Can you pull off this shot?

[Wile E. Coyote]

HERES THE SENARIO

 I'm sure most all of us have been in this positon.
 As soon a the whitetail steps into range it senses something is wrong and focuses on you in your treestand. A few head bobs and fake feedings but you are frozen like a statue and the deer doesn't vacate the area but begins to feed. However after every bite it looks up and refocuses on you.This goes on for 10 to 15 minutes. It never looks the other way or has it head go behind a tree or bush.

Do you attempt to draw?

 Wait for the slim chance that the deer gets distracted and looks the other way to draw knowing that probally won't happen and the deer will end up walking away without you drawing?

 Or maybe you draw and up pops its head staring right at you, do you take the shot and compensate for a matrix move as it ducks to evade your arrow?

Please share your personal experiences (not untested opinions) in these cases and the result.

 For the most part I have tried to wait for them to become distracted prior to drawing and most of the time have been left without a shot. I was just wondering if a more aggressive approach worked for anyone?

[sweeney3]

I'd say do what you've been doing.  Wait for them to become distracted by something else or to lose interest.  Those critters have AMAZING reflexes and there isn't a bow alive that will get an arrow through the boiler room if they are all keyed up and tense.  And, in my opinion, it's just too risky to try and second guess their move.  I'd say wait em out, pass on the shot if need be.  I shoot fairly slow bows, and I've not had any trouble with making fine shots if they aren't cued up, but I have had them duck arrows even at close range when they are already alerted.  I won't take shots with them really onto me anymore.  That's part and parcel with being a good hunter in my opinion.  Course, that's my two cents worth, so it may not be worth even that much to others.

[Jerry Jeffer]

I would go for it.

[Mudd]

I am in agreement with Sweeney.

I've tried a couple of times over the years to pull off the shot almost exactly as you've described it with bad and good results. The ones that ended with good results only means that no deer were hit and wounded.

I think I tried it the second time because the 1st time there was no foul nor harm.

Lesson learned.

My 2 cents worth.

God bless,Mudd

[johnnyk71]

good lord, you just described my whole season this year. in every instance, alerted deer=escaped deer due to missed shot or no shot.

either way, i've lost.

once they are on to you, i have very rarely had them offer a shot later.

[Encino Man]

I had an extremely skittish doe step out at 20 yards and did exactly that. It took me 20 minutes to get my bow up to shooting height. Then I just waited her out. after another 10 minutes I saw a slight change in her demeanor. she looked more relaxed just before she lowered her head again. As she started to lower her head I took the opportunity to draw and release. The shot was dead on line and 3 inches right over her shoulders   :rolleyes: . She didn't jump the string. She didn't even move until the arrow hit the ground. Just a bad shot.  

I think any sooner and she would have busted me for sure.

[Bjorn]

I wait and hope he goes away soon.        
Hogs do exactly the same as the deer no hope of a good shot.
I have made some extra moves like arm waving to end the situation sooner.

[SpencerL]

I always think it's worth a try. The worst that can happen is a spooked deer.

[Encino Man]

Originally posted by SpencerL:
I always think it's worth a try. The worst that can happen is a spooked deer.

An educated deer.

[Mark Baker]

Or a badly hit deer.  My experience is that if they are looking at you, it ain't good.  Better to wait till they are distracted or turn to leave, and you can get away with the movement of drawing and shooting.  Best is to shoot at a deer totally unawares.

[sbschindler]

anytime you have alerted a deer even if they are feeding or not looking at you they are keyed up and almost 100% of the time they will duck your arrow with ease, you may get a spine shot and drop them in their tracks BUT most of the time you will miss or the absolute worst thing is yor arrow will pass thru over the spine thru the meat, it won't kill the deer but I'm sure they are not comfortable with that scenario for a few days anyway

[rascal]

Just read what I consider a very ill advised article in one of the sportsmans magazines I receive monthly.  The article attempted to tackle the problem of shooting at alert deer and dealing with string jump.  It had some pretty impressive calculations involved with the authors point of view in which he stated that it was only a problem past 20 yards!  The final evaluation the author came up with is that it was best to apply a generous ammount of arrow speed to the problem as its solution.  It was never even considered in the article that maybe you should not attempt to shoot at an alert deer.  

Im sure after that little rant you can guess my opinion on the matter.  There are enough things that can go wrong when you set up a "perfect" shot at a deer thats not alert let alone adding the multiplier of a deer that obviously knows you are there.  Call me overly cautious but I would rather pass the shot and learn what lesson I could from being caught than take a marginal shot opportunity and end up wounding an animal.

