Walking up on a deer, What would you do?

[Busdrivers33]

First off, this day will not go by fast enough for most of us.

I would like some other input on what others have done or would do in the situation I had last year?

The 2nd weekend of last year, I climbed down from my stand after the morning hunt. I started back to camp, when I came to a path we have that leads to the " Beaver [PoorWordUsage] stand" as we call it. I decided to take a little walk that way since noone has been down that way yet. As I get just past the stand we have there I see a fresh scrape about 50ft from the stand, and this scrape looked really fresh. Now my guards up as I was thinking this buck could still be around. I decide to follow the path to the otherside of a little clearing, basically alot of trees that have fallen to the ground. So there I was walking really slow and quiet, turning my head from left to right slowly and stopping every 25 ft or so. I get to the middle of the downed trees and stop, I start to pan the woods from left to right. As soon as I get my head turned to my right, THERE HE IS, a big buck laying there staring me down no more then 20 ft from me. All I could see was this huge body and a very tall and thick rack, I wasnt sure of how many points it had. Theres me staring down the biggest buck I have ever seen in the woods, not moving a muscle and thinking how I could get a shot off, knowing that as soon as I blink, this deer is gone. My only hope now was to just swing my gun as fast as I could and get lucky. Well, thats what I did, but I did not get lucky. That buck went from laying on the ground to gone in the blink of ane eye. I did get to shots off however, with no luck. Well what was an awesome experience that might not ever happen again, didn't get the results I hoped for. However, I did chase that buck to where my mothers fiance sits, and he shot it. I was very excited for him. About the buck, it was a very nice 8, it had very thick base and 9" brow tines. most other tines were 11". It is now hanging in our cabin we had just built last summer.

Any suggestions from anyone on maybe a way to be able to get a better shot? Or if it has happened to you?

[Bear55]

Hey Busdriver

That is a tough spot to be in, the only other thing I could think of is continue on your way like you never saw the deer. He may relax a little and you could have suprised him with a shot once you got a little further away. That is easy to say not being in the situation myself but I have heard of it working before.

[BigWadeS]

I had a situation, not a nice buck but a couple nice does, a few years ago. Where I hunt there are woods surrounding a 75 acre hay field. I was on the far side and when I was starting to walk through the field back to camp I thought right over that ridge maybe, but talked myself out of not being ready. I kept walking and when I got to the top of the ridge they saw me and were stomping and getting all concerned. I don't know how long it took, felt like forever, but I slowly backed up not losing eye contact and after a few step I took 2 more and each one I crouched down and got my gun off my shoulder, by the time I got to one knee and my gun up they were starting to move to get a scent or a view of what I was and just as they were getting ready to bolt I got one...I called it complete luck but talked to a few others and they said I handled it the right way...hard to say when they bolt, though as when they want to move they move and fast...good luck and hopefully you can stubmle upon a bigger one this year

[96trigger]

I would have to say ditto to Bear, that buck was either going to be content to let you walk past, or bolt after you were already past. I probably would have done what you did.

[Busdrivers33]

I know what you guys are saying. After the fact I second guessed myself and wondered if I would have had a better chance if I would have just kept walking until I could get behind a big tree or something. But the initial instinct and shock of seeing it there, just froze me. Another thought I had is what would I do if this thing just charged me. Hopefully it does happen again to me or anyone. It is a really cool to expereince that. And your heart beats 10 times more in that situation then when you see one up in your stand.

[SSSTaxidermy]

One tactic I've heard and read about in regards to being "surprised" upon seeing deer - is to not look the animal in the eye. Esp a mature animal. Animals read a lot of communication through eyes. By not looking at them, tends to calm them down. I don't have a whole lot of experience with it, but it's something I just read, and what I try to do.

[Kyle]

Sometimes if you keep walking they think that they are well hidden from you. Much like a grouse. get well past them, maybe behind a tree, turn your gun and then take a crack. Its a total [PoorWordUsage] shoot though, it may work sometimes, and may not others.

[CNCMike]

I would have frozen. Just stopped totally still and watched the ground just beside him. Avoiding eye contact at all cost but still keeping him in my sight. Stand there as still as can be for as long as you can. At some point, in my experience, they either relax and look away once they decied you aren't there anymore r aren't a threat, or they get up more cautiously. Either way it gives you a better chance of shooting a good shot at him. On occasion they will still bolt, out of nervousness, but that's the chance you take. I would much rather a deer run from nervousness than run from me or my shot. Seems that once they figure out for sure you are human or a gun goes off they have a greater tendency to avoid that "dangerous" area more. Not that it matters in your case, as you guys got him anyway...

[pinkfloyd4ever]

hindsight is 20/20 but if you had to do it again, just walk past like the others have said. A few years ago I was hunting in Iowa with my buddies nephew two bucks were pushed by drivers and came bolting right at us. He blasted the bigger 11pt, slug went right thru the neck but that deer didn't flinch kept on going following the smaller lead buck. We saw the spot of impact and nice bright red blood on the ground and since it was wide open country we were able to see the direction they went. About a 50 yard walk, following the blood trail we get atop a slight ridge and you can see buck #1 still going full blast across the field. I say to the kid, the other has got to be around here close. We looked around, couldn't see anything, a second 360 look around and I saw the steam coming from the bucks mouth/nose, and there he was lying tight in a fence line completely blended in. So, the nephew is turned and looking the other way and I quickly stand next to him looking that way too and tell him that it is lying behind us not 50 feet back, lets turn back around and walk back a few steps, then turn, aim and fire. Success.

i have to add though that my rationale for moving back was for a better angeled kill shot, not fear of eye contact, cause how we were a fatal shot would have been tough and didn't want to risk it bolting again, we already had a number of other hunters getting into the area after hearing shots and seeing the bucks.