I've been bowhunting for a lot of years and have seen a big buck run off a small buck lots of times, but this is the first time I've seen this.

I was in my tree stand Thursday evening when I spotted a large buck standing in some thick brush over a hill to my South, about forty yards away. I didn't have a shot because of the brush and the fork of the tree I was in. Shortly a smaller buck came over the ridge to my Northeast. The wind was out of the Southwest. When the little buck hit the scent of the big one he instantly snorted and turned around and ran back the way he had come from. While he was leaving there were two does and two fawns coming in the same way he had. They paid no attention to his hasty exit. They came right on in and started eating acorns. After a few minutes the younger doe hit the big bucks scent and sent her into a frenzy. She stared in his direction and snorted and stamped her hoof for over a half hour straight while the other doe and her two fawns fed on acorns, seemingly oblivious to the snorting doe.

Forty-five minutes after I first saw him the big buck he slowly turned around and eased into the thick stuff to the Southwest.

Darnedest thing I ever saw. Don't know what to make of it.

I once saw a buck come running thru the woods with what looked to be a tee shirt in it's antlers. I wonder how other deer reacted to him.

Sarge:

When one discusses large buck behavior, an educated guess is the best one can do.

The smaller buck knew full well that the other buck was dominant. His flight reaction, in my experience, was normal.

Frankly, I don't find the does action to be abnormal. Once again, one must realize the picking order of whitetails in a given area.

On the other hand, the larger buck may have been
from the next county and the doe was not familar
with his scent. Or if the buck was motionless
for a long period of time, the doe may have recoginized an object but not realized it was
another deer.

Many are the mysteries which the whitetail will
present to you before you take a dirt nap.

ncboman,
I wonder what the last thought was of the poor bugger wearing the tshirt was?

[ 12-18-2002, 04:13: Message edited by: EricH ]

Eric,

We figured the buck had been run by the dogs and got caught up in a clothesline. The area is doghunted heavily and deer running thru rural yards are not uncommon.

It sure made me do a double take on him. I let him get away from me as he cut in the thick before getting to where I wanted him.

I've seen does "stand off" bucks like that, and I think it is probably a doe that is not in estrus and therefore has no desire to be near Mr. Bighorns.. JMHO.