Taken to school by the BIG one!
10-14-2006, 08:28 PM
#11
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW PA USA
Posts: 7,220
RE: Taken to school by the BIG one!
My guess is that gust of wind swirled around enough that he caught your scent. If he identified the call with the scent, a belly crawl is a very real possibility with a mature whitetail.
10-14-2006, 10:06 PM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,236
RE: Taken to school by the BIG one!
ORIGINAL: hammerman
I don't think I could have counted 10pts and estimated 140class buck from looking at sticks. I watched this buck for several minutes from the bluff I was on before i ever started the stalk. As i stated I walked over to the bed he was in so with out a doubt there was a buck.
I've heard of deer doing the belly crawl and thats the only way I think he could have escaped without me seeing him.
You were looking at sticks or something, the deer never existed. I have seen things from my stand I swear are deer bedded or antlers sticking up and so on. The sun shining in the woods creates illusions that look like things they aren't. If you hit the can and got ZERO reaction from 15 yards I bet there was no buck.
I've heard of deer doing the belly crawl and thats the only way I think he could have escaped without me seeing him.
If you definitely saw the buck, body and all, and have no doubt, then the belly crawl is your answer. I saw a nice buck do this to a guy during a deer drive in gun season. The buck was over a hump about 20 feet from him and crawled on it's belly for about 10 yards downhill, then ran very low profile downhill. The guy never knew the buck was there. I saw this from my perch in a tree stand about 40 yards away. I was not very happy with them for driving deer right in front of my stand, but I got to see that, so I didn't complain. I would have shot the buck BTW but the poster was in the line of fire.[:@]
The other time was even better. I was slowly walking through the woods and a small buck was evading another hunter and got real close to me. When it saw me I think it thought I didn't see it, so it laid down right in the open and covered it's head with it's front legs. When I continued walking past it did the belly crawl thing for a short distance and then slinked away. I pretended to not see it and kept walking, but I watched the whole episode with amazement.
What an interesting animal we pursue.
10-14-2006, 10:36 PM
#13
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: West Chicago,ILLinois
Posts: 757
RE: Taken to school by the BIG one!
I think perhaps a buck grunt may have had a 1%+ better chance as he may be lured into thinking a big buck has come up on him and sees him. Still an unlikely scenario but not near as unlikely imho as a doe walking in and bleating at him (if that's what you meant by "the can", I assume)
the belly crawl is your answer. I saw a nice buck do this to a guy during a deer drive in gun season. The buck was over a hump about 20 feet from him and crawled on it's belly for about 10 yards downhill, then ran very low profile downhill.
The only other problem if it was me and I had to wait a long time, my big buck fever might have reached epileptic proportions
Even though I didn't get him I will never forget the experience of spotting and stalking up within 15yds of a BIG buck.
10-15-2006, 09:26 AM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,704
RE: Taken to school by the BIG one!
Hammerman - great story - I was on that stalk with you!
The can call at 15 yards woke me up from my daydream thoughkinda like a 15 foot tall penguin in the desert.
One alternative not mentioned (unless I missed it) would have been a wheeze 'thrown' in the opposite direction as the buck. Hindsight is 20/20 but you still have a great story to relive and learn from. I have a few of those myself
The can call at 15 yards woke me up from my daydream though
kinda like a 15 foot tall penguin in the desert.One alternative not mentioned (unless I missed it) would have been a wheeze 'thrown' in the opposite direction as the buck. Hindsight is 20/20 but you still have a great story to relive and learn from. I have a few of those myself
