Who has stalked a buck?

[Tomo]

Just read a Bill Winke article where he points out that one of the things he learned from bowhunting nearly 50 days straight is that truly large racked deer are rare and that if you see one with a doe you should seriously consider getting out of the treestand and perform a stalk because you are likely not to ever see that buck again. I have considered doing this on several occasions but never attempted it.

How many of you have successfully stalked a mature whitetail? I'd like to hear the stories on your method to add to my warbag.

Thanks,
Tomo

 

[Buckhunter]

I have read this article to and thought about trying it but to this point I never have.I have walked up on a few deer and gotten close enough to shoot them with a bow but I have never done it on purpose before.I may try to do something like that next year during the rut.There's no worse feeling then to have a big buck come through and not give you a shot and know that you may never see him again.Just as well give it a try if ya know how the lay of the land is and think you can get ahead of were he's going.

 

[IowaBuckMaster]

Not me! I'll stay in my stand everytime. I can give you two instances out of several. Oldest then newest. From my journal. 11/4/88 ....4:05 PM Limping P&Y 10 pointer follows a doe up to fence 15 yards from stand but does not jump. I turned wrong way, no shot. 4:55 PM Doe comes to fence jumps it. Same 10 pointer comes to fence grunting. I am ready this time..... Worried doe my bolt, but I pull and shoot. Buck is down after 50 yard walk. 11/15/03 6:45 AM ... Buck follows doe to trail opening. 20 yards I can't get turned to shoot. They snuck in on me. Good P&Y 10 pointer with great G2s. Doe trots off over knoll and buck follows before I can get a shot. 7:55 AM. I happened to be standing for a stretch. And same 10 pointer appears in same trail opening. Walks directly toward me ......... he goes down in view 70 yards away. These are just two reasons I would stay in my stand. Another is a bigger buck could be a late trailer of the hot doe and very susceptible to a doe bleat or a grunt. But the main reason is, I have no faith in my ability to sneak up on a P&Y caliber buck, and a doe and generally a smaller trailer buck, and actually get a good shot. Just my thoughts.

 

[OneCam]

When I read the article my reaction was at first in disbelief that Winke was telling us to get down and stalk - I mean the chance of pulling off a stalk is low percentage. But after some thought, it makes since if conditions are right and the buck is a monster and not a known resident.

I have never arrowed a mature buck while stalking but know it is possible and if the conditions are right I will probably get down and go after him.

Here's a success story I often go back to that revolves around a great stalk Old Buck's 2002 Buck - it may have also had a little influence on this article.

 

[Ghost]

The light drizzle had started about two hours before dark. The temp was in the lower 30's and the light rain had turned into a heavy shower. I sat as the water dripped off my hat and down the back of my neck. I didn't expect heavy rain that evening and hadn't dressed for the situation. The storm was really getting ready to break loose so I bailed out early. This was the one time I have been rewarded for leaving the stand before full darkness.

I decided to still hunt my way back to the house. The wind was perfect and the leaves were rain soaked. I would cut over the hog backs at 90 degrees and work the drainages up to the next top. As I crested the ridge top I could see a dandy buck walking straight toward the field edge on the next ridge top.

I cut down the next drainage with the wind still blowing hard from the buck to me. I kept the steep ridge between the buck and me and made my way to a fallen cedar tree. I thought this was a close as I could get without being detected. He was about 40 yards and a grunt from my call was all it took for him to pin back his ears and head my way. He passed one big tree at about 35 yards allowing me to draw.

This was one of my most exciting hunts. The key to being able to close the distance were: knowing and using the lay of the land, having a strong wind in my favor, and a wet forest floor from the rain. Without all three of these factors in my favor, the buck's keen senses would have made the stalk a waste of time.

