Yesterday I posted on the short hike I took to the summit of Hazeltop Mountain, heading north from Bootens Gap. As I began to descend, I was halted in my tracks by the site of a young buck - maybe a six-pointer, max, in velvet - emerged from the woods and grazed at trailside.
The wind favored me, and he didn't catch my scent. He took note of me but went back to grazing.
Then, as he headed on into the woods, just a few feet further back, a second buck - this one a magnificent 8-pointer, emerged from the woods. You can see his shadowy figure in some of the photos.
Like the other, he didn't catch my scent and was not afraid of me. He bided his time and then ducked into the woods, and I started on my way back down the trail.
At times, I was maybe 20 feet from them. It was a remarkable encounter for me, that's for sure...everything working in my favor for it to be something to remember.
No comments:
Post a Comment