NEED HELP! Crazy story! bumped a big one!

[Brad]

So, we had a 25 degree or so drop in high temp today and a switch from our usual south winds to a north wind. I didn't really have a "north wind spot" figured out, so I decided to check a spot I've never been before that I thought could fit the description of what I believe a buck bedding area might be. I decided to access from the creek and check out the north side (south facing side) of the creek in a certain area. The creek was rocky, but I managed to get to the area of interest pretty quietly. I found a spot I thought I could get up out of the creek, which was about 7 feet tall and fairly steep, but not as steep as the rest of the creek banks up to that point. I get about half way up, with my head and shoulders over the crest, and bam.. a nice looking buck jumped up oout of his bed maybe 7 yards or so from me and runs behind some thick brush. He stays there and looks for me, so I didn't believe he knew what I was. I stayed completely still and nocked an arrow when I thought I could. He walked around a little behind the brush, but stayed very hidden from me. after what seemed like an eternity, but was probably about 5-10 miniutes, i saw his tail flickering and soon after I couldn't find him anymore. I waited a while, staying still, then when we had a nice wind gust I stepped up on the top of the bank, looking to see if I could find him, but couldn't I waited a little longer and decided to work my way down what was a slope that led back to the creek where it bends. I went about 20-30 yards from where the bed was, and decided to sit for a while. I decided to stay on the ground and wait to see if he came back. I was getting a little tickle in my throat so I decided to have a small snack and a drink of water. I sat a little longer and it got to be an hour and a half after the bump. All of a sudden I see a buck running directly toward me.. I mean like full gallop... then he gets to about 10 yards from me and stops abruptly, staring at me. I was probably half behind a tree, but he could clearly see and/or smell me. Then he turns quartered pretty hard away from me. I thought about grabbing my bow and attempting to shoot, but I knew he'd see me move. It onl;y lasted a second or two, then he turned and ran off, blowing several times on his way. So that ended that. He was huge! big body, and I'd say he was at least mid 150's if not 160". I have a 145 and a 147 on my wall, and he was definitely noticeably bigger. I did walk down to the lower spot and look around a little, and found there were a couple trees that looked like they might be a good morning set up. My question is, when should I get back in there? I am willing to be aggressive, since the tag expires next wednesday. It's going to be nice and cool in the morning, but I don't know if I could expect him to come back to the same area next day. There were 2 or 3 rubs surrounding his bed, so I am pretty sure it's a place he wants to be.
What should I do???

[Uncle Lou]

What state are you in where the tag expires next Wednesday? I have no advice on how and when to hunt again, but I know I wouldn't stay out for long by approaching another way if I could, and the same way if I had too.

[Brad]

What state are you in where the tag expires next Wednesday? I have no advice on how and when to hunt again, but I know I wouldn't stay out for long by approaching another way if I could, and the same way if I had too.

It's a managed hunt tag that will be expiring. The hunt is for Sept 15th to 28th only. I did walk around in the area that I would expect him to enter while the thermals are dropping, with a potential set up about 55-60 yards from the bed. I entered through the creek itself, but exited through the woods in the opposite direction of where he ran off to after he busted me.

[Uncle Lou]

What state are you in where the tag expires next Wednesday? I have no advice on how and when to hunt again, but I know I wouldn't stay out for long by approaching another way if I could, and the same way if I had too.

It's a managed hunt tag that will be expiring. The hunt is for Sept 15th to 28th only. I did walk around in the area that I would expect him to enter while the thermals are dropping, with a potential set up about 55-60 yards from the bed. I entered through the creek itself, but exited through the woods in the opposite direction of where he ran off to after he busted me.

What state? And good luck

[justdirtyfun]

Stay after him. There might be a lot of deer around but. You now have great intel and a target buck .

Stay in that "neighborhood" . Maybe 60-70 yard shift will be enough.
I have had 2 similar encounters out there but didn't see antler size. Trying again this weekend.

[Brad]

Stay after him. There might be a lot of deer around but. You now have great intel and a target buck .

Stay in that "neighborhood" . Maybe 60-70 yard shift will be enough.
I have had 2 similar encounters out there but didn't see antler size. Trying again this weekend.

I'm going again in the morning. I figure, if he stayed away the rest of the afternoon, then stayed out all night, he may want to come back to his safe place again in the morning. The sign around the bed makes me think it's his spot he wants to be. I've got a tree picked out about 55 yards down the drainage from the bed, in a spot where I think he'll likely smell the dropping thermals. It's going to be only 53 degrees in the morning and won't hit 60 till the afternoon. The wind is SE, but it's going to be light enough that I think the thermals will be what he relies on. Hopefully I can post pics of him tomorrow.. ha!!

[NFSJOIN]

I don't think he is coming back to that bed. I would watch which direction he ran and try to predict his bedding for the next day based on wind direction and set up on that. His next bed might not be the most secured if you bumped him from his primary bed.

[greenhorndave]

He might still be in same neighborhood, but probably shifted. Tough to say if you should go back to the scene of the crime or guess where he might go next.

But you are IN THE GAME!

Give it all you got.

[Brad]

I don't think he is coming back to that bed. I would watch which direction he ran and try to predict his bedding for the next day based on wind direction and set up on that. His next bed might not be the most secured if you bumped him from his primary bed.

That's a pretty good idea. I went back to the area & set up about 55-60 yards down the hill from where the previous bed was, but didn't see anything. It was cold all day and it rained on and off, so I sat from about an hour before first light till after 1pm. I thought it could be a spot he'd come back to because the thermals would be more powerful than the wind most of the morning. It did shift a fair amount, so that could have hurt me too. That particular area has quite a few points that could be bedding under different conditions, so I may have to continue to go back to the general area trying to get on him.

[Brad]

He might still be in same neighborhood, but probably shifted. Tough to say if you should go back to the scene of the crime or guess where he might go next.

But you are IN THE GAME!

Give it all you got.

Yea, we'll see how in the game I am. I'll be hunting the surrounding areas several times over the next 5 days when that draw hunt ends. I've got some areas that are anywhere from 170 to about 600 yards away from where I bumped him that I'd like to check out too... Man I hope I get on him again. He was definitely a good 4.5 year old buck, so he's good at staying alive. If I don't get him this week, I sure hope he makes it through the rest of the hunts so I can look for him again next year.