Busted grrrr

[Scott K]

So I havent seen anything worth shooting from my couple spots I have been hunting this year yet. The past couple nights, my son hasnt gone out, so I decided to go sit in his stand tonight. Hunting tonight was kinda a last minute decision, we were going to go check out the duck hunting spot, but my son had homework, so I went bow hunting instead.

Lets start the story off with my 1st mistake of the night, I showered about 4pm, since I wasnt planning on bow hunting. So I walk out to my sons stand about 6pm, spooked one up as I walked to his spot, dang it! I knew it wasnt a good idea to go at this time of night. I climb into his stand. Sit there a few minutes, a 100# doe comes walking out towards me, 15 yards away, and then she turns and runs back to the tree line, 25 yards away, and walked the tree line. I figured she got wind of me. A few minutes later, a decent buck comes walking in from my left, I get into position to take a shot, and the buck gets in an opening, about 25 yards to the left of me, I was just ready to draw back, and I here a grunting noise from behind me, I turn, and there is a nice size buck, staring at me, grunting non stop, so I turn my bow towards him, he takes off, so I look back at the first buck, he takes off. Grrr!

I ended up seeing 3 more does in stand, they all caught me, either hissing at me, or nose in the air, and took off.

I sat in stand until end of legal shooting hours, climb down from stand, walk 50 yards up the hill, 2 deer standing there, I spooked them away too. I get a couple hundred yards further down the trail, 2 more deer standing on the trail, spooked them on my walk back. Then just to top it off, as I was walking past one of my stands, a deer jumps out in front of me and runs right at my stand.

So I am thinking I totally messed up my sons stand for awhile. I am not to concerned about the ones I seen on the trail on the walk back, but the ones that busted me in stand, will more then likely be MIA for awhile. To bad too, he has never shot a deer bow hunting yet.

I am pretty sure they all smelled me, from showering with a pretty strong smelling body wash. Lessened learned I guess. My son wants to go out tomorrow, does he dare go back to his stand? Or do we let it cool off for awhile, the bucks were nice deer, but not the biggest in the area, and I am certain there are a few bigger then them in there. Does he go there and hope the other bucks come in? Or just stay away?

[mrklean]

If it was me give it a day or two rest but ive spooked deer in the morning and they still came back that night

[harvey lee]

If they were quality bucks, I would move to a new location if I wanted one of the better bucks. Those bigger bucks will simply not put up with human scent. The young ones and does may though.

I would at a minimum stay out of there for at least a few days and not go back until the wind is to your advantage.

Many times after I put up a new stand I will not even use that area until it rains hard to wash the scent away.

Almost always I will not hunt a stand until the wind is correct for me to keep my scent from blowing to the direction the deer are coming from.

Another thing to try and remember Scott is do not overhunt the stand and try to get in and out of that stand without letting any deer see you or smell you. Letting them know you are there too many times and I can guarantee you in a few weeks at the most, you will be seeing next to nothing in that area. I would also put my stand up in a location whwre you can access it very easy without the deer knowing you are coming and always make sure the wind is good for a stand before u hunt it.

Yes, I have all the Scent Loc clothing and boots but ones best defense is to play the wind and get up as high as possible in the tree with a safety harness.

[Stratosman]

I never go into the woods without showering with non scented body wash and using non scented deoderant...

Give that area a week. It's still early.

No matter what you do, you simply cannot fool a deers nose 100%. You will get winded at times. But taking steps to minimize that ups your odds tremendously.

[Bear55]

If it were me and my son I would get back in there and hunt asap! With that many deer around you didn't chase them all away. The older bucks might be gone but it is still worth a shot because you at least know they are in the area and moving during shooting hours. Hunt it and then let things cool down for a week or two

It might be smart to setup in a different stand near your sons stand if you have one available. I use to hunt out of pre-set stand but I was amazed at how many deer would walk out and look up at the stand right away. The older bucks might circle downwind of the stand if they are still in the area, that might be a good ambush spot.

[CANOPY SAM]

I agree with Bear55, but there is other great advice here as well.

The deer that busted you, busted you. They will likely be a little shy of that stand. The others that you simply bumped, don't have a clue where you were in stand.

You've got a bunch of deer in that woods! That's great. Hunt it again, as scent free as possible, playing the wind to the best of your ability, then leave it alone for a little bit if nothing comes around.

My guess is you'll still see opportunities in that stand, and others in that hunting spot!

