How close is too close?

[mulveymo]

The setup: a canyon hellhole that has good water, cover, food, and a pretty good number of bucks for my area (Southern California... To be fair, one buck is a "pretty good number" out here). The best glassing point is close to the thickest timber, ~100yds away and up a steep face. Would you be concerned glassing that close to bedding cover for extended periods, especially early when thermals are dropping? If they dump out of the cover into the open canyon floor I've got good shooting coverage, as long as they don't haul straight up and over an adjacent ridge I'd get a shot.

Apologies for the dumb question, I'm a reformed whitetail hunter and not used to things that are hard to kill

 

[WeiserBucks]

100 yards is way to close in my opinion.

 

[Wacko]

I used to live in and hunt Cali. The deer there are few and far between. If you found a pocket...I would find a way to glass from further out. It is usually way to dry, noisy, and hot (switchy thermals) for you to get that close. You will be "the center of attention" and they will move out....

On final approach...sure get as close as you can...glassing - nope...

 

[Nickofthewoods]

I've seen Mule Deer wind me from like 300 yards away so I also say too close. Especially if you are hanging out there for hours as wind directions and thermals change.

 

[mulveymo]

I used to live in and hunt Cali. The deer there are few and far between. If you found a pocket...I would find a way to glass from further out. It is usually way to dry, noisy, and hot (switchy thermals) for you to get that close. You will be "the center of attention" and they will move out....

On final approach...sure get as close as you can...glassing - nope...

The options aren't great, which is one of the reasons I think there's deer in this spot is because you really can't glass it from a long ways away. I can see about half of it from 400yds, but that's a dice roll whether or not a deer will step out where I can see them.

 

[TaperPin]

I enjoy hunting areas that can’t be glassed from farther away, but it’s a lot like still hunting and you usually have to see them first. Glass everything as it first comes into sight, move a small amount, glass again, move and glass, move and glass. At anytime one may jump up and run off, and you’ll wish it were possible to turn back the clock and try it again slower with more glassing. I’ve done this all morning without as much as a fresh track, sat down for lunch, started moving again and 50 yards from where I had been sitting for a half hour was was a big bedded deer in a slight depression that jumped up and hauled ass.

As I mentioned in one of the other mulie threads, a good friend gets pooped out and will set up within rifle range of a big bedding hill side or ridge in hopes of finding hidden deer. He’s had one sit for hours hunkered down at 200 yards, but the deer’s nerves eventually got to him and he tried to pussy foot away. His hunting style has convinced me many hunkered down large deer are quite close as we walk by them every year.

Hunting this way is an arrow in your tool kit that isn’t easy to do well, and many won’t even try, but if life throws you lemons it’s a good skill to have. Do mountain lions think to themselves, “you know these deer are pretty close I’ll just stay home,” or do they slow way down and tip toe around until they either scare ‘em off or grab one by the throat.

 

[Jason Snyder]

It’s not too close if you don’t get winded and busted. If you do, it was too close.

 

[NJ-Hunting]

Like said above, if the winds right. I don’t think it’s too close

 

[cbrown139]

Got to play the wind for sure

 

[robby denning]

100 yards is way to close in my opinion.

Agreed

 

[Bownanza]

100 yards way to close one swirl of the wind it’s all over.

 

[Shadow Walker]

Too close…