Jim: I had a yearling buck come up behind me one year, following my tracks as I came in with the wind in my face. I had put on waders, and had put on some doe-in-heat masking scent on the insteps of the rubber boots. I heard him, and turned around to see him over my left shoulder, with my barrel pointed to my right! He was less than 8 feet from me, and sniffing the wind. I had dusted my crotch with baking soda at the car, ( Outside of my blue jeans) to neutralize my scent a bit in that quarter, as that is well within their scent "zone". I was standing next to a small crab-apple tree, among its branches, and he could not make out what I was. He finally moved out into a winterwheat field, to go around me to my left, giving me a chance to shift my feet and bring my muzzle around to shoot him. MY shot was at less than 10 feet from muzzle to his ribcage.
I thought I was shooting a 1 1/2 year old doe- good eating-- because there were NO antlers, or buttons visible between his ears, even at that short distance. In fact, this buck dressed out at about 86 lbs. matching several does that were brought to the check station that were 1 1/2 years old. When I lifted that hind leg and saw the family jewels, I was shocked. I felt the head for buttons, and there was the merest HINT of knobs, on the skull, under the skin.
I am not suggesting that I would have fulled a more mature buck or doe into coming that close to me, but It can happen in the right conditions. There was a slight breeze in my face, but I am talking 5 miles per hour, or less. But, I had walked down a deer trail along a fence for about 200 yards, from the corner of the field, and the buck came right out of a bedding area and walked right up on me. :surrender: :thumbsup: