Your Thoughts? Maybe No Good Answer.
11-25-2008, 06:08 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
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Join Date: Feb 2006
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Your Thoughts? Maybe No Good Answer.
Ok, I hesitate to post this, but I am still kinda confused as to what happened. What are your thoughts?
The story goes, I am in my climber this AM at around 7:30 when I see about a 2.5 yr old 6 pointer approx 15" wide coming broadside in front of me. I am hidden behind Holly tree limbs and he has no idea I am there. I have no shot at this point, but he is slowly walking to my left. I have a light North wind in my face, so he does not smell me at all. He gets to 15 yds at my left, I am about to come to full draw and he stops in a small triangle of 3 half grown pine trees. He is very visible to me and I see what he does. He places his head down and looks around almost as if he is scanning the ground level towards me. All of the sudden, he almost does a back flip and runs 20 yds and stops facing away from me. He stands still about 10 seconds and then starts walking back the way he came from. I used my grunt real lightly when he was about 35 to 40 yds away to no avail. He went back where he came from.
Now, the thing I find questionable is, did he smell me? (Wind was definately in my favor) Or, while he was scanning theground towards me, did he spook at the sight of of my rechargeable mag light at the base of my tree, where I foolishly, halfway hid it before climbing? (Regardless, Everything goes up the tree from now on. No exceptions.)
Your thoughts/experiences?
LT
The story goes, I am in my climber this AM at around 7:30 when I see about a 2.5 yr old 6 pointer approx 15" wide coming broadside in front of me. I am hidden behind Holly tree limbs and he has no idea I am there. I have no shot at this point, but he is slowly walking to my left. I have a light North wind in my face, so he does not smell me at all. He gets to 15 yds at my left, I am about to come to full draw and he stops in a small triangle of 3 half grown pine trees. He is very visible to me and I see what he does. He places his head down and looks around almost as if he is scanning the ground level towards me. All of the sudden, he almost does a back flip and runs 20 yds and stops facing away from me. He stands still about 10 seconds and then starts walking back the way he came from. I used my grunt real lightly when he was about 35 to 40 yds away to no avail. He went back where he came from.
Now, the thing I find questionable is, did he smell me? (Wind was definately in my favor) Or, while he was scanning theground towards me, did he spook at the sight of of my rechargeable mag light at the base of my tree, where I foolishly, halfway hid it before climbing? (Regardless, Everything goes up the tree from now on. No exceptions.)
Your thoughts/experiences?
LT
11-25-2008, 06:17 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
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RE: Your Thoughts? Maybe No Good Answer.
Kanga, he came across in front of me from right to left. I came to the base of my tree from the complete opposite direction. No chance of him crossing my trail. He never got closer than 15 yds from my tree or my path to the tree. I could totally understand if he had hit my trail, but at 15 yds, I have my doubts about that.
LT
LT
11-25-2008, 06:19 PM
#5
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Oct 2005
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RE: Your Thoughts? Maybe No Good Answer.
What your scent is doing once it gets a few yards from you.....you'll never know until you get some kind of windicator. I learned that a wind in your face isn't always a good wind....if your scent is blowing somewhere else. I had times I walked to stand this year with my wind puffer out.....and it blew my mind (thermals/swirling winds/change of direction at higher points/terrain features that affect wind).
He could've winded you.
Also.....a deer's hooves will emit a secretion when they bolt. Maybe something bolted from that site earlier (last night?) and he caught that scent. Was your entrance trail near where he got spooked (just wondering).
They're amazing. I had a doe get all spooked, tonight.....and all she discerned was the tracks I took (in rubber boots, sprayed down) to put out some doe urine scent. She was antsy as heck.....but positively upwind of me.
He could've winded you.
Also.....a deer's hooves will emit a secretion when they bolt. Maybe something bolted from that site earlier (last night?) and he caught that scent. Was your entrance trail near where he got spooked (just wondering).
They're amazing. I had a doe get all spooked, tonight.....and all she discerned was the tracks I took (in rubber boots, sprayed down) to put out some doe urine scent. She was antsy as heck.....but positively upwind of me.
11-25-2008, 06:26 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2006
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RE: Your Thoughts? Maybe No Good Answer.
With him that close he my have got a look at something that my have not let him feel totally comfortable. That something my have been you but he was not sure of what he was seeing.
11-25-2008, 06:28 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
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RE: Your Thoughts? Maybe No Good Answer.
Vabowman, I did. Scent free soap. Clean scent free clothes/gear. Rubber boots sprayed down. (Scent Lok Baselayers, just in case
)
Jeff, I know the winds could have very well did this to me. I just would have thought he may have spooked sooner in front of me if that was the case. Guess only he knows that answer. My entrance trail to my tree is at a 90 deg to his trail which crosses 15 to 20 yds in front of my tree. I really do not believe, as posted above, that entrance trail had anything to do with this episode. The flashlight on the other hand, makes me sick at my stomach. I sware he looked like he was looking straight at the base of my tree where that thing was laying.
This trail is definately used by other deer Jeff, and the hoof secretions is an interesting, very possible scenario I suppose.
LT
)Jeff, I know the winds could have very well did this to me. I just would have thought he may have spooked sooner in front of me if that was the case. Guess only he knows that answer. My entrance trail to my tree is at a 90 deg to his trail which crosses 15 to 20 yds in front of my tree. I really do not believe, as posted above, that entrance trail had anything to do with this episode. The flashlight on the other hand, makes me sick at my stomach. I sware he looked like he was looking straight at the base of my tree where that thing was laying.
This trail is definately used by other deer Jeff, and the hoof secretions is an interesting, very possible scenario I suppose.
LT
11-25-2008, 06:31 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2007
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RE: Your Thoughts? Maybe No Good Answer.
i know your confusion buddy.. in this past week. had deer walkin directly down wind i mean blowin right at them an they didnt spook at all.. thne i had deer in front of me with the wind blowing completely my favor an do almost exactly what your talkin about.... its what makes it so fun!!!!!
11-25-2008, 06:40 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
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RE: Your Thoughts? Maybe No Good Answer.
MdDave, I know what you mean. That is why they call it hunting. You win some, you lose some. This time, I lost, but I learned a few things as well I believe.
AR, I know that is always a possibility, as we can never actually pinpoint where their eyes are focused. I just never got the impression for even a second that he saw me. (Though something out of place, is always something a deer is looking for, it seems.)
LT
AR, I know that is always a possibility, as we can never actually pinpoint where their eyes are focused. I just never got the impression for even a second that he saw me. (Though something out of place, is always something a deer is looking for, it seems.)
LT