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Locked Racks

Via email from Steve B, a quality sportsman: 

On a Kansas upland bird hunting trip we walked up to these two bucks locked in combat.

It is interesting to note many quality racked whitetail bucks have been harvested by those that are primarily upland bird hunters that essentially are deer scouting for the next year during the current year's bird hunt. These same hunters that deer hunt as a secondary interest do so on what many consider "bird ground" and are happy to do so having many fine mounts on the wall at home.

When the two bucks saw us approaching, one of the bucks flipped the other buck over causing a fatal puncture to the head. 

After calling the local conservation agent  we came back and struggled again to free the surviving buck. This time we were successful and the living buck turned and bounded away, stopping about 30 yards out to look back for a few seconds.
The two bucks were both young deer 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 years old, but both had exceptional genetics. The one that died in the battle was a 12-point and the other was a 14-point. Both bucks had split brow tines. The one that survive I'm sure grew into an exceptional buck this year.

One other interesting note, 100 yard down the hedgerow from where we found these two bucks, we found last years shed antler from the 12 point buck that perished. The shed was identical in shape, just smaller in size and without the spit brow tine.