[OkKeith]

Shooting at a deer that knows something is up is a bad deal.

That being said, they don't actually SEE the arrow coming and try to dodge it. A deer's natural reaction to a noise or movement that startles them is to bunch-up and dart away. No matter how quiet your bow is, they will react to the sound and movment of a shot. When they do that, it drops their body position. Just like a person who can't leap from harm without bending the knees, when a deer gathers itself to flee, it bends all four legs for a jump.

If they think something is hinky and have a spot to pin it on, they are preprogramed to react away from that location.

Close your eyes for a cout of 100, slow your breathing down and wait it out. Slowly open your eyes and see what's up. If the deer is still on alert, go through the process again. Just relax.

Too often I have hunted with friends and watched this whole thing play out. Even when the deer eases up and calms down, they either make a hurried, jerky attempt at a draw or they try the sneaky inch by inch thing. Both result in a bad, tension laden attempt at a shot.

If the deer calms down enough and presents a good shot, be just as smooth as if it never knew you were there.

Deer are ALWAYS on alert to some degree. Eons of being on the tasty end of the food chain has ensured that all the laid-back deer were eaten centuries ago. But a deer that has its radar tuned specifically in to you is a difficult target. I would wait it out and see what happens.

OkKeith

[greyghost]

Negative. Wait for them to get distracted or leave.

[toddster]

I would pass, like all said, Deer spooked and not worth the chance of wounded deer.  I also would of passed and let her walk out of area, that way they buck and/or any other deer will not be so keyed up.  I had this happen few times, I moved my stand few trees over, the next day or two she or they came back in, now they was focused on the tree they seen something in, and I got a perfect broadside shot.  Last year when this happen I clucked and yelped like a big turkey and they seem to relax and feed out quicker.

[Eugene Slagle]

This has been my season all along, either I get to full draw & he stopped & checked me out all along having the kill zone blocked or I was at half draw & he was like (Hello) & never lost sight of me till he walked away.

[madness522]

You had deer that close for a long time I call that a successful hunt no matter what else happens!!  I wouldn't try to force a shot at a keyed up deer.  Best thing to do is just enjoy the show.  Watching deer can be more fun than  actually shooting them.

[fish n chicks]

There's no forced shot to be had in such a situation. In my experience, drawing on a deer that is nervous of your presence isn't a lost cause at all, if you're in tune with the shot. Meaning, you know how you're going to bring your bow up to position, where you're going to aim (you should be looking at that spot the WHOLE time anyway, head gear or weight are negligible once you've determined the game is a shooter) and your breathing is in order. The whole procedure should take 2-3 seconds. In that time, the deer, usually, freezes and looks up at you, but by now you should be drawn and kissing a fingernail (or whatever your anchor is) and ready to release.

In those 2-3 seconds, again from my experience, the deer usually just freezes and looks at you to see what you're going to do. By this time, it should be too late.

[xtrema312]

I wait them out.  I had one doe do it to me real bad this year.  I had a group of 5 come past and wanted to shoot the big girl in the back of the line.  Then had a medium size doe came back closer.  She spotted me and then spent the next 15 minutes checking me and the area out.  She walked most of the way around my tree looking and sniffing around.  She knew something was up.  Each time I thought she lost interest in me, I tried to get a draw on her, but she would start checking me out more or be looking so close to me that I knew she would catch me if I moved.  Finally she walked back to where the other deer were going into the field and relaxed a bit watching the field.  It was too late to get the big doe as she had moved to far out, but the nosy doe was 14 yd. quartering away.  I got a draw on her, and she is tucked away in my freezer.  

You just can’t shoot at a really spooky deer with anything short of a gun.  I think you can shoot a deer that is somewhat alerted as long as they are not on to your location when you take the shot like when they just pick up a little noise, faint whiff of something, or just have that 6th scene working and get a little jittery.  If they know where you are and they are looking at you, they will get a big jump as soon as you lose the arrow or even finish your draw to shoot.  If they are just a bit nervous I shot them, but I want to be really close.  I have done this many times, but no more than 10-12 yards.  I find they jump less if they are relaxed enough to take a couple steps.  I think a standing still deer has a much better chance of being real wound up and ready to bolt than one that relaxes enough to take a few steps.  I look for them to calm down a bit, look away, and take a step.  That and a good broadside or quartering shot can give you a good result.

[Mechslasher]

i wouldn't have a chance at a shot.  the deer i hunt usually turn inside out after the second or third head bob and find a more comfortable place to feed.