He was headed for thick woods and brush but I spotted an opening, shouldered my rifle and took aim.  When he walked into the crosshairs, I squeezed the trigger. For a scant second, the recoil from the rifle caused me to lose sight of the buck. I scanned the area looking for deer movement. Nothing moved. Well maybe, just maybe he went down I thought. After waiting about 30 minutes, I climbed down the tree and started looking for blood.  There was none to be found, apparently a clean miss. With my nose a little out of joint I muttered to myself; “Well that buck just got lucky and he won’t stop running until he hits Wisconsin”. The late-day sun splashed fall colors of orange and smoky topaz as it set on that special afternoon ending the second weekend of rifle deer season.

 
Embracing tradition during the first weekend of rifle deer season, I hunted from two permanent deer stands. They were located about 300 yards apart and were usually productive stands. From these stands I saw about 10 deer, and witnessed a buck chasing a doe.  Seemingly the rut was in high gear. Most of the deer were moving about half way between the permanent stands. They were enchanting to watch, spellbinding, utterly mesmerizing but always out of rifle range. Finally, the notion of breaking tradition and hanging a portable stand popped into my head. I scouted the area halfway between the two permanent stands and found an area that looked promising. Within an hour I had fastened a portable stand to the tree. From this vantage point I could see several deer trails and noticed that the trails followed a small depression.  They were using this depression to hide their movement from bedding and feeding areas.
 
Friday afternoon of the last weekend of deer season was cold and wintry. With multiple layers of clothing on I was perched in the portable deer stand. The sun was low and golden bronzing the landscape with a burnished glow. Just as I began to relax, the woods got quiet and the squirrels hushed. Then leaves began to rustle and a doe appeared, seemingly out of the sky blue. She slowly walked towards my stand and stopped then stared directly at me. She studied the orange glob sitting in the tree. She must have concluded that it wasn’t a threat as she turned and dug for acorns a scant 30 yards from my stand.
 
Shimmering like sunshine on a brand new penny I caught the flash of antlers about 100 yards out. I froze as the deer slowly inched towards my deer stand. The buck would move forward, then stop and glance around, always hiding its body behind a tree. This was a learned survival tactic -- a potential life saving game of peek-a-boo. At about 75 yards, the deer stopped and stared up directly at me. All is calm and I’m looking bright in my orange hunting clothes and most likely busted again I thought to myself! Slowly the deer limped towards my deer stand watching me and the doe. Was this my second chance to take the buck that I had missed earlier in the deer season? I eased the safety off. My heart was pounding. A shiver of anticipation flashed thru my mind, and a chill went up my spine. I tried to remain motionless as the buck inched forward. Then he glanced at the promising doe flicking her tail ever so inviting. Businesslike he sauntered closer and parked his head behind a large oak tree.
 
This was my opportunity. Quickly I shouldered my gun, took aim, and fired. Immediately, the buck lurched forward and took off on a dead run. He ran about 100 yards and toppled over. I knew it was nature’s biggest curtain call and didn’t wait. I shimmied down the tree and followed the blood trail until the buck was found. You know the feeling. It’s that sense of accomplishment, being able to outwit the wary, at home on their range.
 
While skinning the deer, we noticed a huge bruise on his back leg. We looked for an old bullet wound or broad head but found neither. We concluded that the injury may have been caused by fighting or perhaps he was hit by a car. In any event, he’s made some tasty sausage and a nifty European mount.

Lessons learned from this hunt:
• Bucks won't run out of the county even after someone shoots at them;
• Orange globs sitting in trees will cause deer to look up;
• Use of a portable deer stand enabled taking this buck;  Putting camouflage sides on the stand would reduce the chance of getting busted;
• Life sometimes gives you a second chance;
• The hunting gods may smile on you in the weirdest ways; and
• When there's frost on the windowpane and a chill in the air I'll be chin high in orange clothing anticipating the rush of the hunt.