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   I have had our trail cameras out for several months, mostly looking for that buck of a lifetime, but also enjoying pictures of all the other wildlife on the farm. Early scouting with cameras will let a person know where deer are going as well as which ones live here. When the rut starts, these routines all change. Bucks that normally travel off the main trails and try to stay hidden are now boldly going down the well-traveled paths at all times of the day and night. Bucks that have never been seen before will wander in, competing for the attention of the local does. A bow hunter, hunting during the rut, has a better chance of getting his buck by hunting where the does are travelling and hanging out. Where there are does, there will be bucks.

   This year, having pinched a nerve in my back just before bow season, I am not able to bow hunt. I have instead been living the experience vicariously through my grandson. I went out to help him hang a stand where my wife and I have been watching the deer travel on a regular basis. The extent of my assistance with the stand amounted to handing parts to Zane from the Ranger. A large, mature buck has been passing through there almost daily, following the scent left by all the does that pass by. 

   Zane has gotten deer every year since he was about eight years old, while hunting with me or his dad. Some of the bucks he has harvested are beauties. One year, I shot a big buck, close to the biggest deer I ever got. I was thinking seriously about having it mounted. A few minutes later, Zane got an even bigger deer. It took the wind out of my sails, but I was very happy for him. At this point in his life, he bow hunts for a trophy only. It must be an exceptional buck for him to take it. 

   At 4:30 Saturday morning, Billie stood up from his bed and let out a quiet, “woof.” Zane said he would be out early, and he certainly was. He parked by the garage, gathered his gear, and headed toward his tree stand we had set up the day before. It was near the top gate, on the far side of the lake. With the spotting scope, we could watch if any big bucks were going through the gate. It added to the excitement for me since I could not be there in person. Though one giant buck had been going up the hill and through the gate each morning at about 7:30 for the last three mornings, since there was somebody there to meet him, he did not show up. There is no such thing as predicting a buck during the rut. A few does and a couple small bucks passed by, but no trophies. Zane has set up a couple more stands and I have put out two more cameras. We know the big bucks are out there. It is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. If he is not in the right stand when the big boy comes by, perhaps my camera will capture the picture. A person cannot eat the picture or mount those antlers on the wall, but it is the best I can do right now.

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