplings between us, but I could see his rack pretty well. He was a very wide 10 point, but had very short tines for his width. His left antler he was starting into the non-typical range with a lot of smaller points coming off his G-2’s through G-4’s. As he approached to within 30 yards and the point of decision for him on which trail to take, I drew my bow. HE SAW ME!! I stood absolutely still but the damage was done. He had me pegged and just kept staring at me. I WILL BUY ASAT SOON. Eventually he trotted off to my left and out of range.
I followed his movement and as soon as he got beyond me I gave a quick grunt. He stopped briefly, but then kept going. I looked back towards where the fighting took place and up the trail came the nicest racked buck I was ever close to. He wasn’t extremely wide, but probably still 20”-22”. What was most impressive was his antler’s height and mass. I swear his rack was 30” tall or more, and his main beams had incredible mass. He had a basket rack shape, all grown up, eight or ten points and very symmetrical. I started doing a Gregorian chant of, “Please Lord. Please Lord! Please Lord.” He was completely unaware of my presence and was walking very proudly and thrashing the heck out of the branches overhead. He came to the same decision point on the trails and took the one that went out and around my stand, just like the other buck. He wasn’t spooked at all, but very proud of himself, it seemed. I assume he was the winner of the fight. I watched him walk out and around me to a barbed wire fence that he followed up deeper into the woods and the backside of my property. The whole way he kept thrashing branches, snapping several off.
I didn’t bring my rattling antlers, or I would have waited until he got out of sight and gave him a quick rattle. Would he have been willing to go into another battle so soon after he finished one? Anyway, one of the most impressive things I have ever witnessed in the wild. I have always been a gun hunter in PA, which starts after the rut, so I never had a chance to see anything like this. What a blast!! I didn’t get one them, but the sight of the fight was more than worth it. It also showed me the guy I am after and renewed my hope of getting a nice buck this season. Here’s hoping I don’t eat tag soup…
Anyway, I’m looking down through the mass of saplings that separated me from the noise when I suddenly caught a flash of white. My heart jumped out of my chest when my eyes focused and I saw the tangle of antlers between the two bucks. I had seen the white of one of their necks/chins. I could not see very clearly because of the saplings and every time they stopped and parted, I lost them altogether. But as soon as the heads lowered and came back together, I could pick them up. I couldn’t tell much about them except that they looked big and had a mess of antlers between them.
After about 5 minutes and 4 breaks in the fighting of about 30 seconds each, the fight was over. Because of the close proximity of my house to their left, my neighbor’s house behind them, and a field and a subdivision to their right, I figured I had a good chance to see them come by. Sure enough, about 2 minutes later here comes one of them right towards my stand. He had his head down and coming straight towards me, but we still had a lot of saplings between us, but I could see his rack pretty well. He was a very wide 10 point, but had very short tines for his width. His left antler he was starting into the non-typical range with a lot of smaller points coming off his G-2’s through G-4’s. As he approached to within 30 yards and the point of decision for him on which trail to take, I drew my bow. HE SAW ME!! I stood absolutely still but the damage was done. He had me pegged and just kept staring at me. I WILL BUY ASAT SOON. Eventually he trotted off to my left and out of range.
I followed his movement and as soon as he got beyond me I gave a quick grunt. He stopped briefly, but then kept going. I looked back towards where the fighting took place and up the trail came the nicest racked buck I was ever close to. He wasn’t extremely wide, but probably still 20”-22”. What was most impressive was his antler’s height and mass. I swear his rack was 30” tall or more, and his main beams had incredible mass. He had a basket rack shape, all grown up, eight or ten points and very symmetrical. I started doing a Gregorian chant of, “Please Lord. Please Lord! Please Lord.” He was completely unaware of my presence and was walking very proudly and thrashing the heck out of the branches overhead. He came to the same decision point on the trails and took the one that went out and around my stand, just like the other buck. He wasn’t spooked at all, but very proud of himself, it seemed. I assume he was the winner of the fight. I watched him walk out and around me to a barbed wire fence that he followed up deeper into the woods and the backside of my property. The whole way he kept thrashing branches, snapping several off.
I didn’t bring my rattling antlers, or I would have waited until he got out of sight and gave him a quick rattle. Would he have been willing to go into another battle so soon after he finished one? Anyway, one of the most impressive things I have ever witnessed in the wild. I have always been a gun hunter in PA, which starts after the rut, so I never had a chance to see anything like this. What a blast!! I didn’t get one them, but the sight of the fight was more than worth it. It also showed me the guy I am after and renewed my hope of getting a nice buck this season. Here’s hoping I don’t eat tag soup…
10-20-2003, 12:20 PM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: , IL USA
Posts: 277
RE: I saw my first buck fight on Saturday Morning!
Wow! Fantastic.
Heard one last week. Had my 8yr old daughter in the stand with me. Her eyes were as big as saucers at the grunting and clashing.
First time I' d ever heard anything like it. Quite an experience to share with your daughter.
Heard one last week. Had my 8yr old daughter in the stand with me. Her eyes were as big as saucers at the grunting and clashing.
First time I' d ever heard anything like it. Quite an experience to share with your daughter.