 

[tracker]

I stalked a buck a couple of years ago that was with a hot doe.They had passed too far away from my stand for a shot, and I was bored so I thought I would give it a try.It probably took me an hour to move 120 yards up the draw to get close for the shot, but when I could get a gtood look at the buck, it was one I had passed on earlier.The rack was preety tall but it had no width on it.So just as I decided again not to shoot it, my freind started screaming my name wanting me to come back to the house so we could go hunt another place.Well the doe got nervous and off they went.I would say the whole time I was in pusuit of both deer, I paid alot more attention to the doe than what I did the buck.Seems like the does gain the "human presence factor" a little more when they're running hot.The buck just went where the doe did.

 

[JC_Walker]

After reading this post today I thought it would be fun to try and stalk a buck. I had no idea that by 4pm I would have my first chance. I walked out of a tree line I hade been sitting in for about an hour and thinking to myself I should sit a little longer. Well I didn't and as soon as I walked out into the open field there he was....A Huge 8 point. I kid you not the first thing I thought of was this post. I hit the ground and hid behind a hill right next to the tree line I just walked out of. I would then pop my head up every minute or so just enough to see over the hill at the deer.I am now on my hands and knees crawling up the hill and a little to my left so I dont have to stand up to keep an eye on him. I still have to get up just a little to see if he is still moving my direction because I'm not to the top of the small hill just yet.I was not thinking about the wind and then I realized the wind was now at my back and heading right for him.I finally got up high enough to see him without standing and then I'm pretty sure he got wind of me. Then he slowly turned around and walked the direction he was coming from only to look back my way as if to let me know that I was a dumb ass. I was getting some serious buck fever the closer he was getting because the closer he got the bigger his rack got. Oh well maybe he wont be so smart tomorrow because I know I'll be a lot smarter!

 

[bowman]

I beleive what Mr. Winke is talking about is bucks that are 5 1/2 and older, not just any P&Y. Iowa bucks can and do achieve P&Y racks in their 3rd year. When you start talking about a 5 1/2 year old buck you are talking about a different species. That buck may be so reclusive that this doe might be the only thing that brings him out in the daylight all season. Or, as Onecam pointed out, he might be from a completely different area, brought in by a search for an estrous doe. I don't believe that he is suggesting moving on every decent buck that comes by but if you've never seen him before, and he's worth the effort, then you've got nothing to lose. While I've never stalked a mature deer with my bow, other than a wounded one, I can think of several that I wish that I would have tried since I never saw them again.

 

[Ogz]

This year while walking in to one of my stands I came around a corner and saw a doe facing away from me about 75 yards away in some tall grass. I immediately snuck over to some cover and watched. She melted back in to the thick stuff and I did a quick sequence on the horns to see if she had company. About 10 minutes later she appeared again in the same spot and gave the tell tale look back over her shoulder. He was a beautiful 150 class 10 pointer. They got behind a big mound so I RAN to the hill and crawled up to the top. Nothing to be seen. I scratched my head for a minute trying to figure out where they went when I spotted a yearling buck coming down the same trail. Knowing he was going to show me exactly where the other two went, I got my bow up and ready. He kept getting closer and closer to me when all of a sudden the 10 came flying up out of the tall grass not 30 yards away with a little butt kickin on his mind. He snort wheezed, had all of his hair standing up and proceeded to show the little guy who was boss. I still hadn't seen the doe so I couldn't risk trying to move and stayed put. Whe the 10 came back for his lady she magically stayed between us until they were out of range. I was offered a shot at 40 yards but due to a strong cross wind, I held off and didn't get another opportunity. Was a very exciting hunt to say the least and if I had gone to my stand, I would have never seen this buck much less had him in range.

 

[IowaBuckMaster]

Bowman, I am not just talking about P&Y 125 inchers either. I am flat out saying I'll take my chances everytime on the idea the buck might pass by again since he is probably with a local doe. I have also called the doe in with a fawn distress, which I believe is still better odds than stalking a 150 class buck with a bow. I am not knocking Winke and it would be very rewarding to stalk and take a 150 class deer with a bow. I would just go with what I think are MY bests odds. For someone more skilled than I, well they might do it different.

