Very nice buck!! High amount of fat was likely due to the fact he wasn't in full rut yet when they lose the majority of their body fat. Congrats
Agreed. Very nice deer.
A lot of bucks begin to move into transitional range in October. They aren't into full rut, but they are no longer hanging out in their summertime haunts.
High mountain forage must be very high quality on good years, because I've killed very high elevation bucks before that looked like a side of beef when they were skinned out.