Closest Encounter???

[5465]

hey ya'll, i was just setting here recalling some "ol' bow hunting experiences", and i a few questions came to mind. what is your closest whitetail encounter you have ever had with a whitetail, buck or doe, what was the set-up and how did the deer react? i myself have had many 5 yard encounters with a couple bucks but mostly does but here is how my closest encounter went: <ul type="square"> it was an extremely cold thanksgiving morning in 1996, the thermometer topped out at 8 degrees. i was late getting to the woods that morning due to the temp., sometimes it's hard to convince yourself. i didn't hunt from a treestand at this time so i flopped down in front of this big oak tree right on the edge of a heavily traveled logging road. i had only been sitting at the tree maybe 15 minutes when i heard something in the steep revine behind me, i turned around and only saw a squirrel bouncing around in the frost covered leaves. so i turned back around, of corse cussing the squirrel and focusing my attention towards the logging road in front of me. not 2 minutes i heard a couple leaves crunch behind me and before i could turn around the small 7 point had stepped from behind the tree i was setting at and was within 3 feet of me. there i was setting on my butt with my bow in my lap staring this deer down, to tell you the truth i was actually more scared then amazed, i didn't know wether he was going to plow me over or not. anyways believe it or not the deer stood there for about 2 or 3 minutes giving me the old "head-bob, anort, and stomp". finally he whirled around and ran back where he came from, but he only ran about 35-40 yards before stopping and turning around to come back towards me. the deer came back to within about 20 yards of me and did 2 complete circles around me before just turning around and walking away. to this day i still believe that this deer did not think that i was a human, even though i made many movements as he circled me. no matter what he thought i was it was still an amazing experience, although it will probably never happen again, but to be able to be in the woods and be able to have a deer close enough to touch with your bare hands, a hunt i will never forget. [/list]

 

[JNRBRONC]

I had watched a buck running a fence line for a few mornings. The morning he stopped and freshened a scrape was too much for me. I could see the dirt fly as he pawed the ground. I decided the next morning I would try be out there to greet him. I got up before light the next morning and headed out to the fence line. The fog was so thick I couldn't see ten yards. I found a tree to lean against in the fence line and stood there waiting. Right on time, I heard something coming down the fence line but it was too foggy to see and due to the dampness, he was on top of me before I could react. He couldn't have been 5 yards out and on a trail the was going to pass within four feet of me. I had choosen a stupid place to stand, too close to the trail. He was making steady progress and being this close, I knew I couldn't make draw the bow. I decided to try to let him get past me, then thought I might be able to sink a shaft behind his ribs as he quartered away. I lowered my head and squinted my eyes (for some reason I always squint when deer are close and I don't have a hood on, thinking the whites of the eyes will spook them) hoping he would walk on past. If I had an arrow in my hand, I could have touched him as he went by. Right at that moment, he hit my scent stream. He didn't explode, rather quickened his pace. I thought he would go out ten or twenty yards and stop to look back. Didn't happen, as he went over the ridge before he stopped. I could hear him over there blowing and snorting for a minute or so before he decide to move on.

Another close encounter came one early muzzleloader season. I was watching a trail along a creek bottom one evening. There really wasn't a tree I could sit next to, so I decided to sit "Indian style" in some grass. I figured that I would be able to see the deer early enough to get ready for the shot. As the daylight faded, a doe stepped out of some brush and entered the corner of the field I was in. Behind her came a small six point. I didn't want to shoot either of them. I thought I would continue to sit there in case a bigger buck followed them in. The small buck and doe sensed/saw me and headed my way. Again I did the head tuck/ eye squint, and the buck came within 10 feet of me. He stood there looking at me for what seemed like an eternity (maybe 30 seconds?) then walked past. If it was curiousity, I'm sure he got cured of that by some other hunter!

 

[Littlefeather]

I had put some doe urine out and put the bottle back in my backpack. A spike buck came up and smelled my backpack. I was looking at the deer through the foot platform of my climber.

 

[150 Class]

1) About 22 years ago on a ground blind sitting on the ground in tall weeds next to farrowing crates in the middle of an alfalfa field. The deer were coming out to feed and several does and fawns coming out ran right past me. If I would have reached out I could have touched them.

2) Ground blind in standing corn, again, early season and next to alfalfa. The corn was full of grass and weeds and it was fairly easy to get hid in there. Both a doe and a 2 1/2 year old buck knew something was different and at different times in the same day came over to check things out. Both did the same exact thing and slowly walked up and stuck their head in to check things out and both got a whiff of me and whirled and snorted and scared to crap out of me. The wind was right and I probably could have punched both of them in the nose before they busted me.

3) Out looking for sheds at my farm and checking a bedding area. The bed was full of live ones and they scattered every which way. More then one came my way and I had to duck for one as it seemed to jump right over me.

 

[Shovelbuck]

My absolute closest came about 10 years ago. I had regained access to a peice of property that I hadn't been able to hunt for several years. I went bowhunting opening day and shot a doe. I purchased my second tag and headed out a few days later mainly to scout the river and see if the deer were still crossing in the same location as years past. I took my bow just in case.
When I arrived it was raining so I grabbed my bucket/seat and bow and headed for the river. I was sitting in some tall grass on a minor trail that branched off a main trail that ran parallel with the river on a sand bar.
I was watching to the north across the river with my bow laying at my feet when I felt the need to look east towards the sandbar. A buck was running directly towards me. I had no time to grab the bow but thought to myself that he would turn where the trail forked ten yards in front of me onto the main trail.
Was I ever wrong! Here he came right up the trail I was sitting on! As I braced for impact, I thought, "Damn, this is going to hurt" Fortunately he jumped, hitting me in the head as he went over, taking my hat with him for about ten yards.
I made up my mind then and there to put this guy in the freezer and I did two weeks later.
I hadn't told anyone where I was hunting that evening and had he hit me with his antlers I may have not been sharing this story. I started letting people know after that where I would be.

 

[5465]

excellent stories guys, keep em' coming! oh by the way shovelbuck, you wouldn't happen to have video footage of that would you?

that was just one of those stories that as you read it you just had this mental video playing in your head of what that would have looked like

 

[Spurgeon]

Just last fall i had a close encounter with a small doe that was being chased by a pack of dogs. I had just started to get situated in a tree the had blown down when I heard the dogs barking. Within a few seconds a doe had come running by me. And happened to stop next to me. She was so close that i closed my eyes thinking she wouldn't see me that way. But she was so close that i could feel her breathing on my face as she was trying to figure me out. She finally took off and the dogs came right on her trail but they caught my movement as i tried to draw on them.

 

[cacrawfo]

Two years ago, I was sitting in a small opening in some timber I hunt. I had seen alot of rutting activity a few days before, but the only trees close enough to the opening were 8-10 feet tall and only a couple of inches in diameter. Right in the middle of the opening was a coil of old wire with some vines and bushes growing in it. I pressed down the middle one afternoon and settled in what I thought would be a dandy spot for the evening activities. As sundown approached a few does and yearlings showed up and were followed by a decent 9 pointer. As I sat and waited for the buck to come into the opening, I was so focused on him that I lost track of several of the does and little ones. Then I heard the fence squeek and realized there was a deer behind me. I could hear her breathing and chewing the leaves she was pulling off of my "blind". For what seemed like forever I moved my head a bit at a time until I could see her out of the corner of my eye. She was about 2 feet from my head munching the browse that was growing in the wire. Needless to say I forgot all about the buck and began to wonder if I was going to be able to get out of there without being stomped by her if I spooked her. A few minutes after total darkness and after she had actually sniffed the leaves on the arm of my gilly suit a couple of times she finally began to move away and I was able to leave. since then I have moved back to the closest tree to the clearing that will hold a stand. I haven't shot a deer there yet, but it is a fantastic place to watch them. Some of the pictures I have posted on this site have come from there.

