Pacemaker Fishing Forum

On saturday morning my truck-o-thermometer read a balmy 18 degrees.  The wood were quiet till around 8 when the first squirrels started sticking their head out and moving around. About 830 I saw a couple off in the distance. I'll assume does. They were way off.  About 9 I was starting to wish that I had stayed in bed. It was still pretty cold out. Not sure what the temp was, but I had just finished off the coffee in my thermos and was really wishing I still had a bit more. to warm me up.  Around 945, I hear some racket off to my left and see a lone doe trotting down the trail with a purpose and then notice an young basket 8 pt giving chase (probably the one I took a picture of a few weeks back, it not its his brother). It may be getting a little late in the season but he still has love on his mind.  She stops about 40 yards out and he slows down and stops around 30 yards out. So I am slowly moving in to shooting position when both of them turn and look back down the trail and I catch a nice wide 10 pt coming down the trail with his ears down and back. The basket eight lays his ears down and back and starts walking towards the other buck.  At this point I am thinking they are going to fight it out and I've never seen that before. A little sparring yes, does kicking each other yes. But two bucks going at it for real no. By now the one buck is out of shooting range, the bucks are looking like its fight time and I could care less about that doe.  They square off at about 10 yards away from each other,  ears back, head up, hair standing up on their backs. Then 10 pt then turns and trots back up the trail and the 8 pt follows. No hurry, not running him off, just a bit of a casual stroll.  Not the expected out come of that situation.  After I loose sight of those two, I look back for the doe  and she has disappeared. Oh well... Sorry no pictures this time.. I climbed down around 11 and headed out of the woods to fight the madness at mall.