How to have better handled this situation.

[nbadger23]

Around 7 this morning I heard what I thought were multiple deer headed my way and what I am fairly certain was a grunt. They seemed to be headed to a thick brushy bedding area about 50 yards behind me but I have not had an actual visual. I hit the can and then do a few short grunts with hope it might turn the deer my way but I then hear a few breaking branches and silence. My guess is they bedded down as I hear nothing from that area for quite a while.

At about 8:30 I hear some noise in that area but its hard to place. That area has a lot of deadfall and not much for leaves on the ground so it can be a quiet area for them to walk through. I finally spot the doe and she is walking away from me. I then see that the buck was in front of her and also headed away from me.

At this point what do u do? Do u try a call of some sort and if so what? I tried a snort wheeze because he was a fairly big deer and I was hoping to challenge his manhood. I have also heard bucks do this 3 times in the past week so it seemed logical. Unfortunately all it did was send both bounding away. The doe freaked out and ran and we all know what the bucks reaction is when that happens.

In hindsight, I think I should have been calling to the doe with a contact call or bleat as I didn't want to spook her but I don't know. I am starting to think I get myself in more trouble by using calls than if I didn't but I figure the only way to learn is to keep trying and asking questions.

[Cheetah]

50 yards is pretty close. If you keep beating on the calls at that range, they just have to peek your way and see nobody is there. Keep doing that and they get nervous. The deer are trying to figure out how come the other deer they hear so close isn't showing itself and they can't hear it walking? Eventually they figure it out that you aren't really a deer, and all you are doing is educating them on what to avoid.

IMO next time just keep quiet and wait em out. Grunt or use the can call a little at first but then shut up. If they don't come your way you can adjust your stand to be closer to the trail they were using in hopes they come back to that general area.

[nbadger23]

Cheetah, I only called once to them earlier in the morning, a can call with a few short grunts and then I went quiet. I was more wondering if there would have been a better way to handle the situation of when they got up and started walking away from me. Silence may have been the best option but I felt like I should try something.

[Wanderer]

At the point of having them walk away you have basically have two choices: Call em or leave em go and hope they come back another day. Unless you have a golden bedding area pinned down I wouldn't bank on them returning during the firearms season; just too many variables to change their pattern.

I would have called too. I would have tried bleating and gradually gotten more aggressive from there if it wasn't working. And like you witnessed, I would expect not to turn them. But sometimes you gotta try.

For all the calling I've done, it's only been successful on does without bucks or bucks without does. Seems like once a buck and doe hook up they like to avoid other deer. JMHO.

[DonBo]

Wanderer is right. If they are not coming your way, you have nothing to lose by calling. His plan of starting more conservative and getting agressive later is spot on in my opinion.

[archerystud]

I will add the following:

I would call but I would only call ONCE! You want to peak their interest but not let them pinpoint you. Also, I assume it was very calm (as it was for me last week) and I believe the deer will also look for some type of movement to confirm the call. I actually think that this type of calling can be tough under calm conditions.

Just my $.02 worth, and it might not even be worth that.

[Bear55]

I would call but I would only call ONCE!

I agree with this, I think less is more. If I saw them in your situation I would have given them a grunt or two and that is it. Calling earlier might have tipped them off anyway. If some simple calling won't work you can alwasy try something else later on but in my experience if the first grunt or bleat doesn't work nothing will. This is even more important on pressured or public land, these deer have likely heard every call out there and won't easily be fooled.

[FISHINGURU]

It's tough man, you stay silent and let them walk and wish you would of called. You call and scare them away and wish you would of just stayed quiet. That's huntin

They were wondering how they were bedded down and being quiet the past couple hours and never heard or smelled the deer you were trying to pretend to be. Without a visual or an odor your screwed more times then not when they are that close, if they are 100 yards away and you call them in it's different because they don't know exactly where the sound was coming from they just know the area so they come check it out.

All you can do is try though, I did the same exact thing last week and I've been calling for 15 yrs. I heard a buck chasing does at first light, about a dozen does filtered in and bedded down about 50-60 yards from me in a thicket, no buck so I hit the can, he came right down to 40 yards but then started to leave, I grunted he looked but then started to walk even further away, at this point I'm like all or nothing so I did a snort wheeze, he whipped his head around stared for about 10 seconds then bounced away.

Now if I would of had a decoy out or some scents it probably would have been a different ending to the story.

There's not really a right or wrong way, every deer and situation is different. Just have to read the situation and do what you gotta do, me personally after all my encounters I'd rather try something then just sit there and do nothing if they are leaving anyway.

[nbadger23]

Thanks for the advice. I think I was in a "darned if you do, darned if you don't" situation but the snort wheeze was likely the worst thing to do. I don't think I could have let them walk away without trying something, but I would have much rather had them ignore me than bound off like they did. Lesson learned I guess.

[FISHINGURU]

Don't be shy to use the snort wheeze it's a great call, I've snort wheezed in many bucks and even does that were curious to what was going on...BUUUUUUT I don't think it's a good call to use at that close of range either, it was my first time trying it at a deer so close.

I'm starting to like doe sounds more during this time of year, I mean if I was horned up at a bar and I had a chance to go get the hottest chick there or go get into a fight with one of the toughest guys there I'd probably go for the chick.

[Musky Buck]

I think that buck had the real deal holyfield, I would've stayed put and quiet and sat all day, let them move about on their own, chances are decent they wouldn't wander out of the cover entirely, they may have walked off only to come by a bit later if not alarmed, I'd want that hot doe to stay in the area as long as possible, well the good news is they know exactly where your stand is. That aint good news. You truly were in a pickle really. All I heard the other day was calls, the can, etc. and my closest person was across the gravel road, when it's calm geez are those calls loud, I was at least a 1/4 mile from these guys at a minimum and I finally figured out what they were trying to do with 0 success.

[InTheNorthwoods]

The only way to attract a buck in that situation is to trigger his defense mechanisms (which can either be fight or flight). Once you made the decision that a shot would not present itself without something to bring them in (aka a call), you "gotta do what you gotta do" - and I'd say call at them. In this situation, it simply appears that buck was not interested in "other bucks" and he was likely tending a hot doe. Rather than want to "fight", he was in the "flight" mindset and in a situation where he was probably trying to keep her away from any other bucks or deer for that matter.

[nbadger23]

Thanks for all the input. I should add that I hunt in very, very thick stuff, to a point where I can barely see 50 yards in most cases. I'm starting to wonder if that's why calling has been pretty unsuccessful for me because by the time I see a deer and call to it, he's likely within 30 yards and there's nothing left to the imagination. I can only remember one time that it's even seemed to have remotely worked and that was an incredible morning where I saw 9 bucks within 2 hours because of a hot doe I had nearby. One of the larger ones responded to the rattle bag from only 50 yards away but the overall general reaction has been "meh."

In this case, it likely would have been a good idea to give them some time and see which direction they were going in and maybe calling once they were out of sight. I think I panicked a bit and thought "I have to do something."

[bigbucks]

I wouldn't have tried something that aggressive first when they're that close. I don't happen to have a snort wheeze, but if they're leaving I probably would have tried everything I had to try to turn them. You didn't have much to lose at that point. I will say that most of my successful calling has been blind calling, not when I've actually seen the deer first. If they've been close & I've tried it, it's seldom worked, but in that situation I'd say the grunt call's been the most effective. Ratting & loud cans have pulled them in from farther.

The big can pulled in a doe with a buck in tow for me once about 10 years ago. I tipped it over once or twice & she popped out of slough with him not far behind. Still one of the coolest experiences I've had bowhunting.