There’s more than one way to gut a buck. And that’s a good thing, because depending on the temperature, the distance from the truck, and the local regulations, you might want to (or have to) change up ...

I watched a good buck step out catty-corner from me on the edge of the field, 100 yards away. I ground the antlers together, and he white-flagged it back into the brush, evidently not a fighter.

Winchester No deer rifle carries easier and points faster than the Model 94. The Carbine and Short Rifle versions come with a 20-inch barrel, weigh well under 7 pounds, and are chambered in .30/30.

"I had a bunch of does in the field and some young bucks, and there was one decent buck -- a 130-inch 8-point -- that I was trying to shoot, but he kept running around chasing the does," Keen said.

Within 15-20 minutes, two bucks, a small spike and one he “couldn’t even describe at that time,” showed up in the conservation reserve program (CRP) field to his east.