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No stupid question....so....do you have/use any methods to get the deer closer to you?

HuumanCreed

HuumanCreed

Well-Known Member
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Aug 21, 2020
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Westminster Maryland
Not going to be longwinded. I understand trad is all about getting as close as possible to the deer or the route the deer will travel.

This is probably one of my favorite video on the topic.


But what if they are just a little farther then your range? Say 25-30 yards, but your max is 20 yards. And they are heading away from you. At that close of a distance, I would think the deer would pinpoint you on the tree easily.

So beside grunting, is there any other methods? or is this one of the limitation of trad bow that I need to accept, that the range is it what it is.
 
Maybe a big 'ol pile of corn? :tonguewink:

Seriously, though- I can't begin to count how many times I've been in that exact scenario...& watched 'em walk away.

I've had more encounters with deer since I started hunting with a trad bow, but less shot opportunities because of its limitations, mainly distance. I like 15 yds & in for a sure good hit. For me, though, I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything!
 
Gettem close.
Getting them close while hunting naturally can be very difficult but it really doesn't have to be.
most hunters watch this group or watch this guy and mimic tactics or ways of doing things which rarely works for most.
the simplicity is that a bit of research , observation, and time spent in woods can show you how and when deer are using certain areas.
When I find deer sign I ask myself why the sign was left here and when.
There is do many variables in that question that no one group or one so called expert could 100% tell you a definite answer.
Time in woods and understanding what you are seeing, finding, and deciding whats going on is what is or will present your answer.
luck has maybe a little to do with it but not much .
I am a big (create your own luck) guy.
creating your own luck means educating yourself as much as possible on anything you want to happen or achieve.
sorry but, in my 30 years of bowhunting and in the past being involved with several influencers online
Not one group or person is gonna “ Gettem close”.
thats up to the individual who wants that to happen through live self education
Just my opinion and my self experiences
There is no better satisfaction than self education and achieving what you set out to do
 
Snort wheeze works pretty good under the right circumstances.
It has to be the right time frame of the rut and it needs to be a buck that's in the right state of mind. An aggressive buck is more susceptible and a timid buck is more likely to tuck tail and leave.
I've had particular bucks ignore a wheeze one day and then the very next day the react positively. Who really knows what is going thru the mind of a deer??
I think it's better to hone your ability to pick the right tree and sometimes manipulate the trails (open or block their route) so they go where you want them. Mock scrape can help make them get closer.
I really prefer to not call. Sometimes it works but more often I've had them circle down wind and bust me. That's a deer that you won't get another chance at from that stand.
 
I hunt mostly with a compound but also hunt with a Hill style longbow. That said, all my deer in the last 4 years have been 16 yards or closer when I put an arrow through them. I'm no expert, understand but here are some things that work for me.

Hunt in thick stuff. If you can't see them skirt you at 40 yards you don't feel bad. When you do have one come in they will be close, and generally calmer since they are inside security cover.

I go at it with a relaxed attitude. I tell myself I am going to try to get really close and if I push it too far and get busted then that is OK. I see it as I was in the game. If you are going to be in the archery game with deer, then they will win the game from time to time. Don't look at getting busted as a failure. It is a learning experience. You will always learn something from the deer if you are observant. Then the next time you will do things better.

Try to kill a lot of deer at first (or if you have been hunting a while but not taken a lot of deer with a bow). TV, social media and others have too many people chasing big bucks right out of the gate. If you are new to bowhunting then try and kill as many boss does as you can. Let me tell you, the matriarchal doe in a group is as tough or tougher to get an arrow through than a buck is. The only reason it is tough to kill a good buck is there are way fewer of them, and they tend to be more nocturnal. When you actually get a good buck in front of you, I have found, they are easier to kill at close range.

