I was mind sinked into packaging up a print order when Maggie alerted me to the activity in the Back 9. I looked up to see a Mule Deer doe moving at a quick pace left to right and since we rarely have mulies, I paid attention to it. It’s then I saw the Mule Deer buck coming up out of the creek bed moving as quickly as the doe and in the same direction. Any other time of the year I would be looking for a predator but right now, that doe was trying to get away from only one thing, the buck. I ran into the office, grabbed the Z 9 / 180-400VR, slipped on my shoes and slipped out the door. When I caught up to the buck it is where you see it in the photo at the top of The Ranch. The doe for the moment had given him the slip. He stood in one place long enough to rip of a quick dozen frames and then off to the races he went. I cut through the woodshop to hopefully give me a few extra steps on him but it wasn’t enough. I got out in time to see the doe heading in the opposite direction with the buck right behind her. Then she cut back to her right and ran up the ravine. He was right behind her. Then she did a 180 and ran back down, he followed. But she had a plan because when he made the 180 she made another cut, putting a line of pine trees between them and then darted off to the left and over the rise. The buck was all worked up by this point and wasn’t about to give up the chase. He never broke stride, jumping the creek and heading up the long way to where the doe was heading. I didn’t see them again but totally enjoyed watching the fall rut antics. I put the lens down, pointed to the east and said to the buck, “she went thata way!”