What would YOU do? A hunting question.

[b.glass]

I was on stand on the ground with good wind direction. I had done some trimming but I like to keep that to a minimum. I was in my ghillie suit. I had three does come by me at about 15yds. I started to draw when I caught movement from the corner of my eye. Two more does were with the group. They weren't stopping so I squated down to shoot under a branch when the lower limb of my bow got caught in some briars. I couldn't free the limb and take the shot.

They saw me but they didn't bound off in a panic. They fipped their tails and trotted away. One kept looking and stayed for so long that I thought my legs were going to break off. I finally had to stand up and she trotted away also.

Should I have made a soft bleat to stop them?

I thought about hunting the same spot the very next night. Instead I went across a short open area of the field and set up in a small "island" of trees. I had seen deer the previous three nights that I hunted there but last night I saw nothing.

I suppose they could have seen me and took a different route or waited until dark. Or do you think the previous night caused them to change their pattern?

Will a few nights to "cool off" get them to take up the same pattern again?

~Bona

[Stumpkiller]

The only time I bleat is when it is a case the deer will be unshootable anyway so I have nothing to lose.  Sometimes they stop, rarely they turn, usually just keep going.  I'm probably just not a good bleater.

If a deer sees me I figure that deer needs to be "rested" a week.  But if there are other deer in the area it doesn't necessarily mean I'll quit a spot.  I killed the larger of two does who were moving together this year and the next night a lone doe came by the same path and spent 20 minutes standing and looking in various directions.  May be silly to think so, but it sure seemed that doe was trying to link up again where she had last seen her companion.

Another thing I have noticed is that a deer will sometimes doubt what it sees, but if it scents you (that wheezie blow and takeoff) the next time it will approach cautiously from far downwind.  They seem to trust their noses more than their eyesight.  For two years I have been hunting a buck I have only caught glimpses of but have heard his blow/wheeze just before many sunsets.  No matter where I try to be he's always downwind just at sunset, and once caught it's no show in that area for at least two weeks.  This in one three-acre brushlot.

[Breakfast Boy]

Others will have more experience than I at this, but I've had deer stop when I did a bleat and other times the deer have ignored it.  I don't think it would have hurt anything.

And yeah, you might want to give it a night or two to cool off, in my opinion.  Chances are they'll go right back to their usual pattern.

[Rob W.]

I keep a can call close at hand. Sometimes they do nothing but your not hurt anything with one bleat. A few times it gave me a second shot.

If your pretty sure they didn't wind you I would try the spot again. Deer probably spook more times a day than we realize. I have taken 3 deer within 50 yards of each other this year. I kept thinking I need to let this area cool down but wasn't on deer consistantly in my other spots.

Good luck!   Rob

[Looper]

I try to make it a point to not shoot at a deer that is looking at me. Its one thing to bleat a deer that has no.idea you are around. Its a whole other deal if they've already seen you or are focused in your direction. I guess you could have done it to see their reaction, but you really risk spooking them then. As to you changing their patterns, well it doesn't take much. It could have been you, or a stray dog , or a whoknowswhat.

[b.glass]

I feel the same about deer that are looking at me. They had glanced my way but none stopped until I got my bow limb hung up and probably made more movement than I realized while trying to free it. THEN they stopped and a couple of them looked at me pretty hard.

I couldn't stand because they were looking at me. I couldn't free my bow limb because they were looking at me,let alone take a shot. But I am confident they didn't wind me.

I see on videos where the hunter will bleat to stop a deer from a tree stand and I figure that is risky enough. I wondered what you all thought about "bleating" like that from the ground with nothing to hide me but my ghillie suit.

On my way home I was driving past another hunter who told be he had been hunting across the road from where I was. I thought he might have pushed them to me. It was the most I had seen at one time there.

Thanks for the responses!

[Bill Carlsen]

I would have done more trimming in the first place. When I hunt on the ground in a blind I assume I am going to be shooting from my stool....so I trim shooting lanes  so that I don't have to move to make the shot except for the shot itself. In a ghillie you can be pretty exposed and not be seen.

[Hopewell Tom]

I think a few days rest after something like that is important. It's tough if it's a good spot, but your experience the next day probably tells the tale. They're steering clear, for a bit at least. Not being winded is important and allows you to go back sooner than later, I bet.

