To spook or not to spook?

[gchandkeh]

How do you deer hunters handle getting out of you stand at dark when there are deer nearby? I know they are going to see/hear me move and most likely blow, buts its dark and time to head out. How do you all handle the situation?

 

[NCHillbilly]

How do you deer hunters handle getting out of you stand at dark when there are deer nearby? I know they are going to see/hear me move and most likely blow, buts its dark and time to head out. How do you all handle the situation?

Just start talking in a normal tone of voice, without moving. They will usually start looking around, and kind of nervously wander off. It usually doesn't spook and educate them like climbing down the tree.

 

[Silver Britches]

Just start talking in a normal tone of voice, without moving. They will usually start looking around, and kind of nervously wander off. It usually doesn't spook and educate them like climbing down the tree.

Let me guess. You prolly say something like - I'm NOT hunting deer. I've just been sitting in the woods, watching birds. Oh, and I don't like beans! Beans are the devil!

As for me, I just try to quietly ease on down and out. I take my time going in, and do the same coming out. I never get in a hurry. Still hard to fool them jokers most of the time.

 

[dang]

Bump em with a coyote howl

 

[Nicodemus]

I take it as a challenge to try to slip out after dark without spooking them. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but it`s good practice on your moving quietly.

 

[1eyefishing]

Bump em with a coyote howl

Or coon squall...

 

[spencer12]

I either just climb down, or I will blow at them like another deer. I prefer to blow at them if I know they are going to see me.

 

[slow motion]

Yall are all smarter than me. I often try to wait them out. Eventually gets real quiet and I ease down. Take a step or 2 and they blow and start thundering into the distance. More than once I've realized I was surrounded and climbed down into their midst. Deer blowing from a few feet away and running in all directions in the dark is a little like quail flushing under your feet. Don't need new drawers but not far from it.

 

[Gadestroyer74]

I just wait till dark ease down real slow and quit as I can and walk off. They blow they blow. They can’t see me so they don’t know what I am

 

[B. White]

I just get down and walk out like normal not trying to be anymore quiet than usual. If right under me I'll wait until they are a ways off. Once it is dark, my experience has been they don't act the same as daytime. I've had them chasing so close a time or to it made me nervous I was going to take a tine. I've had some blow and run, but stop shortly and start walking back like they were curious what I was.

 

[KKrueger]

I love having someone drive in and pick me up. They hear the vehicle and ease off. Of course it wont work at many stand locations but works great when it can be used.

 

[Railroader]

When I decide I'm done, I head for the truck. They can stay, go, or blow. I don't care, because I'm done...

 

[Jim Boyd]

When I decide I'm done, I head for the truck. They can stay, go, or blow. I don't care, because I'm done...

Yep.

They ain’t going nowhere.

Deer are not bright. They are reactive as all get out. But predictable

That is what gets about 1/3 of them killed each year.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Yep.

They ain’t going nowhere.

Deer are not bright. They are reactive as all get out. But predictable

That is what gets about 1/3 of them killed each year.

Yeah, but when they see you climbing down out of a stand, they gonna look right up in that stand when they come out tomorrow. Or at least where I hunt.

 

[Raylander]

If they’re that thick, I usually just shoot one and the all run away

 

[Big7]

Yall are all smarter than me. I often try to wait them out. Eventually gets real quiet and I ease down. Take a step or 2 and they blow and start thundering into the distance. More than once I've realized I was surrounded and climbed down into their midst. Deer blowing from a few feet away and running in all directions in the dark is a little like quail flushing under your feet. Don't need new drawers but not far from it.

Kinda like pushing the seam on canned biscuits.
You at some point it's going to pop, but it scares the heck out of you anyway.

Seriously though, if you do get busted after dark, they can't see you either. They will hear "a noise" but have no way of knowing "what noise".

They won't change their movements over that.

How many times have you shot one evening and then hunted the same area or even the same stand the next morning and/or afternoon?

 

[Kris87]

I agree most people overthink it. I try and run them off by making some odd circumstance, but I don't really sweat it. If there's a decent buck under, I wait him out. The rest I don't care about.

 

[The Original Rooster]

Sometimes they spook, sometimes they don't, sometimes you don't even know they're there. Just be as quiet as possible. That's all you can do anyway.

 

[Kev]

If I’m deep in the woods I usually wait them out, then sneak down. If I’m hunting one of the cotton fields, I either shoot one at dark or start howling like a rabid coyote/ware wolf.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Deer aren't near as spooky after its been dark a little while. I've been tracking on deer and walk up on another bedded down in the open hardwoods. But if you are hunting a good feed tree and climb down while they are under you....you better have another tree to hunt the next time out. They will walk in looking at that tree you were in. I grab a nearby limb and shake it violently if I can reach one. Sometimes you just cant avoid bumping them, but they will be back.