I would share this with you for entertainment purposes only. J

I was bored Saturday afternoon so I thought I would see if I could find the big buck we have in the alfalfa fields at the Duffy Place. Well, after spending almost two hours and hiking/crawling close to a mile or so, I finally decided he wasn’t there. Ever since dad moved the stacks out last month, most have disappeared and will most likely not be around again until late summer/early fall when we have hay stacks in there again.

With some daylight left, I decided to check the breaks pasture just north of the ranch house. There was a nice buck that was running with the one I shot earlier this year so I thought I would try to find it. Sure enough. I finally spotted him. He was bed down when I saw him the first time, but not for long. He took off across the big draw, finally settled down, but continued to watch me. There were 3 does and 2 bucks. I sat there and watched them for quite some time and decided they weren’t going anywhere so I made my way around to get on the other side where the wind & cover would be more favorable.

I got out of the pick up about 200 yards away, and walked to where I thought they were, but just under the horizon on the off side. I then dropped to my hands & knees, then to my stomach as I got closer. I came over the hill at the perfect spot. They were directly below me on the other side of the brush…less than 60 yards away. I couldn’t see him clearly for a good clear shot, but could hear them rustling in the brush so I knew he was there.

As I settled in next to a yucca plant, I watched and waited. The smaller buck came out first, with the bigger buck not far behind. I was able to snap several pictures. They went over the hill and I took that opportunity to get closer yet. The temperature was dropping, started snowing and was getting almost too dim to take any pictures. My camera was wanting to use the flash and feeling confident I had gotten several good pictures already, I decided to try it. I was hesitant for fear of the bucks getting spooked, but the exact opposite happened. He was curious and kept standing there…almost as if he was posing for me, but knew if I moved just a little too much, he would be gone in an instant. They still didn’t know what I was and never did get scared. Finally, they left at a trot and last thing I saw were their horns going over the next hill into another deep draw.

Too bad I wasn’t archery hunting! J