 

[SCOFFIN]

My closest encounter came while pheasant hunting. We were walking standing corn and heard and Uncle call out that he had kicked up a deer and he was heading my way. Not more than 2 seconds later WHAM, dang thing ran right into the side of me. It bounced off and kept on going. Funny thing about it was that I never even seen it as it all happened so fast. I'm sure it was a doe and very thankful it was not a buck. I'm sure I would of had a couple holes in me from the impact. I was a punching bag for wildlife that year. Earlier that spring while fishing on the Mississippi river, we ran our boat at 65 mph into a flock of mud hens. They didn't get up fast enough and had 2 or 3 bounce off me. One hit my head and at least 2 hit my chest and forearm. I was ok, but they weren't..

 

[Deaner]

Two years ago when I deer hunting I was moving up to a top of a hill to start a drive. When I was about half way up I cut through an opening about 100 feet long and about 30 feet wide. When I was about half way through "No Man's Land" (the opening) I heard a couple gun shots about 3 or 4 hundred yards to the South. I then saw a bunch of deer running from that direction along the top of the hill. Then they hung a left to go strait down the hill and took a right on to the major deer trail I was standing on. At first I thought it was kind of fun till I realized that they weren't stopping! When they were about 5' away I pulled up my gun basicaly in self defense. The lead doe stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me move and the other 4 deer piled on top of her. They all stepped to the side and stared at me. There were 4 does and a little forkhorn buck. After about 2 minutes of them bobbing all their heads and snorting at me and me about crapping my pants they all took off in different directions. It's amazing how fast you can go from having some fun with the situation to being scared to death!

 

[Blaster]

Last season i decided to move my stand to a area that i have been seeing the deer move.I get the stand up and decide i need to put a mock scrape out around 20yrds from my stand. After making the scrape with a large stick, i pour some fresh dominate buck lure in the scrape.
Just as i finish pouring the lure i hear a stick snap. I look up and about 30yrds away i see a 140 class 10pt with his nose stuck to the backside of a doe. They are moving right for me.
I look behind me and see my bow laying on the ground about 20yrds behind me.

The doe stops and can see me, but the buck can't. I decide to spook the doe so that the buck follows
her, and does not see me. Sorry to say that didn't happen. The buck smelled the lure, and decided to lay his ears back and walk right to my scrape that I'm standing it. I honestly can say
i felt pretty helpless and a little worried about the situation. When the buck was about 7yrds away he finally stopped and starred right at me. That's when i chucked the log that i made the scrape with, and hit the buck right between the eye's. Now i know never let your bow leave your side. My friends like the story, they have nick named me SPEAR CHUCKER.

 

[FurDog]

All of these stories are great and getting me psyched already for the season. These 'Close Encounters' to me are some of the most exciting times.

Here's a couple that happened to me and my hunting buddy in the same area.

The first is also a testimony to stay out in your stand as long as possible during the rut, because it happened at high noon.....we had just got back into the woods after eating (and our usual stop to Gander Mountain). I was setup in a ground blind on a bluff, overlooking a small stream, in hopes of getting some video of my partner in action. He was down below the bluff by his climber putting out scent (which we now refer to as TINKS 'pay-no-mind' 69.) He had just placed a few scent bombs out, when we hear a stampede...here comes a real nice 10 pt chasing a group of does....nothing my buddy could do but hit the deck...All of the deer ran within yards of him. He hit the grunt tube which stopped the big boy, but not the does...the buck took a quick look around, and then continued on right after his harem.

The next encounter happened in the same location years later. This time we were in position, and my buddy was up in his climber. A small 6 pt. comes ambling by - would have been great video, and a nice clean shot for my friend. We are within sight of each other when he's up in the climber, and he shakes his head at me and passes on the little buck.

Well this guy keeps coming..and coming..and now he's on the steep trail that leads up the bluff right to my ground blind. I can see through the camo ground blind, and he senses something is different, but keeps coming up curious. He's about 10 ft and closing, I get out my camera, and slowly do the 'UP Periscope' and raise it above the blind.....Boy did he BOLT when that flash went off !

 

[PupChowMN]

My cousin in Illinois decided to launch into a rattling sequenence in Illinois from a make shift ground blind. The buck showed up all right...p/o'd that other "bucks" were in his territory. The buck made it to about 5 yards before my cousin realized he wasn't going to stop. I guess my cousins high pitched scream really didn't help anything either...a definite Kodak moment.