I have only ever called one buck in to me. Back in 2018 I was hunting a little SMZ with a regrowth clearcut to my front about 80 yards out. I had a hot white oak in front of me at about 12 yards. About 8 AM I observed two nice bucks walking the little creek parallel to the cutover. They were not headed my way. With nothing to lose, and the prospect of the bucks walking out of my life forever, I decided to go for it. I let out a doe "meh". Nothing. They were still walking. I let out a louder doe "meh". Nothing. Now it was make or break time. I let out a loud "MEH!". They both stopped on a dime and looked up the hill toward the tree. After about 10 seconds of thought they made a bee line for the tree and I arrowed a nice 8 point at about 12 yards.
 
I have had a couple encounters were they are too far to shoot but I was able to watch them and see where they go....I waited a little bit then rappel down quiet and then try to stalk in. I almost killed 1 this way.....situational....most of our quota hunts are only 3 days so gotta get aggressive. The way I look at it is i wasnt gonna have a shot to begin if they too far so what it gonna hurt to try to sneak in? They get away in either situation but u may get lucky being proactive... Any time I've called to a deer regardless if they reacted positive or negative I never was presented a shot.cause of the call. Don't like carrying the extra junk either...ez enough to inhale some air and burp
 
Things that influence a deer to come closer….IMO that would be a grunt call, a decoy, and setup. Some might say scent lures but I’m not a fan of those. Grunt calls are great, but IMO are more suited to trying to turn a lost cause into a shot opportunity vice getting one that’s already fairly close, closer. Unfortunately, IMO pinch points, thickets, water edges, and terrain that funnel the deer down a certain path is still the best method of getting deer into your specific range criteria.

It’s a tough nut to crack for sure with such a narrow shot window, because when you solve one problem, you can create another; deer too close to shoot lol. Deer that walk straight into your tree, brush up against your tree, and walk out, only offer a frontal or spine shot and neither of those are good choices, but I guess that’s a better problem than too far. A good edge can help sort that as well.
 
For me, rattling has been the number one success factor in all of the bigger bucks that I have killed. The key to it, IMO, is to be set up where there is some obstructions (dead fall, brush, thickets) very close to your tree so that the bucks are more likely to have to come closer to investigate. Big open woods allows them to see that there aren't other deer there "fighting".

So for the specific question that you asked, I would say that a rattle bag, that is easy to get a hold of when a deer is close, would be my way of getting them closer. Let him walk by a little and feel comfortable, then tickle the horns (or rattle bag) lightly to get his attention.

I was hunting Liberty reservoir a while back (not far off the bridge, just down from the Full Moon Saloon) and had a nice 8 sneak down by the water's edge to bed. He was 100 yards out, so I rattled and he came down the trail to about 50, looked around and headed back, so I hit them again. He turned again and came in to 35, looked around and turned back to head back to the water. I had enough thick around me that he couldn't see all the way through, so I hit them one last time and he spun and ran in, determined this time to find those bucks. I arrowed him at 15 yards.
 
For me it's about getting closer to the deer and not trying to get the deer closer to me. Rarely have a good outcome from calling, but that's just me.

If you constantly are having deer out of range, then ask your self why and make a change and get out of YOUR comfort zone. Here's a example that a lot of hunters do. They hunt transitions. Usually some really thick area butted up to open woods or a field. Instead of sitting the line so you can see out into the open and catch deer movement, move farther into the thick and look for sign of deer. Obviously you won't see much, but better chance of getting the close encounter with a relaxed deer. Some times it's fun to watch deer, and sometimes it's fun to hunt deer and kill!

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
 
Still Kicking said:
I've found staying quiet and motionless and watching them walk away is more conducive to getting a closer shot the next hunt. Not saying calls and rattling don't work sometimes but honestly, I've scared more deer away in the past so quiet and still is my preferred hunting method.
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Agreed.
But with so many different aspects of deer hunting, things are often regional. I guess there are places, for whatever the reason (buck doe ratio, age structure, hunting pressure) where some tactics work better than in other regions.
I'm blessed live on my property where I watch deer EVERY single day. I get to witness and study deer behavior that many hunters seldom observe in years of hunting.
Take rattling for example. I've watched bucks spar for extended periods, and also be involved in high intensity fights many, many times over the course of a year. And I've lived here and enjoyed watching hundreds of fights since we built our home in 1986.
I SELDOM see a buck fight draw-in other bucks. Heck, most of the time other bucks in the field ignore when other bucks are fighting.
If I do see a 3rd or 4th buck attracted to a fight, they are often immature animals.
 
