Unit 22 OTC Deer Advice

[AzPlumber]

Either they heard or smelled you.

[COA]

If you ever sat water from an enclosed blind you know that even behind cover they can bust you hardcore. Go slow. i often recall while stalking is this i watched a lion use a tree for 45 minutes for cover. Once it got within a 100 yds it stopped stalking and waited at the tree.The deer fed right towards it and that was that. 5 seconds later the lion was eating the doe. Deader than dead 5 seconds flat. Not sure how the lion knew but man that thhing hung tight amd never even peaked around to see which way the deer were going. My thoughts are he might have switched from sight hunting to using its hearing. The deer were actively feeding. My advice to you. When you get over to where they were and cant see them this doesnt mean they are gone they could be one bush over etc. in this situation i would hunker down and wait 20 min. Then lightly do a deer grunt. The doe may appear or a buck could stand up. Good luck

[Ohthatguy]

Either they heard or smelled you.

I probably should have clarified but I was talking about times when you aren't sneaking around but crashing, stomping, laughing and talking. There is no question that they knew I was there. I have also watched bedded deer remain in their beds while people passed by them. The deer knew they were there but weren't spooked.

Kind of like when you are sitting on the couch and hear a fire truck. You are aware of it but you only really pay attention to it when they cut off the siren and you know it's close but you wonder where it went?

[mattys281]

 

Either they heard or smelled you.

I probably should have clarified but I was talking about times when you aren't sneaking around but crashing, stomping, laughing and talking. There is no question that they knew I was there. I have also watched bedded deer remain in their beds while people passed by them. The deer knew they were there but weren't spooked.

Kind of like when you are sitting on the couch and hear a fire truck. You are aware of it but you only really pay attention to it when they cut off the siren and you know it's close but you wonder where it went?

 

 

Yeah, it definitely seems like you always kick one up when you're not paying attention. I always come in pretty loud to the trail cameras so that whatever is there will hear me and move off on their own rather than trying to sneak in and then spook something. I've had pictures on my cameras within less than 20 minutes of me leaving. I also think they don't tend to get as alarmed if they can hear you coming from a ways off, but certainly wouldn't stalk them like that.

 

Bottom line is stalking is the toughest way to kill a deer. It's a good move to get advise from others so as to not have to learn everything on your own through trial and error, but it's one of those skills that has to be practiced in the field. And you'll have to see a lot of little deer butts bouncing away before you ever get good at it. Sure is a fun way to hunt though.

[Viper]

"But is it ok to ask a hunter you come across if they've seen anything/ or had any encounters or is that something you keep to yourself while out in the field?"

Don't ask, don't tell

 

"...and when I come back up I lose them. They're totally gone and I can't relocate them."

They have trap doors...I swear it...

[Zeke-BE]

Your doing great!!! Keep at it! I almost got a 70 yard shot (maxed for me) a couple weeks ago myself! I will watch them most of the time and only put a stalk on them when it favors me. For example if they are feeding in my direction Ill cut them off and if only if the wind is in my favor too. If I cant do that Ill watch them for a while and maybe around noon they might bed for a little bit and try to make a stalk. Desert hunting can be hard! I still don't have archery buck yet, but I've stalked the biggest 190 inch buck within 40 yards and got busted my does so its fun!

[trphyhntr]

If you ever sat water from an enclosed blind you know that even behind cover they can bust you hardcore. Go slow. i often recall while stalking is this i watched a lion use a tree for 45 minutes for cover. Once it got within a 100 yds it stopped stalking and waited at the tree.The deer fed right towards it and that was that. 5 seconds later the lion was eating the doe. Deader than dead 5 seconds flat. Not sure how the lion knew but man that thhing hung tight amd never even peaked around to see which way the deer were going. My thoughts are he might have switched from sight hunting to using its hearing. The deer were actively feeding. My advice to you. When you get over to where they were and cant see them this doesnt mean they are gone they could be one bush over etc. in this situation i would hunker down and wait 20 min. Then lightly do a deer grunt. The doe may appear or a buck could stand up. Good luck

 

watching them from a blind is the best, you realize they hear and see everything. i was watching elk in september and i couldnt help but think about how terrible it would be to live your whole life on high alert lol

[CatfishKev]

mattys281 - thanks for the advice.

 

That's what I was doing, or at least what I thought what I was doing. I went on the backside of the hill because I knew they would see me coming. But when I came up above them, I couldn't fin them anywhere. Not in the drainage. They didn't run over the opposite ridge or down into the canyon as far as I could see.

 

I guess it's standard practice to lose sight of them for a bit to get in a better position and if they left and I can't even spot them anymore then I probably was too loud or they winded me or something, wouldn't you think?

 

And don't they usually feed uphill in the evening to keep the wind in their face?

 

I think it's quite possible that they were still there, or you may have misjudged your location once you got there. If you a have a gps mark the spot where they are and use it to guide you to where they are.

 

Also I wouldn't count on on them feeding uphill. I don't know your unit but here down south I see them run horizontal along the sides of the mountin more then up and down. It's harder to see them in the evening then put a stalk on them cuz it's easy to run out of light.