I was still-hunting on bare ground through a funnel of mixedwood forest. I was sneaking along and using pruning shears to quietly clear a path. At one point, I stood still to study my surroundings and noticed a buck approached me from the opposite direction and off to my left at 15 yards.  His ears were laid back and he was walking stiff-legged and sideways; classic aggressive behaviour. Although I was standing in the open, the buck continued to approach and I wondered if he might charge.  When he hit the 10 yard line, I settled the crosshairs on his neck and fired. At the sound of the shot, the young 6-pointer (eastern count) went down in a heap. Although I can't say for sure, I suspect that the buck may have been tending a doe and was prepared to defend his breeding rights. Whatever the reason, the buck let its guard down which resulted in meat in the freezer for our camp. 

Ten years ago, I purchased a 1973 Browning B78 chambered in 30.06.  I mounted a Leupold 2.5X10X50 scope on it and have been using handloads - 180 gr. Nosler Partition protected point bullets powered by 58 gr. of R22 powder.  This package has been working out nicely for me.

nice buck, really like the 78's

Sam, good job. Nice buck. Those unexpected bucks are the fun ones.