halltrail
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2014
- Messages
- 147
Curious to how you guys prepare for a shot when a deer comes in from behind you and you are in saddle/NT Evo. Ive been hunting this particular buck the last two weeks. Last night I set up on the side of a ridge that runs NW to SE.
Buck has been making scrapes and rubs all along the edge of the ridged. Last night the wind was out of the SE at first but planned for it to change to coming out of the N in the evening due to thermals. I checked the wind before I climbed down and it was coming out of the north. I was set up 15 yards North of the edge of the ridge. 25 feet up in New Tribe saddle. 5th year hunting. Self taught, have done well on mature doe and 2.5 year old bucks. Trying to up my game. Ive attached a diagram for reference.
I walked in along the pink line (was running out of colors to use..lol) with JVS lethal weapon scent on my boots to lay a scent trail. I know he usually comes in along this path or the one to the south along the ridge. I walked passed his normal trail (Brown line represents faint deer trails) that runs to the south (follow my pink line) to get him down wind of me. I was grunting every 20 mins or so with a few doe bleats as well. At 1720, I grunted a few times and two mins later he comes crashing from my back right shoulder (red line) I think the grunting may have pulled him off the scent trail I laid. When I heard him come crashing in....i slowly grabbed my bow hanging from the left side of the tree and clipped on my release. Somewhere in that move, he stopped crashing around and cautiously walked back north....By time I got slowly turned around I only caught a glimpse of him leaving. Im not sure if he saw me or what? But he must have circled around me to the east and then walked south. Never heard him moving though and at around1800 I started to climb down...too dark to see. Of course that is when I found out he was just 25 yards south east of me and he blew once or twice and bolted out of there.
Im curious to see what you guys think of the strategy I used and what you do normally when having a deer come in from behind you in a saddle where you are more exposed and cant see the deer. Im wondering If I should have waited for him to come out in front of me or at least to my side where I can see him and then try and get bow and clip on release. Im not sure if he saw me move or maybe residual scent from early when wind was out of SE? I do practice good scent control.
Or did he just not see a buck or doe...since I was grunting? and was he just decided to try and get down wind? By the way, I hunt in Southern Maryland and would say the hunting pressure is high. Deer are easily alerted to movement even 25 feet up. They look up into the trees all the time.
Buck has been making scrapes and rubs all along the edge of the ridged. Last night the wind was out of the SE at first but planned for it to change to coming out of the N in the evening due to thermals. I checked the wind before I climbed down and it was coming out of the north. I was set up 15 yards North of the edge of the ridge. 25 feet up in New Tribe saddle. 5th year hunting. Self taught, have done well on mature doe and 2.5 year old bucks. Trying to up my game. Ive attached a diagram for reference.
I walked in along the pink line (was running out of colors to use..lol) with JVS lethal weapon scent on my boots to lay a scent trail. I know he usually comes in along this path or the one to the south along the ridge. I walked passed his normal trail (Brown line represents faint deer trails) that runs to the south (follow my pink line) to get him down wind of me. I was grunting every 20 mins or so with a few doe bleats as well. At 1720, I grunted a few times and two mins later he comes crashing from my back right shoulder (red line) I think the grunting may have pulled him off the scent trail I laid. When I heard him come crashing in....i slowly grabbed my bow hanging from the left side of the tree and clipped on my release. Somewhere in that move, he stopped crashing around and cautiously walked back north....By time I got slowly turned around I only caught a glimpse of him leaving. Im not sure if he saw me or what? But he must have circled around me to the east and then walked south. Never heard him moving though and at around1800 I started to climb down...too dark to see. Of course that is when I found out he was just 25 yards south east of me and he blew once or twice and bolted out of there.
Im curious to see what you guys think of the strategy I used and what you do normally when having a deer come in from behind you in a saddle where you are more exposed and cant see the deer. Im wondering If I should have waited for him to come out in front of me or at least to my side where I can see him and then try and get bow and clip on release. Im not sure if he saw me move or maybe residual scent from early when wind was out of SE? I do practice good scent control.
Or did he just not see a buck or doe...since I was grunting? and was he just decided to try and get down wind? By the way, I hunt in Southern Maryland and would say the hunting pressure is high. Deer are easily alerted to movement even 25 feet up. They look up into the trees all the time.
). Sometimes the deer is just going to change direction for a reason only that deer knows. It is very possible that he did follow your scent trail did hear the grunting and decided that when he didn't see anything he was going back to his original path. Also remember that at this time of year they are very unpredictable in there movement and will sometimes run circles around you!