By Leon DeLoof

-- Last year during the third weekend of Michigan's bow season, my buddy and I were walking to our makeshift ground blind when two does and a nice 6-point buck jumped not even 40 yards from us. We trailed the does in hopes we would see the buck again. Instead, we found ourselves less than 15 yards from where the does stood their ground, stomping their hooves and snorting at us. We thought the larger doe was going to charge us. Judging by its body movements and actions, the doe did not want us in the area.

Because neither of us had a doe tag for public hunting grounds we were at a loss. After what seemed like an eternity, the two does finally fled. My buddy and I regained our senses and turned around to see the buck standing just 25 yards behind us. As I drew my bow to take the shot, my own movements caught the buck's attention. Its little white flag went straight up, and it was gone. We spent the following week trying to bring the buck back to the area. We tried calling, rattling and tracking it for over five miles on foot. That day, we actually tried to jump the buck again. We found plenty of bedding areas that we circled hoping the buck would appear.