Every year I try to take off the week before MO gun season which is the 2nd Sat in Nov. I am lucky and have several acreages I get to hunt. This is the best week to bowhunt in MO as the rut is in and the bucks are moving. I hunt around Kirksville, Mo. I blew out of work last Thurs at 11:45 and was at one of my spots by 3:00 p.m. I had hunted up there the week before and seen 3 good bucks from the same stand. One was a GREAT 10 pointer that came head on to me after coming out of the brush behind me. I had to turn completely around as he came 15, 10, 7. No shot as he was head on. He stopped at 7 yds and turned. As I got to half draw he looked up at me and spooked a little, turning and walking away slowly. No good shot. A short time later a big old buck with a grizzled white face came in downwind. He had a big forkhorn type rack, I couldn't see his brow tines. He was an old buck that was going downhill. He turned and left the way he had come. Later a nice high 8 pointer came in following a doe that had her lower right rear leg missing. I had seen her during spring turkey season. She was skinny and gaunt. Her rib cage and back were messed up. Must have got hit by a car or something.
By 3:30 I was at one of the properties I hunt. It is a long wooded draw. I have had some good encounters here the last 2 years. As I walked in I saw that it had been logged. Big beautiful oaks had been dropped everywhere. What a bummer. I almost left but didn't have time to go anywhere else. I got in a tree with my climber and 20 min later a spike and a little six pointer came in. No time for pics as they came in on the trot. The 6 busted me trying to get the camera but came back later RIGHT under my stand for a 2nd time. Well at least they are stilling traveling thu the area.