Stopping a deer for the shot?

[BLACKJACK]

Do any of you try to stop the deer/make noise to stop it before you take the shot? What is your method?

What I'm getting at is that walking deer, coming by at 20 yards, in the past I've taken the shot, sometimes you gauge the speed of the walk just right and make that perfect shot thru the lungs, and sometimes I ended up hitting it too far back, making for a longer track job, lost deer, etc. This year I'm thinking of trying to make a deer 'grunt' sound with my voice. Will it spook them or stop them? If all of a sudden they are alerted by my 'grunt', will it make it easier for them to jump the string?

[bigbucks]

I've wondered this too, but haven't ever done it. You see them do it on the hunting videos all the time, but are they not showing you that 50% of the time they bolt when they do that? I shot a walking deer last year & hammered it, but it was 8 yards. I don't know that I've ever hit another one moving, I may have missed one or two, I can't really remember.

[charliepete2]

I thought I was on to something stopping deer with a mouth grunt until I tried to stop a nice buck for a shot and it just downshifted a few gears and got the heck out of there. If they are inside 15 yards and moving I just aim for the shoulder. At that distance my bow will punch right through the shoulder, but if things work out right I get a nice double lunger from that lead. If the deer is trotting I might try grunting because you don't have anything to lose. Shooting at anything faster than a walk with a bow is just not ethical for my skill level.

[kevfish]

A deer in my experience will almost always stop. I either whistle or grunt with my voice to get the deer to stop. It ussually works unless the deer was already spooked

[Eric Wettschreck]

To make them stop I've always given a quick but fairly quiet whistle.

Be ready though, cuz they'll look right at ya and you have about a millibleep of a second to shoot.

[roosterslayer]

I always whistle alittle and as soon a they stop i let the arrow go. I tried the mouth grunt and the deer immediately bolted. In my opinion I think the mouth grunt will hurt you at 20 yards or less. also if a deer(buck) is walking by and hears another buck grunt that close I cant see how it wouldn't spook especially during the pre-rut or rut itself. Well thats just my opinion.

[mnz71hunt]

I have whistled and I have used a small grunt call that I can place in my mouth. Usually if your using a grunt call and not grunting for them, leave the setting (if adjustable) on a fawn bleet. The fawn bleet is not as intimidating as the buck grunt.

[PerchJerker]

I try not to stop them because any noise is going to instantly put them on alert. The deer might stop right there and give you the perfect angle, but that deer is more likely to jump the string or bust you while you're aiming. Depends on the situation, but I prefer to not try to stop the deer.

[Guest]

I have always whistled,or said psssst after Iam drawn back and the deer is in the clear for a shot,always worked,buck or doe.

[BLACKJACK]

Sounds like its about 50/50, some guys do it and some don't. I can't whistle so that leaves the grunt. The fawn grunt sounds like a good idea, except moving a call to your mouth is one more movement. Guess I'll just have to try it on some does and small bucks as practice before Mr. Big comes along.

[Stratosman]

I always draw back when they are in stride, helps mask movement and sound, but I always wait until they stop before talking the shot, some of my stands have relatively tight shooting lanes so I have no choice. I always do the mouth grunt myself. Have yet to spook off a deer doing it either. But I'm sure the time will come when it will happen.

[bmc]

I have done this on a few deer that I've shot with my bow. Believe it or not, I even called in a bedded spike buck years ago with my mouth. I forgot my deer calls and said what the heck, I about crapped my pants when that deer got up and wander in to close for his personal safety! I just kind of do a throaty "meh". I think doing it just loud enough so the deer stops and thinks, where'd that come from. If you do it too loud they're gonna pick you out and be on red alert and probably duck the arrow. I've seen on video's where they can drop a full body length in the blink of an eye. I think I've stopped 3 different bucks with the mouth grunt as I call it, including the borderline P&Y Iowa 9 ptr that's on my wall. Give it a shot, it can't hurt.

Brian

[kc0myy]

If your out bow hunting for deer and you know your going out a lot more. I would try stopping a deer for the shot. But I also have seen the deer drop down to the ground in a blink of an eye. Its not the best move to do that because you don't know if that deer will move in a blink of an eye and miss or not hit the deer in the kill zone. With a gun I would try because the bullet moves a lot faster then that arrow. If you softly make a sound to stop the deer it might not know were the sound came from. just my 2 cents. later good luck

[lunker651]

I whistle at them, but make sure your gun is on sight with the vitals. Shoot right when they stop and not a second more. I have never spook a deer yet, at 10 yards to 100 yds. I never try to shoot at moving deer. It's a 50% hit and miss the vitals. A good, quick kill is the key.

[treeclimber]

Every deer that I have shot that was walking (probably over 40) I have stopped with a grunt with my mouth. It's kind of a nasal sounding (mi) in a middle pitch sound. Practice it at different pitches. The higher pitch sounds like a fawn bleat, the mid pitch sounds like a doe or small buck, the lower pitch sounds more like a larger buck. All the deer I have stopped have never bolted or ducked the arrow. It's better to stop a deer and make a great shot rather than shooting at a moving target with the chance of making a bad shot, even if you risk the chance of spooking one. A missed chance is better than a wounded unretreived deer any day!!

[irvingdog]

I force up a *burp*. Sounds perfect, stops them in their tracks.