So I was sitting there this morning and hear a chase. See maybe a 60# fawn come busting through the woods. When she stopped, I hear another deer coming. Look and it's a one horn spike. He chased her all over the place. This always excites me because I know every buck in the area can hear what's going on and will take notice. Then they got down to the creek below me and that doe splashed around and played in the creek for at least 20-25 minutes making all kinds of racket. More less frolicking and running in a circle like she was on a playground. Finally he chases her out of there again. She gets back in and heads downstream. Then I hear the buck making all kind of racket in the creek doing the same stuff. After 5minutes or so I find him in my binoculars and realize another buck has joined him. He was sparring this new buck that had 1 1/2" spikes (button). Finally they come out of creek and cross in front of me and I catch movement at the creek again. This time it's a 5/6 pt that came through and followed their same general direction.
Maybe 20 minutes pass and I hear a deer coming off the ridge across from me. Once I put eyes/binoculars on him, the first thing that stood out was how gray his coat was. between that and the body size, I was able to determine he was fully mature (4.5 min prob older)
I did pick up my gun and realized he had a good rack but I thought " I haven't seen this one before". After watching a little longer I realized he had a broken g2 and immediately knew which deer he was. I just wasn't real excited knowing I have two other target bucks around. I can't think of another time I've let a mature deer walk intentionally. As he went back the way he came, which was directly away from me, I decided to read his reaction from a snort wheeze. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked back to me for a few seconds. Turned back around to walk off so i hit him with two soft grunts. Same reaction. I can see two scenarios where I may have shot this deer
1) if his g2 wasn't broken off
2)had he charged my way after snort wheeze, I might have lost my cool
I froze out soon after with an accomplished feeling. I won a battle that I could have sealed the deal on
Maybe 20 minutes pass and I hear a deer coming off the ridge across from me. Once I put eyes/binoculars on him, the first thing that stood out was how gray his coat was. between that and the body size, I was able to determine he was fully mature (4.5 min prob older)
I did pick up my gun and realized he had a good rack but I thought " I haven't seen this one before". After watching a little longer I realized he had a broken g2 and immediately knew which deer he was. I just wasn't real excited knowing I have two other target bucks around. I can't think of another time I've let a mature deer walk intentionally. As he went back the way he came, which was directly away from me, I decided to read his reaction from a snort wheeze. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked back to me for a few seconds. Turned back around to walk off so i hit him with two soft grunts. Same reaction. I can see two scenarios where I may have shot this deer
1) if his g2 wasn't broken off
2)had he charged my way after snort wheeze, I might have lost my cool
I froze out soon after with an accomplished feeling. I won a battle that I could have sealed the deal on
