Ever touch an adult deer?

[dirtguy]

A friend who has great outdoor skills has stalked up to and touched an adult deer (a doe).  Because of my work as wetland scientist, I am often in deer bedding areas and have nearly stepped on deer before they jump up and bolt away.  I have also been fortunate enough to walk right up to two different fawns, so close that I could have touched them.  To me, much of the fun of trad is seeing how close you can get.

How about it, ever get that close?

[centaur]

Did it once. A doe was feeding and walked right to me as I stood still. Touched her and then observed quite a show as she turned herself inside out in an effort to get out of Dodge.

[centaur]

This little deer was hung up in a fence last year,totally exhausted, and I got her back on her feet. Not an adult but it was still fun for me, if not for her.

[McDave]

The back part of our archery range is a hill covered with trees and bushes.  It is part of a dedicated open area, so no hunting goes on there.  In fact, we sometimes have to shoo the turkeys away from our targets, because us just being there shooting arrows over their heads isn't enough to scare them off.  Once I was walking the ridgeline on the back part of our range with my dog, and I guess we were being pretty quiet, although not intentionally.  The dog usually stays about 10-15 yards in front.  I saw her go on point and I looked in the direction she was pointing, and my first thought was that someone had hauled a deer target up there, because a buck was standing with his head down, not moving at all, about 20 yards away.  The dog's inclination in situations like that is to freeze, and I did too.  We both watched the deer for a half minute or so, until it finally woke up and picked its head up and looked at us.  Then it turned and trotted off, but not in a panicky way.

About 6 years ago, I called in 3 yearling 6 point bucks. I was against a three trunked tree cluster. The bucks were on the other side of it. I reached between the trunks and touched one on the back. It just about broke my arm.  Another time 20 years back, I saw a group of deer coming, so I climbed up the tree I was standing by along a fence. the deer followed the fence until they right under me. Does, yearling does and fawns. I reached down holding one tip of my 70" 89 pound Big 5 and poked a yearling doe on top of her back end. She jumped so hard that the bow flew out of my hand and hung up in the branches out of my reach.

[b.glass]

I was hunting with Bernie Swank of Mystic Longbows a few years ago. He went his way and I went mine. He must of stirred things up a bit because at one point a not too shabby buck came running past the tree I was standing beside in my ghillie suit. I could have reached out and smacked his back side as he trotted past me. He stood maybe ten yards away all "heads up" and everything for several seconds then trotted off.

[Can Hahaka]

Yup! Twice. Once many years ago a fawn of the year came past me while hunting in a high grass field. Touched her with the end of my bow. The second time was during the gun season and the buck walked right up to me while I hid in a cedar windfall. I poked him in the butt with my shotgun and he made off like a jack rabbit.
Last Friday morn I almost had one jump over my head while I sat in a blown down. Was within 6-8 feet. Nice 10 pt. Scared the hell outta me.

Two years ago a deer touched me. I was just getting to my make shift stick blind and a couple of yearling does came charging at me. I was on the trail and the one side swiped me. When I regained my footing, I saw two dogs coming in hard on the trail. I caught a twig and missed the lead dog.  They both spun and ran back the way they came. The next time that I went back to my blind. It was torn down, my Torges seat was tossed into the ravine and a wheelie guy from Texas was seating in a tree stand that was in the tree that I had my tree seat on. He said that stuff was in his way. Have you ever been so tempted to reach out and touch someone?

[Traxx]

Touched her with the end of my bow.

Smart move.I touched one with my hand years ago.She kicked the crap outa me.All i could do was ball up n take it.I was sittin down.Couldnt pick my arm up above my shoulder,fer a week.

[Traxx]

Touched her with the end of my bow.

Smart move.I touched one with my hand years ago.She kicked the crap outa me.All i could do was ball up n take it.I was sittin down.Couldnt pick my arm up above my shoulder,fer a week.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I roped a mule deer once upon a time... long story, but true. The dad burn thing drug me through the sage brush for almost 50 yards before i could stop it's forward motion, and mine as well. I was afraid to let go of the rope and have the deer run off and end up hanging itself.... my hunting partner at the time was laughing so hard he wet his pants.

By the time we took the deer down and got the rope off off that crazed deer, we both looked like we'd been run through a shredder. Bull dogging a deer isn't as easy as you think. This small buck was only about 150 pounds, and whipped both of us good and proper.

At least i had it by the head. My partner took a real beating taking the rear end. Talk about a rodeo!.... i wouldn't recommend it....  Kirk

[JAG]

I'm here to tell you, they can hurt you!

[BDann]

Hilarious!!!!!

[onemississipp]

Kirkll,
  That's about like kicking a turtle while riding down the highway on a motorcycle! Seems cool until you do it.

[LittleBen]

Originally posted by pavan:
Two years ago a deer touched me. I was just getting to my make shift stick blind and a couple of yearling does came charging at me. I was on the trail and the one side swiped me. When I regained my footing, I saw two dogs coming in hard on the trail. I caught a twig and missed the lead dog.  They both spun and ran back the way they came. The next time that I went back to my blind. It was torn down, my Torges seat was tossed into the ravine and a wheelie guy from Texas was seating in a tree stand that was in the tree that I had my tree seat on. He said that stuff was in his way. Have you ever been so tempted to reach out and touch someone?

Sounds like he needed to have an accident

[tarponnut]

I was calling coyotes once and had a doe run up behind me and almost bowl me over. She was within a foot of me before she knew what I was and slammed on the brakes. She must have thought I had her fawn?
I got a little video of her at about 5 yards. It's on my youtube channel.

[Danny Rowan]

My late twin was sitting in one of his box blinds on a lease we used to have in Texas. he had the back window open for some air, a doe came up and put her nose on the back of his neck. He about tore the blind down he jumped so hard. I was 300 yards away in a tree stand and saw it happen and heard him scream like a girl, I almost fell out of the tree I was laughing so hard. The doe was a bit surprised but did not run off. He was not happy and since he had a couple of doe tags He put an arrow through her at 10 yards. I scolded him and said, "she was just counting coup, you should have let her go"                  

[achigan]

I've had a button buck put its nose on my boot. I'd backed into a pine tree, wind in my favor. It came in, stomping its foot, knowing something was out of place.

[NormanDale33]

I was pushing pheasants for some well to do city slickers for my friends dad as a boy in CO. We were working through tamarisk on a river bottom when I heard a slight noise in front of me...out of the tress a doe materialized 10 feet in front of me and just slinked right past me with in arms reach. It scared the crap out of me, but was awesome to see. What a beautiful animal a white-tailed doe is. God did good on that one!

[PaulRoberts]

I've been close a number of times. One time I was leading a backpacking trip for a group of urban kids and their parents. I was off collecting kindling with one parent who'd never been in the woods before and a doe appeared on the trail heading our way. It was ambling along nipping at stuff here and there, oblivious. I whispered to the women to take one step back off the trail. We did. I then whispered, "freeze". The doe came on and at less than 10 ft away my partner, fairly freaked out, blurted "Will it bite me?" The doe bolted and was gone. I turned and said, "No. They don't bite. We do."