Day two. Wind was perfect, N/NW, right in my face while sitting in my stand. Up and waiting 10 mins before legal time. I was having a hard time staying awake, and I just closed my eyes for a sec. When I opened my eyes, there they were! Two bucks. Both still in velvet. The lead buck was a dandy... 5X5, decent spread, probably a 130-140 class buck. Right behind him was a little fork horn. They were coming from my right, and if they maintained their current course, they would walk right in front of my stand, no more than 10 yards. I slowly stood up, nocked an arrow, turned to position myself, and waited. Here we go.
They just stopped at 30 yards. Not alarmed, just feeding and looking around. The little buck gave a shake to get rid of the morning dew, and they both remained relaxed. At one point they both looked right at me, and nothing. No recognition of danger, nothing. I felt good about my camo, and the wind was perfect. Just be patient. At one point, they both saw something to the south, and flicked their ears forward, and stuck out their necks, looking hard. They eventually relaxed, but remained stuck at 30 yards. I had endless possibilities for a shot, as they were just feeding, and milling around, but they weren't coming closer. Just be patient.
Long story short, they took the trail to the right, and didn't come closer. I did draw on the bigger buck at one point, but let off. 30 yards is just outside my comfort zone, so I held off. Not killing a buck like that cleanly, would be a crime.
WOW! What a morning. Close. So close. Being so close to deer who have no idea you're there is so exciting.
