Could it possibly be...Spikey?

After this one, the pictures in the slideshow are ones of the buck we named Spikey; one as a Spikehorn from Dec 2004, the rest taken in the fall of 2005. During hunting season he disappeared, and I have been pained ever since.

Last year I prayed that he had just relocated and would return with family in tow...just like Peter did in Helen Hoover's excellent book "Gift of the Deer". But, alas...no sign of him at all.

This year a buck has shown up, and his behavior is much like that of Spikey. He seems quite familiar and comfortable with our yard, getting quite close to the house as no other mature buck does. The first day he came close (Oct 31st), we had several does and fawns feeding and he appeared to be interested in them. They weren't having any of that!

This was taken at dusk when he came alone. Since then I have seen him with youngsters, but they disappeared before I could capture any images. This afternoon (11/03), we had a very small fawn here. When I went to put out some more corn, it ran across the creek bed and up on the hill. This buck was up there close-by.

My husband doesn't believe it could possibly be the same buck since this one only has six points (one is broken off)...but, we fed Spikey so well (corn and oats), that he went from a Spikehorn to a six-point buck in a year. Since he hasn't gotten any special food for two years, I believe it is possible that he has put all of his energy into body growth. His antlers are formed similarly, which I believe is the norm. In the past, I was able to ID Spikey by the small notch at the top of his right ear, which is visible in the images included in the slideshow. When zoomed in on this closeup, I believe I can see a "slight" notch.

Or...am I just full of fantasies???