Thanks guys for the kind replies! After sobbing like a baby through bow, rifle, shotgun, bow again, my season took a turn for the better during muzzleloader.
RB, As for the secondary rut, I had seen a single chasing event the second w-end of muzzleloade season. As I was tracking this deer I had a doe and fawn walk within 20 yrds of me. A friend that was near us helping had eight does and fawns come by with a buck following behind them who was grunting up a storm, he actually thought it was me grunting. That deer never showed his face though, I’d have to say he was hot on those deer.