"Eager for an opportunity at
the buck, I hunted heavily throughout the next few months.
That incident with Mike, now a famous campfire yarn on the DCR, happened when
the buck was 5 1/2 years old.
So, it's important to consider the size of
the buck's neck relative to phase of the rut (pre, during, and post).
Shortly,
the buck went on high alert and issued a wet, nasally snort-wheeze, and then he stomped his front hooves solidly on the frozen earth!
If you have a broadside view of
the buck, you need only count the points you see coming off of one main beam.
Your scouting will most likely bump
the buck from his bed, assuming he is using that one--they don't always bed in the same place every day.
I shot footage for several minutes as
the buck slowly browsed past my stand, coming as close as 15 yards.
Even though the 6x6 hadn't showed up in daylight yet, Steve decided that since the conditions were perfect, he would take his 11-year-old daughter, Cassidy, to hunt a blind where
the buck was living.
The buck is undoubtedly warning the doe to stand still, or else.
Matt knew
the buck was continually using the area he was hunting, but the beast simply refused to show himself in shooting hours.
Like
the buck I shot in 1998, he was very visible and totally acting the fool but I missed my opportunity.
There is only one reason to be patient once you find a buck on a daylight pattern, and that is if
the buck isn't consistent.