Hide and Don’t Seek Tactic
Feb 6, 2021 15:34:31 GMT -5
Post by ET on Feb 6, 2021 15:34:31 GMT -5
When I first started to hunt deer with a good friend who had access to some nice property, I didn’t have any luck stalking them. After assessing the situation, I thought another approach might be better suited. I knew the deer were using a ravine for travel and escape route so I decided to create an ambush spot. This involved digging a dug out about halfway down the hill and creating a cover with surrounding branches and vegetation. Put in a lawn chair and being sheltered from the elements made it quite cozy.
Many hours were spent watching wildlife going about their daily living until a deer showed up.
Now I’ve shot numerous deer from this location but there is one hunt that stands out from the rest.
After an unproductive week and I was on my last day of the hunt, events turned around for me. It was in the evening that first started with a yearling doe coming through. She was nervous but presented a nice shot that I couldn’t bring myself to take. This small deer has never had a chance to experience life so I let it go.
It was coming down to the last half hour of shooting time and the light was starting to fade. For the heck of it I gave one last doe in heat bleat before my hunt ended. As I watched the shadows were growing longer and soon darkness would descend in the ravine. Roughly in the last 10mins. I heard a loud splash at the creek to my right and looked for the cause. Soon I spotted a deer body between the saplings. All I had was the outline of the front of a deer body with a nice exposure of the boiler room. With only minutes left of legal shooting time I took the shot. I heard the deer drop and prepared to hike down the hill to the location. To my surprise I was rewarded with a really nice buck.
So, my now preferred tactic to hunt deer is don’t chase them but let them come to you. Here it’s I see you before you see me.
Ed
Many hours were spent watching wildlife going about their daily living until a deer showed up.
Now I’ve shot numerous deer from this location but there is one hunt that stands out from the rest.
After an unproductive week and I was on my last day of the hunt, events turned around for me. It was in the evening that first started with a yearling doe coming through. She was nervous but presented a nice shot that I couldn’t bring myself to take. This small deer has never had a chance to experience life so I let it go.
It was coming down to the last half hour of shooting time and the light was starting to fade. For the heck of it I gave one last doe in heat bleat before my hunt ended. As I watched the shadows were growing longer and soon darkness would descend in the ravine. Roughly in the last 10mins. I heard a loud splash at the creek to my right and looked for the cause. Soon I spotted a deer body between the saplings. All I had was the outline of the front of a deer body with a nice exposure of the boiler room. With only minutes left of legal shooting time I took the shot. I heard the deer drop and prepared to hike down the hill to the location. To my surprise I was rewarded with a really nice buck.
So, my now preferred tactic to hunt deer is don’t chase them but let them come to you. Here it’s I see you before you see me.
Ed
