So I walked back down to my truck, drove a short distance to the one spot I could begin the long climb up to try and get some photos.  Becasue of the bucks location and the lay of the land there really only was one way I could make stalk and not be seen immediately.  The problem was that there were suddenly deer everywhere and the draw I needed to sneak up was no exception.  I sat pondering what to do, and the thought that perhaps I needed to wait for a better opportunity another day even entered my head breifely before I laughed it out.  I finally decided on a plan which included trying to herd the deer blocking my approach over the hill opposite the big buck.  Once loaded with all the camera gear I started slowly moving in the direction of the does trying to keep myself between them and the direction of the big buck.  Should they run east my chances at photographing the big buck would be lost.  This process of herding does was painstakingly slow as I had to move slowly toward them until they became alert then wait until they were done staring at me, then they would move a little at  a time in the direction I needed them to go.  My fear was that if I jumped them they would scatter or bound in the direction of the buck, so for a good 45 min I had to be content to be a doe herder.  Turns out though, I am either good at herding does or was extremetly luck whichever the case the does fed up and over the hill in the direction I needed them to go.  This left a clean shot at a stalk, I’ll be it straight up hill in a foot of snow.  Long story short, after near cardiac arrest I was able to position myself under the tree that I had picked out earlier while glassing as the one that would put my right above the buck.  With final camera preparations complete I began to sneak over the ridge toward where I last saw the buck 1 hour ago.  Call it intuition, or just again really lucky, but I cut this initial stalk short and went back  to the tree I had left  from.  I decided that if the buck had kept feeding the direction he was headed when I last saw him he would be higher up the hill and I would need to top over higher if I was going to have a chance at seeing him.  Now, as I made my way further up the ridge I began to notice deer tracks in the snow with lines tracing the tracks wherever they would go.  The tracks were in the middle and the lines in the snow were about 1 foot or 1.5 feet on either side.  I thought to myself I would like to see the buck that had antlers big enough to make lines like this in the snow.   Well I picked a new spot to sneak over the hill and once again made ready the camera equipment and began what I hoped would be the final approach.  Sure enough my gamble payed off and as I peered over the edge I was looking right down on the buck.  Two things ran through my mind as I began to snap photos.  First was disappointment as I noticed that he was not in fact super heavy as I first thought but rather had very flattened antlers.  Second was the fact that he had snow accumulated on his front tines and that this was the buck that had made the tracks lined on either side that I had crossed several times during my stalk.

The bucks antlers are unique looking and he is a great buck.  I was thrilled at the way the photos turned out and had a party of one all the way back to town.  Just another great experience doing what I love.    

Unfortunately I watched as the doe with buck in tow ran completely across the burn and into the dense forest on the other side.  For the next several min I caught only glipses of the two as they moved around in the trees.  Finally after about 20 min there was no more movement.  Luckily the deer were in a place that I thought I had a good chance of seeing them should they try to leave so I was confident the deer were still below me.  In considering my next move I had to concider three factors: I didn’t know exactly where the deer were, I needed to get closer, and shooting light would be fading.  After giving my situation some though I finally decided to make  a move to a spot that would close half the distance to the deer.  Once there I would sit and wait and hope the deer passed through one of several small openings in the trees.  I was able to get to the new vantage point fairly quickly and once there got set up and began the agonizing wait.  Over the next half hour I watched as deer fed out onto the burn and back into the trees but saw no sign of the big buck.  Then by chance I was scanning the trees with my scope and located a doe laying in some deep shade where I had last seen the big buck and his doe.  I decided this was the doe that the big buck had been chasing because as all the other deer (does and small bucks )milled around this one doe stayed put.  Experience told me due to its behavior I had the right doe.  I quickly focused the camera on the opening next to the doe and waited another 40 minutes.  During this 40 minute period I thought about every possible scenario that could go down and the completely real chance that I would never see the buck again.  With the odds as stacked against me, this 40 minute time period also found me literally praying that the buck would show itself again before the light was gone.  Finally, after 1 hour and 20 min,  in what can only be described as an answer to prayer a two point walked over to the sleeping doe and stood her up.  The two point miraculously pushed the doe right through the clearing I was focused on.  I jumped to my feet and stood shaking in anticipation and again checked the focus on the camera.  No sooner did I finish final camera preparations than the big buck stepped around the tree the doe was laying under and I snapped three photos as he walked through the small clearing.  I snapped many more as he went through several other clearings but due to lighting and position I knew  it would be difficult to see the antlers in the photos and they wouldn’t be wall hangers.  Now that I at least had reference photos I decided to try and sneak on the buck in the thick trees.  I knew this was a long shot to say the least but I had to try.  Just as I suspected, once I entered the trees visibility was terrible.  I was about to give up and be happy with the photos I had when I heard the unmistakable sound of a buck racking a tree.  This was the break I needed.  I quickly put a stalk on the source of the noise.  I used the landscape to hide my movements as I hiked closer to the source of the noise.  Finally I topped over a small rise and peeked down to where I thought the sound had come from.  Sure enough to my surprise there stood the deer just staring at me.  I quickly set up and began snapping pictures.  Persistence paid off and I was able to get some pretty good photos before the buck took 2 steps disappearing back into the thick trees.  The buck has 7 on one side and 11 on the other with huge forks.  He is a magnificent animal and I hope to see him back next year; he has a good chance of doing just that owing to his affinity for the thick trees.

I think if I was the two point in this photo I woud go ahead and back down; he just doesnt have the weaponry yet.  I have to hand it to the little guy he sure kept trying to get close to the does but every time he was met by an angry charge.  It was fun to watch and photograph this herd of deer for several hours, and watch the herd dynamics.   

These great photos of the buck we call Tree Scraper were taken by Daren Brooks.  I didn’t realize this was Tree Scraper at first as he is smaller this year than he has been the 2 years prior.  He has also not had the one weak fork in the back prior to this year.  He is still a fantastic buck, it will be interesting to see how he looks next year, i am wondering if the antler growth is a result of nutrition or if he is just getting old.  Thanks to Daren for sharing the photos!
Photo by Darren Brooks

I snapped this last photo as old Tree Scraper tried to figure out just what I was and what I was doing.  It is always awesome to see some of these big bucks return year after year.  I cant help but wonder where he goes in the summer and how he consistently avoids the hunters; its as if hes a ghost and appears every year out of nowhere.
Photo by Seth Topham

Here are a couple of fantastic photos my friend Daren Brooks snapped.  Daren has sent in some great photos in the past and this year he is at it again.  He is getting some amazing stuff  and we will be posting more of his work soon.

Photo by Darren Brooks

What a great looking, heavy, 4 by 5.  Not only a great buck but a beautiful photo.   Thanks to Daren for sharing these photos.

After taking the first photo I snuck around closer and look who was peeking at me. He is a smart buck and wouldnt flush for anything. I had to bleet for about 10 minutes to get him to stick his head out.