Day 4:
 
Arriving long before sunrise I slowly snuck into the same stand that overlooked the hayfield.  I planned on sitting all day in hopes of seeing the big 10 again.  With the weather pattern holding steady, it was shaping up to be another great day.
 
It wasn’t long before the first deer of the day made an appearance.  A small 8-point zigzagged his way in from the west and walked directly under my stand.  He stopped momentarily to paw at a fresh scrape and continued across the small clearing to the woods on the opposite side.
 
At 9:35 a.m. I could hear pig-like grunts coming from the south as a big doe came running past with two small bucks trailing closely behind.  They cut the edge of the hayfield to the east and headed into the woods that lead across a railroad track to a huge soybean field.  One of the small bucks stopped to freshen a scrape and then resumed his chase.  The rut was starting to heat up.
 
A smattering of does and bucks kept me entertained throughout the day.  As the day grew shorter with every minute, I prayed that the big buck would show.  At a little after 6 p.m. the train rumbled past, creating quite a disturbance.  The noise must have agitated the big buck as he anxiously lumbered into the hayfield some 70 yards away.

I watched as he quickly made his way across the clearing from the east to the west.  He stood motionless on the western edge of the hayfield for the next several minutes.  I slowly grabbed my bow from its hanger and reached into a back pocket to retrieve my grunt tube.  With his attention riveted on the north end of the field, I got into shooting position and started to make a series of short tending grunts.  Once again, he looked in my direction but wouldn’t commit.
 
His body language seemed to indicate that the sound of another buck in the area was aggravating him.  I watched as he spontaneously pawed at the earth and made a new scrape on the edge of the field.
 
Ground clutter flew in every direction as he tore at the ground with his front feet.  It was an amazing sight.  He then moved off to the north and stopped to freshen the same scrape that he did the day before.  Once he finished his business, I paid close attention to where he exited the field.  As he turned to leave just before dark, I noticed that it was on the same trail.  I knew then that I would have to move my stand.  Time on stand:  13 hours.
 
Stay Tuned For Day 5