ericstacy

Well I finally get to sit down in a ground blind after all these months at only twenty yards watching a feeder on an evening hunt. The wind (Breeze if any) was in my face, the temperature was around 55 and I felt I had a great setup. While I'm sitting there staring at the feeder I suddenly notice motion to my left. It is a five year old doe about 150# stepping out of the woods to my left about four yards away. 4 yards yep. Well she is not confortable streching her neck out to the opening searching for anyreason toRUN. Well in my excited state, she is offering a perfect broad side in about two steps. So what did I do? I reached up to take the safety off and she hit the next county in about a half a second. Don't know exactly what sent her running but she bolted. FAST!!!!!
We learn from error. Shame she was nice.

smokepolehall

I hate to hear that Doe did that and got away. I let a small Doe go away couple weeks ago, about 5 yard shot. She was highly upset cause this fat blob was between her and those tasty acorns. She did the whole routine, she was spooked. Yup i was the blob!

Cossack

Mine is in the freezer, so I spend a lot of time buck hunting and just watching deer. That old saw about them having relatively poor eyesight is BS. I've had deer pick me out in light cover at 300 yards. With their eyes, not their nose. Old does seem to be the worst. They are constantly on the alert. They usually have fawns with them so that's more eyes to catch any movement. They can pick out movement really well especaiily horizontal forms like homosapians. I was "made" by a deer at over 250 yards while I was trying to get into my ground blind. But she was having a hard time deciding what I was and started to approach for a better look. She lost interest when I slowly got down and started to crawl very slowly on all fours at right angle to her, pausing often in the process. Took me a while but I got to the blind without blowing that bunch off the field.Their hearing is most acute as we all know. The other day I tested it by opening a can of pop while deer were picking corn stubble some 250 yards away. They picked the sound up instantly. I didn't actually open the can, just made that initial light metalic pop and fizz. They knew it wasn't "woods sounds" and exactly were it was coming from. I have no doubt they can hear a safety going off far further than yours apparently did. BTW, I had a three position safety put on my rifle just for that reason. It makes a click going form lock to safe. But not from safe to fire. So I walk with it on lock, but it's on safe in the stand and comes off silently, with only 1/3 as far to travel than before.
But one can make sound work in his favor. I shot a big ole doe with my X bow recently that was focused on a corn combine. In fact she didn't even run after the hit. Must have though it was something to do with the combine. When the combine showed up I though my hunt was over. Actually, the deer were not afraid of it, they came out to feed but kept watching it when it was close to them. Combine operator said they let him get pretty close at time. Hmmmm.

BigTiny

I had one do that to me earlier in the week. She was so close all I could do was sit there and hope she didn't notice me. She looked me over for a while and bedded down behind a tree just a few feet away. I had to sit there like that until dark. I never even pointed the sharp end at her.

Buckhunter46755

Yup, they sure can see well. I also had one spot me hiding in the tall weeds about 300 yrds away. I think she seen me move. She kept bobbing her head up and down at me. Trying to get a better look. You shoulda seen her dancin' round. Needless to say she pranced around abit and then ducked back into the corn...It was pretty funny. I almost started laughing out loud. I was surprised she seen me at that distance. I believe it was one of the same I seen with a little one. The night I got one of the other does out there. They had a small one with them but it didn't have any spots I could make out. I'm not sure how old it was.


chris

big rockpile

First deer I ever shot with a Muzzleloader.I was setting on the ground,had a Doe coming,I cocked my Rifle,she kept coming,she gets 5 yards from me I drop her.Then reloaded and shot a Buck at 20 yards standing there watching me.

All I could think is what is so hard about this Muzzleloading stuff?

big rockpile

Buckhunter46755

I know what you mean there too. And can't explain it. Why one will spot you a mile away. And another don't even seem scared. When I got my doe bow hunting the other week I was walking back to the house to get my headlamp to go find her and field dress her, I walked up on another almost back up to the house. She ran right away but I got within 30 yrds of her and she had to hear me coming. Strange.... Then when I found my doe a few yards out in the corn, I could here another huffing just a few yards off....I guess it just depends how many people, or farm machinery (like cimbines / tractors) they have come into contact with.

An older friend of mine said when he was kid they were messing around the woods and crawled through a big thicket under a bunch of briars and stuff, and he stood up in the centerand there was a huge deer staring him right in the face!!! He said it was only a couple feet away! literally.. He said it scared the crap out of him! lol.... I said, why didn't you jump on it!!! We laughed our butts off...

chris

kvjohndeere

I have had Turkeys come and actually touch theretail feathers on my bind youcould hear them rubbin against the blind it must of been 20 turkeys hens & Goobblers Needles to say I got 2 about 2 minute apart with my XBow ! I had My first ground blind set up for 3 years all year long ! They get used to it after a while