10/18/08 EVER HEAR A BUCK SNORT?

Saturday, 12:45 PM. 43 degrees, wind S, moderate. Skies mostly clear, the channel is crawling and the barometer predicts partly cloudy skies.
I got to the gate on the deer trail by first light, left the truck there, and walked very slowly down the 3/4 mile or so to my stand, hoping to find a deer going back to the woods after a night cavorting in the apple orchards. The fallen leaves were damp so I could proceed very quietly. Pretty well down the hill to my stand I heard a rustle, off to the side in the woods edge, and sure enough there was a good sized deer, looking right at me. I could not tell if it had antlers or not but it snorted at me loudly as it turned and ran, so I assume it was a buck. Had it been opening morning of the regular deer season I would have had a deer, as it was an easy shot, and both buck and doe can be taken then, where I hunt,
After lunch and relaxing, I will head back out to try my luck again. The photo looks west down the hill toward my stand, about 1/4 mile ahead.