Had something kind of neat happen while deer hunting.

[cabmandone]

I was in my tree stand yesterday afternoon even though it was a bit windy. Wind is was at my back (scent lok is a wonderful thing!)Two smaller deer walk over about 20 yards from me to my left and bed down. After a while they both get up and walk directly in front of me and down wind. One spots me and tries to wind me or get me to move with their typical stomp on the ground and head fake. They walked off but a little later they come back by again then disappear off to my left again.

As it's getting dark I decide to get down so I took a quick look around and got down. When I'm on the ground I take a look around and there are those same two deer about 30 yards from me. They spot me but can't wind me and start walking closer to check me out. They get about 10 yards from me so I say "hey, you two better get going". Neither one takes off. I say "get going, you're gonna get yourself shot by someone acting this". They walk CLOSER. I say "alright, you two do what you want, I'm heading to my truck" and start walking out. They stand there and look at me while I'm walking out. I get about 40 yards outside the woods and look back... THERE THEY ARE walking along out of the woods behind me. I kept walking and they stopped following.

In a way I feel bad for them because their lack for fear of people will get them both killed. I don't know why neither one has any fear of people. They're both obviously very young deer. I know one of the nearby houses has feeders and I almost wonder if these two haven't been somewhat tamed. I wish I would have thought to grab my phone and video the whole thing. Hindsight being what it is I should have told them "hey go get your dad. I wanna have a talk with him"

[mgatepi]

And this is why I dont hunt....I would try to make them my friends and bring food to them every night....

[masraum]

Very cool. Thank goodness it didn't turn out like this (actually, very different situation)

[GH85Carrera]

One of my friends lives near the lake, in a heavily wooded area. Almost every time I go over there, deer are just standing around eating everything in sight. The have given up on growing flowers or anything but native shrubs and trees. The wife shooed the deer off on a constant basis, but they come right back. The real irony is the husband and wife are both avid hunters. The have a lot of trophies in the house and they each got an Elk in Colorado last hunting season.

They figure one of the other people in the area feed the deer.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

And that's when the COUGAR jumped out nowhere and chased me up the road


- my front yard is pretty much a deer hostel. They bed down right outside the house. 10-15 of them. Probably have squatters rights at this point. "Never mind me" as I trip over them.

I do remember night riding on the blue ridge parkway once. I was by myself on a bike. Stopped in a field and was surrounded by about 50+ or so deer staring at me. I couldn't count them all, so many. A little unnerving.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

And that's when the COUGAR jumped out nowhere and chased me up the road


- my front yard is pretty much a deer hostel. They bed down right outside the house. 10-15 of them. Probably have squatters rights at this point. "Never mind me" as I trip over them.

I do remember night riding on the blue ridge parkway once. I was by myself on a bike. Stopped in a field and was surrounded by about 50+ or so deer staring at me. I couldn't count them all, so many. A little unnerving.

That only happens when I'm at the bar.

[cabmandone]

I've had other close encounters with deer but never like this one. I do a little ground hunting from time to time just to test my skills and the earth cover scent I use. I've had them 15 feet from me looking straight at me trying to get me to move or trying to wind me. Once I move, they take off. I've had bucks walk towards me when I'm walking back from my stand in the evening but once they realize I'm a human, they turn and run. I had a buck escort me most of the way back to my truck one evening. He was about 100 yards away but walked parallel to me up to the North end of the property then turned around and walked back. I've slowly followed deer through the woods as they walked off. I've walked behind a small flock of Turkey. But I've never had them spot me and simply not care.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by mgatepi

And this is why I dont hunt....I would try to make them my friends and bring food to them every night....

A lot of guys don't have my mindset. I get as much enjoyment out of watching them interact as I do shooting one.. probably more enjoyment watching them. One of the things I left out was, one of them decided to stand up and stretch after they bedded down to my left. It walks out in the field, walks back in the woods, takes it hoof and whacks the other deer to make it stand up. I literally laughed. So the one gets up, walks over right in front of me and lays back down. The other walks up and whacks it again with its hoof to make it get up. Like I said, I wish I would have thought to record this.

[GH85Carrera]

I was in the Florida Keys on Big Pine Key staying with a friend last summer. As I pulled up to their front door and parked the 911 I looked out the window of the 911 and saw this.



Key deer. The are cute little bitty critters. Adults are 50 to 70 pounds and 30 inches tall. They have been federally protected since 1939, so they have no fear of humans.

The just ambled off as we approached the front door and certainly did not run away.

[vash]

cool move Cabby

i had that happen to me while Couse deer hunting in AZ. i put on a sub-par stalk bowhunting a very decent buck. i blew it, and while making the arduous climb back out of the valley, i came upon a very young, but legal buck. i really want to check off the couse-deer-archery-buck BOX, but not that badly. he was at 11 yards and fearless. we eyeball each other, and i gave him a lesson. i screamed and ran at him.


he was gone in a blink. i got have yet to check that box.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by vash

cool move Cabby

i had that happen to me while Couse deer hunting in AZ. i put on a sub-par stalk bowhunting a very decent buck. i blew it, and while making the arduous climb back out of the valley, i came upon a very young, but legal buck. i really want to check off the couse-deer-archery-buck BOX, but not that badly. he was at 11 yards and fearless. we eyeball each other, and i gave him a lesson. i screamed and ran at him.


he was gone in a blink. i got have yet to check that box.

