How will a buck react?

[Rich M]

Just saw a picture of a guy holding a trophy and the hillside behind him was snowed, pretty vivid.

Assuming the buck was bedded - how would a mature buck react if a hunter worked across the hillside, across the valley? Say 1,000 yards away?

Would he relocate or would he just watch the orange blob work across the hillside?

 

[Wapiti1]

Depends on a few things. Same side? If you can stay reasonably out of sight, and the wind is good, it's a dead deer. Across the canyon, if the buck thinks he is hidden, he may tolerate you for a good while. He may even stay there the whole time, until you stop. Then, things better happen fast, or he will boogie.

It really depends on where he is at and if he feels like he's hidden. Figure you'll get into 400-500 yards, but closer is a crap shoot. This assumes he hasn't been harassed much. If he's been shot at or pushed, he'll vamoose before you decide what your next move is.

Jeremy

 

[Khuntbarney]

Depends on a few things. Same side? If you can stay reasonably out of sight, and the wind is good, it's a dead deer. Across the canyon, if the buck thinks he is hidden, he may tolerate you for a good while. He may even stay there the whole time, until you stop. Then, things better happen fast, or he will boogie.

It really depends on where he is at and if he feels like he's hidden. Figure you'll get into 400-500 yards, but closer is a crap shoot. This assumes he hasn't been harassed much. If he's been shot at or pushed, he'll vamoose before you decide what your next move is.

Jeremy

I agree if the buck thinks he’s hidden he most likely will just hunker down until he thinks you see him. Then when he would bust out he most likely would go over the top and j hook and Re bed watching his backtrack

 

[highcountrymuley]

I hiked on ridgetop back to trailhead and saw buck bedded about 1/3 down from top on next ridge over, parallel to the ridge I was on. 200 yards away, he thought he was safe and hidden. He never moved as I got set up on tripod and laid him down in his bed. He was not an old buck but a nice young 4 point.

 

[Firestone]

Way to many variables to make an accurate call, early season or rut? Are they used to seeing hikers or not? General unit or limited entry? One buck might hold tight and not give two shits, while another would take off to the next county. I tend to play the worst case senerio game and try not to take any shortcuts

 

[Bubblehide]

Over the years (decades) I have seen bucks do pretty much everything, from staying put, taking off , tucking into very thick brush and coming out when the danger (humans) are gone, to literally laying down behind a very large downed tree trunk and laying their antlers (one side) on the ground making themselves not visible to hunters as they pass the bucks, as they hike the trail literally 15 yards from the bucks.