[Covey]

I think if you bleat to stop them,  that alerts them to your area. If they didnt see you,  their gonna be lookin in your direction for what ever made that noise. That alone is gonna make your position more vulnerable. I would rather shoot at relaxed deer. But seein how they was leavin anyway, I figure bleatin wouldnt hurt that situation none. Plus I figure if they didnt just blow outa there, you probably didnt spook'em to much. They were probably back the next day!

JMHO, Jason

[Rob W.]

I would rather take a slow walking shot than try to stop them. They always stop in the wrong place or drop on the shot. Also, when I bleat to stop them it seems to screw up my anchor.


Rob

[ChuckC]

Bona  something I have done in similar circumstances was blow a big ol snort,  several of them.  That put the deer off alert and they actually walked to me.  The lil one with the doe actually got closer than I wanted it to to I waved my arm and they both left,  but not in a huff.

Weird as it sounds, some times these other things work.  

I am guessing they got unnerved and figured that snorting deer that they spooked on also got unnerved and they came over to laugh or something.
ChuckC

[straitera]

Less intrusion the better IMO including noise, (bleats), traffic, movement, etc.. Odd how we can get bound up for no shot but it happens. I'll shoot at a slow walk before whistling to stop. Doubt you scared the deer out of sorts. Give them a day or 2 then whack one from the same spot.

[JamesV]

If the deer didn't blow out of there they probably knew something wasn't right but didn't know what. If they didn't smell you they will be back, give them a few days, you'll do better next time.  Good luck

[b.glass]

I agree, I don't think they knew what was wrong they just knew SOMETHING was wrong.

And I will do some more trimming. I had a good opening on my left but as they moved to my right they also started angling away making me have to get lower to shoot. I will trim to get more area to get the shot off.

I probably won't have a chance to get out again until the Tues. after Christmas. Then I only have until Jan. 1st to get-er-done, as they say.

This is the most fun I've had hunting in a while!

Thanks for your input and well wishes. Merry Christmas everyone!!

[m midd]

ive never stopped one that was alerted by bleating. I have grunted a doe back 3 differnet times one morning. But she never settled down enough for me to take a shot.

[doctari]

I think it would be best to keep quiet. I had a nice eight point close by me walking away, and bleated with a call and he ran away snorting.

[Doc Nock]

My "bleat" experience was always from elevated stands, and for me, it's worked well...

EX: Buck came in several years ago, following a doe I'd shot earlier and I watched drop dead.

The buck decided, as deer do odd things, to angle straight to my tree! Then he for that strange ability of theirs, looked up! He bolted.

Back the way he came. I hit full draw and bleated. He stopped perfectly quartering away and I was already on him and released. Bingo.

Only good thing about training myself to hold for a second or two is in situations like that.

If you're not ready to shoot, bleating is likely not a good thing as it only increases their focus on the source of the sound: YOU.

I really think you shared something that nobody else mentioned... the other hunter!!!

You don't see that many deer...do once, they're moving and you find out someone was hunting across the road. Might be a relationship.

Regardless, that close encounter will keep you in one spot more now.

Good luck!

[tuscarawasbowman]

In my experience if they are spooked let them be, bleating wouldn't have helped at all probably would have hurt. Only time I have ever used grunts,bleats etc. with any success on disturbed deer is when they hear me coming but don't see me and haven't smelled me. Pulled that trick on a buck this year. Hope your season finishs out excellent.

[b.glass]

I was thinking that maybe I could have bleated at them before they had become alert. They had looked in my direction but was not what I would call alert.

They had not become alert to me until I got my lower limb caught. That made a bleat not an option at that point. It was while they were in my left shooting lane that it may have been an option. Thing is I didn't think about it until after the fact.

I do have a problem with breaking the silence on purpose. I forced myself to practice a bleat while on stand the next night. This area is about 200yds from an interstate highway so this practice didn't effect the deer. It's pretty noisy. I feel like I've gotten away with some unintended noise because of the highway.

I'm kinda like Rob though. I can't draw until after bleating because it messes up my anchor or concentration or something. This would be something to practice with in the off season. I would like to try the bleat or whistle sometime but for now I just want to get my deer. Being able to bleat then hold for a couple of seconds would be cool, like Doc!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Since they where DOEs, I would have tried a fawn blet