Thinking about it more, that's what I should have done to those two. I normally roll down my window and yell "Silence! I kill you" at deer standing along side the road. I should have given these two the same treatment. BTW, my friend I hunt with thinks I'm nuts for some reason when I see them standing along the road. I don't know why.

[Baz]

Great story, Nick! Always knew you were a good guy and someone who admires wildlife only reinforces.

The best part of my life is spent enjoying and respecting the wonder of nature.

[GH85Carrera]

We made a recent trip to Enid, OK which is 100 miles each way. We saw 7 dead deer on the trip up, and 6 on the way back (or maybe it was the other way around). Bottom line over a dozen road kills in 200 miles, and there were several gooey spots that were likely deer hits but the corpse had been picked up already. The state is active in picking up road kill to keep coyotes from free food, and getting killed trying to get to the free buffet.

I live in a semi rural area. The road I use a lot goes through a very wooded area that is thick with deer. I have had to stop and let a dozen deer cross the road. If I see one, there is almost always more. I had one doe run right in front of my car, and a buck run right behind my car. That will get yer attention.

[cabmandone]

Just in case there are hunters wondering what I use for cover scent, it's this stuff.


I add about 1 tablespoon to 16 oz of water in a spray bottle. I shake well before spraying it on.

[stevej37]

I see them almost everytime biking on trails around here.
As soon as you start pedaling...they bolt.
If you just coast up to them, they usually stay frozen while watching you.
I've had it happen a couple times that I coasted right past them on the trail...close enough that I could kick them. (never would, but they seem as though they are tame)

[Seahawk]

I don’t hunt deer but love spending time in the stands we have on the farm. I also like the fact they are hunted.

There is just something about seeing deer, Fox, Turkeys, etc., in their environment. They are still a little skittish here.

I let one guy hunt my farm in exchange for me and my son using his stands.

Perfect.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I don’t hunt deer but love spending time in the stands we have on the farm. I also like the fact they are hunted.

There is just something about seeing deer, Fox, Turkeys, etc., in their environment. They are still a little skittish here.

I let one guy hunt my farm in exchange for me and my son using his stands.

Perfect.

The six that took off by the time I hit the third rung on my ladder were plenty skittish! They must have spotted me walking in from the field. I couldn't see them but they most certainly knew I was there. White flags flying everywhere!

I'm heading back out in about an hour. Beautiful afternoon to be in a stand. I just have to decide which of the 7 stands I want to be in this afternoon. My cameras have been lighting up all morning so I'm gonna head for one in between bedding areas. There's a 12 point I'd really like to see again but hopefully this time he won't be tailing a doe that decides to take off to the South!

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by cabmando

I was in my tree stand yesterday afternoon even though it was a bit windy. Wind is was at my back (scent lok is a wonderful thing!)Two smaller deer walk over about 20 yards from me to my left and bed down. After a while they both get up and walk directly in front of me and down wind. One spots me and tries to wind me or get me to move with their typical stomp on the ground and head fake. They walked off but a little later they come back by again then disappear off to my left again.

As it's getting dark I decide to get down so I took a quick look around and got down. When I'm on the ground I take a look around and there are those same two deer about 30 yards from me. They spot me but can't wind me and start walking closer to check me out. They get about 10 yards from me so I say "hey, you two better get going". Neither one takes off. I say "get going, you're gonna get yourself shot by someone acting this". They walk CLOSER. I say "alright, you two do what you want, I'm heading to my truck" and start walking out. They stand there and look at me while I'm walking out. I get about 40 yards outside the woods and look back... THERE THEY ARE walking along out of the woods behind me. I kept walking and they stopped following.

In a way I feel bad for them because their lack for fear of people will get them both killed. I don't know why neither one has any fear of people. They're both obviously very young deer. I know one of the nearby houses has feeders and I almost wonder if these two haven't been somewhat tamed. I wish I would have thought to grab my phone and video the whole thing. Hindsight being what it is I should have told them "hey go get your dad. I wanna have a talk with him"

That's my bet. They've been fed.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by masraum

Very cool. Thank goodness it didn't turn out like this (actually, very different situation)

yup - they are adept at Preying Mantis style

[Jeff Higgins]

I have actually fed deer, out of my hand, out in the wilderness. Not these semi-domesticated deer that ply our rural farmlands, where people put out feeders and the like. Wild deer, high up in our Cascade range, a day or two's worth of back packing in to get to them. And yes, I've shot them up there as well.

Deer are weird creatures. Actually, spend enough time in a true wilderness setting, and you will find most of God's creatures are not always what you think they are. Their behavior around us, where they see a lot of us, is colored by that familiarity. Get out where they are not used to seeing us and you will see some truly wonderful things. Like a Fisher running along a downed log that I was sitting up against, behind my shoulders, brushing up against my head. Then coming back, going down my shoulder, and into my lap, where he curled up for a nap. Or the cow elk that stepped on my foot...

But, yeah, hopefully those two get "educated" before it's too late. I don't consider shooting deer like them "hunting", but I guess some do. I'm glad you don't.