Yesterday afternoon I went down to MaMaw’s blind to try and get a shot at some pesky hogs, they’re back after I thought they’d gone off my place.  Not having been in the blind for 15 minutes, I saw movement on my left and as I turned I saw it was a doe followed by the biggest buck I’d ever seen.  Scrambling to try and get a shot at him, I had to slide the window open, poke my rifle outside, then the buck, for some reason, turned broadside to me, boom, my .243 exploded and down he went!  Down for the count, shot, as I later discovered, right in the shoulder where I was aiming (of course).  Here’s the buck on the ground!

Then the fun began, not 5 minutes later, up walked another buck, a young 8 pointer that has been hanging around all our feeders, intent on fighting this big one, strangely lying on the ground and not responding to his challenges.  The first picture shows the buck, an 8, walking down the road and the second shows him kicking up dust trying to get the big guy to fight.
   
Finally, deciding that the big one just wouldn’t fight, the 8 pointer walked off into the thick stuff.  Then the doe, the big one had been following, showed up at the feeder and let out a bawl just like the doe call marketed by a large, outdoors supplier.

Her bawl was answered soon by the 8 pointer who walked out and began nibbling at the corn and protein scattered around, both jumped out of the feeder, then the chase began and we all know the ending.  The picture shows both in the feeder area.

Sitting in the blind until dark, my wait for the hogs was in vain, but I still had to take care of the big one.  Walking down to the buck, I snapped this picture of him, all 10 points lying exactly where he fell.   As the picture shows, the big one had definitely been fighting because 4 of his 10 points had been broken off during past fights.

Mickey Donahoo and his wife were gone out to his hunting lease, I called him anyway to let him know that I’d shot a big one that I wanted him to mount, no answer.   Layla and I loaded up the big buck and took him down to the processor and just as we got home, Mickey called, they’d just got back home and I related the story to him.  He told me that he’d both score and age the buck, so for Layla and I, it’s off to Suzanne’s to take care of her, we’ll return Sunday, then probably more deer hunting and stories.