Nov. 9th (The Mutant)

       On Nov. 9th (Saturday) the wind finally changed to the west. On the 8th my brother ran into a decent 8 point cruising at about 7:30am. Hopefully this meant the deer were starting to move.  The west winds meant I could finally get into some of my better stands. When I woke up I decide that I would hunt the stand that I hit my buck out of last year. I was seated by 5:30 and it was a cold crisp morning. I sat until 10 and hadn't seen or heard a thing. I could see deer tracks under my stand and decided to hop down and check my camera which was just 10 yds away. I took my bow and went over to the camera. I use a bow sling on my bow and I slung it, and put my release in my pocket. I opened the camera and began to check out the activity. Just then I heard footsteps that I immediately knew was a deer.
        I ducked down and immediately began to try and get my bow un-slung and my release on. I couldn't get it all done fast enough. Within seconds I could see the back of a deer at less than 30yds coming my way through the laurel. Then it lifted its head, it was the buck we call "the mutant". It's a large bodied buck that we think may be the buck I hit last year. This year he grew 4 points on the right (a double brow and then a beam with 2 points), and a big spike on the other side (which he managed to break off).
     The wind was in my favor as we stared in a short face off. He knew I didn't belong there as he sniffed the air looking for more clues. After a short minute he must have decided it was safe, and began to walk as if he would pass me just 10yds to my left. As he walked, he continued behind a large amount of mountain laurel where he was briefly out of sight. I was able to get my release on and get an arrow on the rest, but as I did my arrow hit my riser making a soft click, he stopped. He was very close but I could only see a bits of brown through the leaves. In 10 more feet he was going to be in an open lane. That didn't happen, he turned back and made a complete half circle at about 30yds until he was now down wind of me. Once he reached that point he did not spook, he calmly turned again, and went back into the swamp he had come from.
     Just my luck, I finally see a deer and it happens in the short time I am not in my stand...ugh. There were 20 pictures on that camera and none were of that buck. I did have another 8 point that is probably about 110 inches and a spike horn, both during daylight. Hopefully that won't be the last buck I see, and hopefully if another decides to show up...I'll be in my stand.The video below is of the mutant from the beginning of the season.