Spooked a buck, should I let the stand rest?

[mmcdonough]

First evening sit tonight. I had been getting some great results on a trail cam right under one of the stands I hunt. Nothing came by during shooting light so I waited til right before dark to walk out. Right when I was about to leave I heard one coming in down the trail I had walked in on.

He turned the corner and looked right up at me in the stand. I froze and didn’t move a muscle but he knew something was up. He backed out and jogged off back the way he came. I heard him cut through the woods and go around me in the direction he wanted to go before he spotted me.

My question is should I give that stand a rest for awhile? I didn’t scare him to bad. He just knew something was off. There’s other bucks back there but he is one of the bigger bucks I had seen on camera. I have other stands setup but that has been my most promising spot. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[TSAMP]

Yikes. Its never good when they look up. Sounds like he's got you pegged in my opinion. Im a firm believer in your first sits usually your best. Id give it a rest and possibly relocate the setup slightly if it's possible to do so.

 

[cwj]

If you didnt spook him to bad, I wouldn’t worry to much about it he probably didn’t pay it to much attention

 

[*zap*]

I bet he was smelling where you walked as he came down the trail and then as he turned the corner your scent stream hit him in the face. Unless you were moving that would explain him looking right at you. In which case he knows a human was sitting there and probably will not be there again in daylight.

 

[Werty]

Move your stand to the other escape route or just move it so your not in his line of sight.

 

[huntngolf]

I would give the stand at least a week break, longer if you can. If the buck is still around hes going to be looking up there again the next few times he comes by. If your not there he may get comfortable with the area again and forget about the encounter with you.
Is there any way to change your entry and exit route so the deer doesn't use the same trail?

 

[Yard Candy]

I bet he was smelling where you walked as he came down the trail and then as he turned the corner your scent stream hit him in the face. Unless you were moving that would explain him looking right at you. In which case he knows a human was sitting there and probably will not be there again in daylight.

I'm inclined to agree with this. I've had numerous deer have a staring contest with me while sitting in the stand. So far I've won all of those contests, and those deer are all dead now

Also, just my opinion, I wouldn't set up the stand in a way where the deer are walking directly under you. They'll likely smell you. Also don't share their paths as you walk in. I would set the stand up so it is overlooking their paths, but not directly on it.

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[mmcdonough]

I would give the stand at least a week break, longer if you can. If the buck is still around hes going to be looking up there again the next few times he comes by. If your not there he may get comfortable with the area again and forget about the encounter with you.
Is there any way to change your entry and exit route so the deer doesn't use the same trail?

Unfortunately not, it’s on the very edge of the property I hunt sitting on the corner of two intersecting trails. The only other way in is to beat through a ton of thick nasty brush or go on the neighbors which isn’t an option.

I had the wind in my face when he came by so I’d be shocked if he smelled me. I think he probably saw my outline in the stand and he knew something was up. I’m gonna give it a rest for a week or two and try a different stand.

 

[mmcdonough]

I'm inclined to agree with this. I've had numerous deer have a staring contest with me while sitting in the stand. So far I've won all of those contests, and those deer are all dead now

Also, just my opinion, I wouldn't set up the stand in a way where the deer are walking directly under you. They'll likely smell you. Also don't share their paths as you walk in. I would set the stand up so it is overlooking their paths, but not directly on it.

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I was actually expecting him to come up from the other trail. That’s where the majority of my pics pegged him and the other bucks at. The stand definitely isn’t the greatest for bow. It’s set about 6 ft off the trail but still to close. Hard to see what’s coming until all the leaves drop. It’s mostly used for rifle.

 

[D.Blake]

I had a doe spot me two years ago in early in September. Hit the field edge and looked right at me, 20 yards away.

For the rest of the season that damn doe would feed out in front of me every afternoon/evening and watch me constantly. She never blew, she never ran or stomped at me, but she knew something wasnt right. If I scratched my nose or checked my phone she would whip her head around and just glare at me. Even when she was 200 yards out she would be casually feeding in the beans like nothing was wrong... and through my binos i would watch her lift her head and look right. at. me. Made it pretty tough to relax.

Needless to say... when rifle season came around, the old gal hit the freezer!

Deer get spooked all the time. you could give it a little break but don't get too stressed about it. That likely wasn't the first (or last) weird thing that buck encountered that day, and i'm sure you're thinking a lot more about him than he is about you

 

[mmcdonough]

Deer get spooked all the time. you could give it a little break but don't get too stressed about it. That likely wasn't the first (or last) weird thing that buck encountered that day, and i'm sure you're thinking a lot more about him than he is about you

Good point, I've definitely been thinking about him all day and night since it happened haha. I think I'm going to try and setup on him further down the trail he came in on. Maybe get a better chance on him with more daylight. I have a spot in mind where I think he's bedding. Just need to throw a cam out to confirm my suspicions.

 

[jt4]

There was a study a few years back done in the south on things like this. It noted that each time a deer went by an occupied stand they would increase the distance they walked from it every time. I want to say the number they came up with was around 10 days before the deer got within shooting distance (40 yards or so) of an unoccupied stand they were spooked by or caught scent from. I'd give it a little break, but doesn't sound too concerning.

If you didn't get blown at or stomped at you're much better off. If it was me I would just not go back for the next few days.

 

[mmcdonough]

If you didn't get blown at or stomped at you're much better off. If it was me I would just not go back for the next few days.

Yea he didn't blow or stomp at me. He just backed out slowly and then jogged off about as quick as he came in. Ended up cutting through the thick brush in front of me and connecting onto the trail he wanted to go down before our encounter. I was frozen in the stand so he didn't see me move but he knew something was wrong. I'm definitely going to give it a rest. Probably until next week. Got another stand in mind that I want to try anyways.

 

[Glendon Mullins]

If he didnt blow or stomp or other wise run like hell breaking brush, i would go back in about 3 days, he was coming through there for a reason

unless like u said u got other places your wanting to try anyways

 

[Newtosavage]

I'd give it a rest if I was hoping to shoot that specific deer. Other deer prolly won't care. But in my experience, I doubt you'll see that buck on that trail again anytime soon. If you do, you can bet he'll be checking that tree 1st thing.

 

[mmcdonough]

I'd give it a rest if I was hoping to shoot that specific deer. Other deer prolly won't care. But in my experience, I doubt you'll see that buck on that trail again anytime soon. If you do, you can bet he'll be checking that tree 1st thing.

There's a bigger buck back there that I have yet to put eyes on but this guy was number 2 on my hit list so still a bummer.

 

[mmcdonough]

It just occurred to me that the buck may have spotted the glow in the dark ring on my bow sight. I noticed it when I was getting out of my stand. I had the bow on my lap with the sight facing his direction. The thing was lit up like a Christmas tree. Gonna need a cover for that thing next time I stay til dark.

 

[HighwayGuy]

I’d move up the trail in the direction he came from by at least 100 yards.


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[Matt mi]

Leave the stand and hang one by it enter different way had to kill an old doe that way she would come in looking right at the stand everytime she busted me getting in one afternoon kept her attention off me killed her the first sit in other stand

 

[Thess87]

I would probably rest it and I would wait till dark to get out of your stand action or not. You never know how far they are and there a lot more tolerant to something in pitch black then in low light.