Walking a deer trail and guess what I found?


Stinger-Hunter

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Sunday morning I was hunting NW Indiana and saw three does about 200 yards away. I called to them and they began coming in, then just kept on going to their original location. After 2 hours I started walking a buck trail in the freshly layed snow near where those does were headed.

I walked by some new rubs and noticed that the place where I had my tree stand last year was where most of the trails were.

I kept walking and was probably making a bunch of noise - I used my "Can" call a couple of times and started walking north. All of a sudden I look down and there is a small animal sleeping behind a bush. It looked like a frozen fawn or a coyote.

I kept looking to see if it was dead and a saw an ear move. I was 6 yards away from it.

I started to pull back my bow and it made a little sound while rubbing against the arrow rest, the animal looked up and sprang to its feet. I pulled the bow back and fired.

I realized after it had taken off that I didn't even aim, just pointed and shot. I totally missed it.

What was it? An 8 point buck!!!

I was literally 6 yards from this animal without it even looking up. Before shooting at it, I stood there for at least 2 or 3 minutes, too.

Man, that has never happened to me at that distance. When I looked at its bedding area, it was only about 30 inches long by 18 inches wide. This thing was curled up tight.

Well, if I don't see him in the next two weeks, you better believe I'll be moving my other stand or building one right where it was last year.

Oh, I almost forgot. Here's little lesson for tracking. After I tracked the buck for about 300 yards, the trail came to a perfect T. After inspecting it, I took a left and followed the trail which led to some thick bushes next to a creek. I went back to the T to see exactly what the ol' boy had done.

He took a right initially, which is what i expected. He went 30 yards, then backtracked on his trail and continued past the T on the trail I was originally following.

He will be a worthy adversary.

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Re: Walking a deer trail and guess what I found?

That's cool.

Makes you wonder how many deer we've walked right past and never saw.

I remember doing the exact same thing while bird hunting one day. My dog pointed a hen and it flushed, I heard a rustling behind me and thought it might be another bird, but it was a monster 9pt buck, easily 250# on the hoof. He was a pig, but both the dog and I walked a mere 3 or 4 yards past this deer, and he never budged until my dog doubled back and nearly stepped on him.

I walked right past a doe a couple weeks ago while trying to video a big deer. She didn't flush until I walked back towards my house.

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Re: Walking a deer trail and guess what I found?

I thought when I read the thread and guessing what you found I was going to say "deer poop" smile.gif LOL!!

Anyways, great experience you had, wish you would have connected with him. As for his bed size, deer usually don't make huge beds, they curl up like dogs and cats do and conserve heat. He was probably whipped from the rut and getting some sleep until you found him!! LOL!!

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Guest buddy ahart

Re: Walking a deer trail and guess what I found?

I had the same thing happen to me and my one freind last friday we were tracking 3 doe and they would go about 300 yards and we would go in a complete circle till they went rite back over there tracks again. Or they would T and go 50 yards on one trail and then to where they realy went down the other trail. it was pretty funny Great story!

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