sorry about your loss man. sucks--went through that last year with a 16 y/o lab.
Got out yesterday morning until noon. sat in a brushy bottom edge of bedding, over 2 fresh scrapes. it was windy and kept switching on me. didn't see anything so got down, still-hunting through the bedding toward a perimeter trail 2-300 yards away, and then off to work. I generally had a prevailing wind out of the WNW so I headed that way but it kept swirling on me, oh well. it was slow going trying to get through logs, briars, vines, and the like. Got about 50 yards from the trail and saw movement of something big coming around a brush pile. I froze and nocked an arrow. just in time. a huge bodied buck came around quartering to me and worked up to 15 yards . he looked like a freaking donkey with a long snout. I'm not great at judging age but I would put him at 6+ years. He had serious mass throughout his beams. His rack went very vertical and he had 2 huge forks, with brows and maybe an extra point on the left (a very mature 7 pt). I had a tree to my left front with vines off of it, and could tell from the brush and deer trails he would either keep heading to my left or turn and come right at me. he started to go left but the wind was swirling again and he froze straight out as I came to full draw. He didn't see me, being directly in line with those stinking vines, with no shot. I could tell he was catching some wind and unsure. he is staring straight at me now, bobbing his head a little, lip-curling. I am seeing if there is any way to thread an arrow through, or step left or right. nothing. I hoped he would take a step or two further left in slow retreat but he just stayed there. This went on for nearly 2 minutes until I let down because I felt like I was gonna pass out between holding at full draw, my increased HR, and probably holding my breath. He took off and I sat down because I was seeing stars lol. what a rush!
I'll probably get out Saturday morning for a quick hour or two before my boys' soccer. should be colder again in the AM and get them moving. saw more deer on the way to work this morning, and saw a little buck chasing last evening out my work window. good luck ya'll