As a matter of fact it's not even a buck, it's a doe...but let me stress this isn't your average run of the mill doe by any stretch of the imagination. THIS GIRL IS A BEAST!
I would have to spend some time looking back through my hunting log but I had a few encounters with this doe and I'll be honest if it hadn't been prime hunting time I'd have taken her in a heart beat, but all I could do was watch in AMAZEMENT as she led her 10+ group of does like a general ordering troops around.
I couldn't believe it, not one doe, even the first year fawn does knew not to get ahead of her. She stopped, it was like an accordion as they all would stop. Each time it was almost comical as each deer seemed to have an assigned spot to survey...some starred where she did, another behind the group and also one to each side. One time while hunting a stones throw to a neighbor's barn tucked in the woods I witnessed what I swear to be a couple puffs (quiet, not the alarm sounding ones we're all familiar with) of orders from her to the rest.
She was standing at attention, staring down the neighbor who was letting his classic car warm up just 100 yards away (the direction the thickest bedding area was and was where the does were heading). She didn't stomp her hoof like most, she didn't bob her head at all...however when the neighbor walked out of the house towards the awaiting car she gave a quick puff of her nostrils and every (EVERY) single deer turned and faced the way they came but didn't go anywhere...then came another puff and the doe that was directly behind Ms. Kegger (she looked like a keg turned on it's side walking through the woods) quietly jogged to the end of the line facing away like the rest of the line. Ms. Kegger just stood though intently staring at the neighbor...it wasn't until he decided to not get in the car and walk to the barn that she'd had enough...blew another small puff out of her nostrils and that 2nd doe quietly led the line away. Ms. Kegger stayed staring at the neighbor but now was glancing back at her doe family once, twice...okay they're far enough. She then slipped back herself to the family that was now 80 yards to my left waiting for her to re-commence her role as leader.
That was an awesome experience and I'd witness this doe family a couple more times, and while they weren't always as on edge as the first time Ms. Kegger was always on guard and seemed to be in a perpetual state of "on edge".
It will serve us well to get this big girl out of our woods as I can only imagine how many times she's silently busted us already and will if we don't get her. This will be a trophy of a different kind, but I can honestly say it may possibly be one of the toughest deer I've ever harvested when it's all said and done.
These are two of the latest pics of her and they show a great size comparison between her and other does of 2, 3 and probably even 4 or 5 years old.
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