December 7-8: Big Fun, Mostly

Sitting in the dark before daylight I saw 5 deer shaped figures in my area — close too, because I could only see close. At sunrise they left. The highlight of the morning was a button buck with a young doe. Both of them are this year’s fawns. Their hocks were coal black and the button paid close attention to her just like the big ones do. They left together.

On the afternoon hunt I saw a couple of deer in the distant trees. Nothing more.

This morning was 38, still cold but not freezing … and a whole new happening. I saw 19 does, (although some of them were actually button bucks). We are having heavy dew falls and somehow my beat up food plot keeps turning out new green sprigs. They got hammered today as does munched on all corners of the plot.

Soon after 8:00 the Freak 3 buck followed a young doe into the area. I fixed him up with the Sony.

Freak 3 followed the doe around, totally disinterested in grubbing for green food plot nubbins. I got another pic as they left the area.

Half an hour later there were 6 does 15-20 yards in front of me. Suddenly they all looked toward the hill to the south-east.

Sunlight glinted off his antlers and I saw a buck come into view. A wide, long tined 8-point coming down the hill, obviously intent on visiting the 6 does in the food plot. I got my bow.

I Nikoned him and recognized him from the spring. He stepped out of the brush and trees and stopped again. I held my bow between my legs and took a few pictures.

An 8-point. He looked around and stepped forward.

And stopped in the dried grass and weeds and sized up the 6 does.

Then he went straight to the does 15 yards in front of me. He closed on them and not seeing what he was looking for he walked away briskly into the trees to the north. Three of the does immediately ran for the gulch. Wow.

Later a lone doe walked along in the trees between me and the gulch. What an invigorating morning in the deer woods.