Baiting works well but isn't fun for me.

I don't think we have the sex ratio or low pressure for calling to work on mature bucks here. I've called in little bucks and does, but I've never had a buck bigger than a 4 point come to a bleat, grunt, or rattle. The bigger ones might be circling downwind and smelling me.
 
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I had this encounter end of December, 4-5 years ago.....

I was set up 50-60yds from the edge of a cattail marsh and at last light 2 small bucks started fighting behind me in thick brush were I couldn't really see much except a leg here and there but it was crazy loud.... The big buck out in the cattail marsh heard and came running out and the 2 fighting bucks stopped immediately and ran away with the big buck trotting behind. I was in a hang on stand in a large diameter pine tree and this was all happening on the weak side ( like 5 o'clock if 12 is me standing on the stand looking forward...it was very low light and I would have had to shoot left handed which I never practiced so I just watched all this happen)...now, if I had used a rattle bag or antlers a minute before those bucks started fighting I really don't think he would have reacted the same and probably not come out until after dark like he had been doing. The fight didn't sound like rattling antlers at all.....what the thp guys are doing is better...rattle and break sticks and crunching leafs....but even what they are doing is subtle/quiet/low energy compared to the real thing...I cant mimic what I heard that day while I'm hanging in a tree....I'm not saying that tactic doesn't work cause there's plenty of video proving otherwise but for me I just don't feel like carrying the extra junk has enough benefit to take it with me hunting...maybe I have an experience one day that shows me the exact opposite but till then I leave that call stuff at home.

I've also had encounters were simply breaking sticks or walking thru water or climbing a tree sounds makes animals curious and they come to investigate
 
Don’t make noise. That just puts them on alert. I prefer they have no idea I was ever there.

Instead, I manipulate the terrain to my advantage. (On private land) Mowing trails through chest high grass. Cutting strands on a fence. Hinge cutting trees directionally. Piling up brush. Blocking off trails. Cutting trails through the thick stuff.

I’ve found these approaches to be more consistently effective.
 
Maverick1 said:
Don’t make noise. That just puts them on alert. I prefer they have no idea I was ever there.

Instead, I manipulate the terrain to my advantage. (On private land) Mowing trails through chest high grass. Cutting strands on a fence. Hinge cutting trees directionally. Piling up brush. Blocking off trails. Cutting trails through the thick stuff.

I’ve found these approaches to be more consistently effective.
Click to expand...
I see no issue with moving around brush piles and the like on public too. We aren't supposed to cut things, although every once in a while I will admit that i do run into a tree with vanishing limb disease. Dunno what happened.
 
I use a doe bleat all year long. I carry grunt tubes during the rut but even then I am more likely to use a doe call first. I don't blind call per se but if I hear deer I know I won't get a good look at then I will call to them. I killed my biggest buck on opening weekend calling to the sound of his foot sucking out of the mud. He came right to me and gave me a textbook quartering shot at 20 yards. Later that year I called in my second biggest buck, at the time, on December 31st. He was looking to bed down and I guess he thought it better to bed by some other deer. He changed direction 90 degrees and came from 75 yards to 12 on a steady walk. Those 2 deer proved to me that a doe bleat works all year long. I have called in a few during the rut the same way. Only they come in more controlled and not like that crazy hound dog routine the white antlered buck did in the video. That was pretty cool but I wonder what would have happened if he had used a doe call? That buck was looking for love so why not give him what he is after?
 
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