 

[MadisonB&C]

Only tried once. It was actually more of a stillhunt. Had a 170-ish buck squirt by at 50 yards last year as I was getting ready to walk to dad. He was going in the same direction I was going to be, so I turned a rendezvous into a stillhunt. Long story short, I goofed. I decided that if I hadn't run into him yet, I wasn't going to at all. My timing was horrible, because he busted up out of some cedars with another buck 10 yards later.

 

[badgerbowdude]

Each situation is different. Too many guys glue their butts to their stand once they are in place, and I think Bill is suggesting that there are times not to.

Last year, I had two mature bucks light up in a fight not more than 100 yards from me. It took me about 30 seconds to make a decision, but then I got down and attempted a stalk. I was just getting into position to where I could see the combatants when one gained and advantage and drove the other off. Both ran into the brush around me. Had I made an instant decision, I think I'd have been offered a shot. The same thing happened to my cousin. He saw two large, mature bucks come down a trail and head into the swamp near him, then they started a huge fight that went on for 15-20 minutes. I can't believe he sat in his stand and listened to the commotion.

Where I hunt, I typically only see a few P&Ys in one season and have only one shot opportunity. When those are that rare, if you have a buck in sight that's unlikely to come into range, one has to be aggressive.

 

[Old Buck]

I think it can go either way. I've spotted and stalked mature mulies out west for years and have taken a few nice ones with a bow. Under certain conditions it is quite possible to do the same with whitetail. Other times it would be nearly impossible. Conducive conditions are high winds, drizzle, certain snow conditions or a combination. One near ideal situation is when you spot a target buck bedded in a stalkable situation. The one I took in '01 was that basic situation. I judge each situation on its own merits. It is basically a matter of deciding what the odds are of success in various senarios. There are times and situations such as when I figure most deer are bedded and conditions are good I will still hunt/scout. One drizzly/windy day in October I did so at mid-day. I spotted a number of deer and several bucks but nothing I wanted to shoot. After several hours and passed stalks I was getting tired and needed to climb a hill to make a cell call and take care of some business. I jumped an old, wide 10 point with a big dropper that I'd been watching for years. I was less than 25 yards away in a very stalkable situation when I bumped him bedded off the up wind side of a little hill.

On the other hand on some days I've seen the same mature buck come by a number of times over a period of several hours and taken him when he finally came by close enough and presented a shot. That was the case with my '02 and '03 bucks. I'd seen one four times and the other 5 times that day!

So, like I say for me it can go either way depending upon a lot of different factors. Taking a mature buck from the ground with a bow is difficult under the best of circumstances but a real accomplishment if you can pull it off.

I think most hunters are probably best off to sit tight most of the time.

Good hunting!
Old Buck

 

[horst]

Ive been doing more and more hunting from the ground with a bow the last 3 years.Ive stalked and killed a lot of does but have only managed to sneak in on two large bucks.Last year I crawled up on a 130 class buck in a grove after watching him and seven does bed down on the far side of it from my stand.There wasnt much choice that time, I was gonna kick him out leaving the grove anyway.I managed to get within 15 yrds of him but missed anyway when i hit a branch.

This year I killed this buck by crawling on him in a fenceline.
Hope the link works.
http://www.hunt101.com/img/073010.jpg


I crawled past the doe he was with and got within 10 yrds of him.When I sat up to draw back the doe busted me and they ran out about 30 yrds and stopped.The rut was in full swing and after I bleated at him with my mouth twice he walked right back in for a 5 yrd shot.Apparently niether him or the doe were sure what spooked them in the first place.

Ive also taken 7 does from the ground with a bow which im pretty proud of, getting snuck within 20 yrds of any deer is no easy task.Im not bragging or nothing, we aint got many trees up here and while most of the guys who hunt around here wont leave their stand ive discovered i can hunt a lot more places just by being adaptable and trying things that would make most guys think i was nuts.What I didnt mention were the dozens of times Ive tried to stalk deer and got busted