[Scott K]

The woods I am hunting is pretty big, and we have several stands up on it, so we can just move to other stands for awhile, and try it. My sons stand, that I got busted in, is in a low spot, kinda a bowl, with a ~3 acre pond. The deer tend to come in for a drink during the evenings. The times my son has hunted it, he has seen lots of does, but they were either smaller deer, or they were with fawns, and he didnt want to take their mommys away yet. Those 2 bucks I seen last night were the first shooter bucks we have seen on stand, a few on camera, but they never came out while on stand.

I am thinking we will just leave it sit until saturday morning, and hunt somewhere else tonight. Lots of season left, and I have a few other spots I havent even looked at yet this year. So it will be a scouting/hunting trip, and scoping out future spots.

I at first had the same thought of, the deer are moving in the area, we should get back out there and take advantage of it. But the season is long, and I dont want to over hunt it and scare them away for the rest of the season.

[harvey lee]

Totally agree Scott. If it were a few days before the gun season or during then I may take a chance and hit the stand again soon. But we are 6 days into the season so really no hurry and the deer should stay close to any water that there is.

I would not be too concerned about taking a doe this time of year. In another month or so, the does will be kicking the fawns off as the rut will start to go. The fawns will be on thier own and they will do fine.

I would not feel to bad about getting busted as we have all been there once or more. It's hard to totally beat a deer's senses weith a stick and string.

Good luck!

[CANOPY SAM]

Amen, Harvey! That's one of the true joys of bowhunting...when it all finally comes together and we get it right.

Those little buggers can be pretty darn tough to outsmart when you gotta get close to em'!

[96trigger]

Yeah, I agree, back off a little bit. Hunt another spot this weekend or at least the next couple of days, let things calm down. Usually it doesn't bother me to hunt a stand pretty consistently, but if that many deer saw me and new I was there, I would probably give it a good break. I have spooked deer walking into and out of the woods, but that doesn't usually bother me as much as when they see me, and know I'm danger.

[Musky Buck]

Kinda with Bear since bow season is so long, get back in there and pray and use the hunt as a scouting tool more than a hunt. Here's the truth what would happen to me is if I went right back in it wouldn't work and if I waited a few days it wouldn't work either. Are you sure there isn't another good buck in the area that may not be alerted to what went on the day before ? Lots of if's and that's hunting.

[harvey lee]

There could have been numerous other nice bucks in that area that scented him and noone knew the better. They will simply slip away. No need to wheez in the air if they already got a good whif of him.

Scott, I would also try and get into your stand a few hours at least before sunset in the woods. I also like to go out in the dark so the deer do not see me and the only way they know I am a human is if they get a whiff of that human scent.

I have slipped into a stand on the field edge later in the day but If my stand is deeper in the woods, I like to get in 3-4 hours before sunset as they will move much sooner than on the field edge.

Before I went back, I would make sure the right wind direction was there or one could blow the deer out again and then one will have to start a new search for those nicer bucks as they will not put up with that twice. Now, if this were the rut, little bit different story as a buck will follow a hot doe about anywhere.

I like to keep the odds in my favor as much as possible and not give the deer every advantage.

[bigbucks]

I'd agree with those who said wait a while. In my experience if a mature doe picks you out of stand once, you're pretty much screwed in that spot as far as she's concerned. She will check that stand visually or with the wind, both if she can. I think the same would be true of mature bucks. The little bucks, fawns, & most yearling does would still come there. It would only be the ones that made you there. It's not like they tell the other deer, Hey don't go over there...

[Scott K]

While normally I would be in stand by 3 hours prior to sunset, yesterday was a litlle abnormal for me, it was a last minute change of plans. It is kinda hard to play the wind in Travis's spot, it is in a bowl, watering area, the deer come from all directions, and if there is wind, it swirls around in there. His stand is set 18' up, and he hasnt had any issues, that he has noticed, I think the biggest issue, is I just showered, and my body soap has a strong fragrance.

I have been seeing deer when hunting my stand, all day long, only they were yearlings, or momma and fawns. I am holding out for a 140+# deer, buck or doe, rack isnt important to me, the meat is. None of those have winded me before this night, so I am pretty certain the problem was the showering prior.

I am hitting a new area tonight.

[harvey lee]

Like you, I love the meat.

I use to be all about the rack but after many years and deers, I really do not care if it has a rack, big, or small or not at all.

One can only hang up so many deer mounts and after awhile, they are dust collecters to me.

For others, big bucks are an addiction and I do understand that as it was for me at one time.

I would also suggest that Trav get a safety harness if he does not have one. Bad things can happen from 20ft up a tree with one slip.