The unmistakable aroma of a rutting buck permeated the air and stopped me dead in my tracks as I slipped through the woods on a midmorning hunt in search of a buck. Somewhere near, but as yet unseen, stood a musty rutting buck.

I was searching for fresh buck sign when I noticed how quiet and peaceful everything was. Squirrels scurried around feeding and a occasional hawk or owl sounded of nearby. Ah, the sound of silence in the woods, broken only by the sound of nature.

Though it had rained, bucks had already been out working on their territorial markers and leaving calling cards with fresh rubs and scrapes almost everywhere I looked. Easing along a small creek, I heard the whistling wings of wood ducks. Easing to the bank of the creek, I sneaked up on a group of colorful drake wood ducks and hens that were feeding, cavorting and preening in their peaceful sanctuary. Such are the added pleasures gained from stalking silently through the vacated mid-morning woods. My mid-morning hunts taken during December and January allow me to enter a new world as most of the animals have long ago patterned the hunters and move about freely during midday in places where the woods have become silent.

I slowly stalked three to five steps, scanning the surrounding woods for any sign of a deer, and moving again. This stop and go technique was taught to me as a youngster and has provided me with many unusual animal sightings and kills on my scouting trips.

Some of my biggest deer have been taken in this manner, in areas that I have never hunted before. If you take notice, undisturbed deer and animals will always move a few steps, stop and look, before moving on. One mistake and they may pay with their very life. It’s that important to them. Slowly moving uphill, I was met the unmistakable aroma of a rutting buck. He was close, but had he spotted me? If he had fled the scene, he would have caused a ruckus. I hoped that he hadn’t seen or smelled me if he was still over the crest of the ridge.

Frozen in place I stood for a few minutes, and guessed the buck was straight over the peak of the ridge as the wind blew the pungent aroma from that direction. When I could stand it no longer, I moved forward and waited. I could see the crest of the ridge but still saw no sign of a deer. Moving a bit further positioned me where I could see the top of the ridge.

Still no movement seen or heard, but the smell never wavered.

I eased forward and stopped.

Suddenly the buck appeared like a phantom from nowhere and disappeared behind a downed pine top a few feet to my left. The buck seemingly vanished into thin air. I raised my rifle in the direction of the top where the buck stopped for a few minutes. Had he spotted the movement of my rifle through the pine top? Muscles began to ache and burn as I wondered if I could hold out until the buck made his move. Finally he appeared like a ghost from behind the top, and I centered the crosshairs on his neck and squeezed the trigger.

“Tick-Pow!” roared the rifle as the buck disappeared. Standing over the beautiful buck, I thought back to Paw Paw Pat’s now familiar words, “You’ve got to go regular and be in the right place at the right time.” Though some might call it luck, I’ve been in the right place at the right time many times, even when I didn’t think I would do any good.

I never know where the right place will be until I smell that musty old buck, or he appears right in front of me. That’s the reason I go “regular” and enjoy my own brand of still hunting and scouting. If you want to kill that buck, then you need to head to the woods every chance you get, as the bucks are sure to be on the move soon once again.

Once the rut shifts into high gear the bucks will go crazy searching for hot does. With their hormones raging and scent glands working overtime, bucks of all sizes will be on the move and leaving their musty calling cards on overhanging limbs, on rubs and in scrapes.

It is during these times when the most seasoned bucks will become the most vulnerable. Though we normally use our eyes and ears when hunting, we may be limiting our capabilities. By using all of your senses, including your sense of smell, you just might smell out that old buck before he sees or smells you.

Take it from Pawpaw Pat, “if you go regular”, sooner or later you’ll find yourself in the right place at the right time, and you’ll have an opportunity to harvest a trophy buck of your very own. Carpe Diem!