The bucks are still fighting!  One buck especially, he one that I’ve been following for over a year, last year he was 2-1/2, an 8 pointer, a corn and protein pellet thief as this picture shows, he’d rear up on his hind legs, stick his nose into the feeder mechanism and eat away, but this year his horns are too big!  Besides he’s grown up now, 3-1/2 and fighting over the doe too!

He’s grown up and will be a fine buck next year if he survives this season.  This “shot” before the season opened shows just how grown up he is, notice the small brow tines and the curvy tip on his right, G-2, the main beam.

He even tried to pick a fight with the big 10 pointer that I shot on November 7th, see my post on November 8th, “Challenge Unanswered“.  Notice his head is down, but the curvy tine on his main beam clearly shows.

But notice now, it looks like he’s bulked up, both brow tines are broken off and the curvy tip on his right main is gone.  But, as he eats away, competition lurks in the background another 8, with love on his mind and it looks like all his tines are intact, sneaks up on the button buck. From the direction he’s coming in to the feeder, he’ll be surprised when he finds it’s a button buck and I’m sure the 8 with points broken off will welcome him right on in.  The second “shot” better shows the damage done, brow tines almost gone and the curvy tip to the main beam gone.