Ringing Telephone



No doubt the rut is on us like white on rice!  The unofficial start day of November 5th did not disappoint.  The woods were literally alive with deer activity and my phone blew-up with hunting pals checking-in and spreading glad tidings of buck sightings.  Funny how one day everyone is calling recounting uneventful stints in a stand and 24-hours later there is a complete 180 with callers now jabbering on like they are calling to tell of winning the lottery.  My wife is less than impressed with the fact I have become a designated report taker/relayer for all hunting activity in the region.  She doesn't understand why twenty grown men suddenly act like thirteen year old girls after a middle school dance with all the calling and texting.   

Snap-shot of text reports from the front lines.

Seems the past few days have produced many encounters with sparring bucks and other displays from those with antlers jockeying for dominance. 

Young bucks in a Royal Rumble.

I myself have had one encounter with a bona fide shooter, but had the wind snooker my chances on the 10-pointer nicknamed "Hightower".  After setting-up for a windy morning hunt, I lightly rattled and within seconds I could hear crunching leaves.  I realized things were not going according to plan when the sound trail shifted downwind.  After a pause at seventeen yards, the deer took two steps from the hedgerow with his nose in the air, then after catching my scent, swirled like the wind and bolted back into the timber.  Even though I only laid eyes on him for a brief moment, seeing his head-gear left no doubt it was Hightower.  He is a typical ten with an 18-19 inch spread, heavy mass and G2 height of at least 12 inches.