Would have posted sooner, but I was having some difficulty accessing the site. I took this deer on Nov. 5th on our property in Western PA. This was by far the best day I've had in a treestand. I was able to catch the peak of the rut on this day. I started off hunting a thicket at the base of a small ridge. I had buck activity immediately after daylight several small bucks cruising all morning long. Between 7:00 and 10:00, I had encountered at least nine different bucks with the largest being a 14" 8pt. About 10:30, I had a second larger 8pt. get in close on me and catch me while trying to draw. He bounded off out of range. While I had planned on staying in this stand all day, the wind picked up and I moved to different stand on the shaded side of the property. At approx. 2:30, I was set up on a ridgetop near another thicket. A little after 3:00, I see a doe bust off of the ridgetop with a 130+" 8pt and this buck chasing her. They get into the thicket in front of me about 60 yards away. The doe was running with her rump almost dragging on the ground like a dog would a site I had never seen. The big 8 right on her tail. When this buck got close, I watched the 8pt. run his antlers in to the rear of this deer sending him back to the ridgetop. With this deer out of the way, the big 8pt bred that doe about 50 yards from my stand. This bucked watched the two for a minute before walking toward me. He walked broadside at 20 yards still preoccupied with the two (2) deer below me. I hit him right behind the front shoulder and he piled up 40 yards from the stand.
Great Job! Wish I could zoom back in time and hunt November 5th. Rifle season here has pretty much limited the deer sightings.
