Hi Beasts,
I have searched around but cannot find any threads related to this (my apologies if I did not look hard enough).
I recently moved to a new state/area where I am fortunate to have a high deer density. While this is certainly a blessing, it does come with its own set of challenges.
This is my first season hunting here and most of the terrain I have hunted so far is a mix of agriculture and hill country. I did a fair amount of scouting this spring/summer and identified what I believe is buck bedding and likely bed-to-food travel routes. More often than not, the bedding is not far from the food therefore I am setting up in staging areas just off the food but close to bedding (last night I had a small buck get up within 60 yards of my stand). My dilemma is that often times it is doe groups or young bucks that are getting up early and instead of moving through and into the fields, they are meandering around my stand for extended periods of time (15, 20, 25 minutes) eating greenbrier and other forbes. This almost always ends up with them getting downwind of me at some point or picking me off (too many eyes around for too long). They then stomp, blow, spook, etc. and while I may see some smaller deer move through, never a mature buck.
I am hunting mobile and have never hunted in the same area twice, but I seem to continue having the same results....see lots of young deer early, they hang out, and I get busted. Any tips on how to spook them enough to get them move out of the area without completely blowing out the potentially bedded mature buck? I was thinking potentially a crow call or wood duck whistle would be enough to startle them but natural enough to not draw too much concern from a mature buck bedded in the area.
Anyone run into this issue? I am also concerned one of these times the mature buck will move in but I will get busted when coming to full draw with other deer hanging around.
Thanks for any tips!
Intentionally Spooking Deer From The Stand
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Re: Intentionally Spooking Deer From The Stand
I would never intentionally spook a deer from a stand no matter if its a doe, spike, or a fawn. Thats a recipe for failure and blowing the whole area. Sounds to me your not getting aggressive and close enough to the bigger bucks bedding area. But if your blowing younger deer out of there- He probably already knows your there. these bigger bucks often times will use the younger deer as "crash test dummies" before they leave their bed. I would back out of there and try it again toward rut.
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Re: Intentionally Spooking Deer From The Stand
It sounds like you potentially aren’t close enough to the true mature buck bedding. See if you can “get behind” the does and smaller bucks and get to where the big boys are hanging. That solves both problems…
If you aren't green and growing, you are ripe and rotting
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Re: Intentionally Spooking Deer From The Stand
Chuck B wrote:It sounds like you potentially aren’t close enough to the true mature buck bedding. See if you can “get behind” the does and smaller bucks and get to where the big boys are hanging. That solves both problems…
This^
I have doe spots and buck spots. I see does and younger bucks in the doe spots and usually nothing in the buck spots, but when I see a deer in the buck spots, it's a good one.
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Re: Intentionally Spooking Deer From The Stand
You’re too close to the food sources that’s why you’re dealing with subordinate deer. The mature deer are coming they are just bedding in better spots further away and getting up and coming in much later than those smaller deer.
Spooking deer is the wrong way to go about solving this problem. Hunting closer to mature buck bedding is what you should be thinking if a mature buck is your goal.
Spooking deer is the wrong way to go about solving this problem. Hunting closer to mature buck bedding is what you should be thinking if a mature buck is your goal.
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Re: Intentionally Spooking Deer From The Stand
I personally would never intentionally educate any deer from a good tree. I have only run into deer lingering around for a long time while sitting directly ontop of food sources. I don’t really like that kind of hunting other than for early season doe. Like u mentioned when u got deer milling around for long periods of time something is eventually gonna get a big whiff. I prefer the neutral ground between bed and food. Way less alert just passing by and they are in and out of your life pretty quick.
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
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Re: Intentionally Spooking Deer From The Stand
Thanks Everyone!
Appreciate all the feedback and tips! Since then, I have been focusing on pushing back further towards the buck beds and have been seeing less deer overall but more quality encounters - still no big buck but I will keep grinding.
Thanks,
Josh
Appreciate all the feedback and tips! Since then, I have been focusing on pushing back further towards the buck beds and have been seeing less deer overall but more quality encounters - still no big buck but I will keep grinding.
Thanks,
Josh
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