Wait em out or make them stand?

[Clarkdale17]

So you've successfully stalked into range on a bedded buck during archery season. You can see his rack and the top of his body. The way the buck is bedded you do not have a shot, but if the deer stands up you will likely have a shot over the obstruction covering him at the moment.

Wind is currently steady and into your face. Do you wait him out and hope the wind doesn't shift or do you give him a small grunt to make him stand and hopefully get a shot and why?

 

[mike.adams.467]

I would not give away my position. He may (big may) give you a shot, but it’s likely he going to be looking at you.


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[Northpark]

Remi Warren did a podcast on this. From him (a guy with way more experience than me) it sounds very situational and mostly a 50/50 proposition.

 

[Jbenson]

From my experience, making noise to get them out of their bed never ends well..

 

[gledeasy]

Last year I faced a similar situation. I pretty much decided I was going to pass but wanted to practice drawing on a deer. He was only 15 yards, so I ended up throwing a rock over him. Took a couple rocks before he stood, and wasn't long before he laid back down. Went through the process 2 more times. Worked pretty well in my situation, but that's just one experience.

Hindsight is 20/20 as I wish I hadn't have passed him. I ended up blowing him out after my pants got caught in my cam. I'll never forget our little head on stare down once he realized I was there.

 

[Redarrow]

Wait them out unless the wind is iffy

 

[Mountain_Life]

Depends on the caliber of buck. A mature buck will usually blow out of his bed like a rocket if he hears an unnatural noise within 20 yards or a rock mysteriously falls from the sky and bounces through his bedroom. Waiting within bow range for a long period of time without the wind swirling is also a gamble unless the terrain is in your favor. But that's why we hunt mature bucks right?

If its not an old buck, the chance of it standing and looking at the noise is a lot better.

 

[willfrye027]

I shot at a bedded buck this year. Biggest deer I’ve ever had an opportunity at. 58 yards, light wind. I drew behind a big rock on my knees and slowly stood up. Pin settled on his vitals and I touched it off with a surprise release.

he was on his feet and the arrow stuck in the dirt where his vitals has been a half second earlier.

my wife was watching from afar and the other bucks in the bachelor herd saw movement and all stood in their beds when I stood up. He was probably on alert but stayed bedded...big deer are smart

 

[sagebuster]

Have to laugh. Over the years I've stalked numerous bedded bucks to well within 20 yards, then had to wait for what seemed like forever for them to stand up. Getting a standing broadside when they finally stood up seemed a 1 in a million chance from there. Inevitably, it was the wind that gave me up long before that, even though I was dead sure it was blustering in my face. Then one year I saw a video by South Cox, where he stalked big bucks into stick bow range and tossed a pocketful of rocks at them to get them to stand up. So I always stalked with rocks in my pocket after that. First time I stalked down on a nice shooter, I waited a good half hour, then tossed a rock at him...and hit him in the back. He blew out of his bed like he was hit by lightning. And so it goes. I still carry rocks in my pocket, depend on the breeze to hold to my advantage. My success rate hasn't changed all that much over the years. It ain't easy out there.

 

[Justinstarr11711@hotmail.]

It depends, if I'm in bow range and I can throw a rock away from me, so when he gets up, he's not looking in my direction.

 

[ColoradoV]

I will never ever ever ever throw a rock.

Very small or 180” bucks may stop but the larger bucks it will never work on.

 

[Squincher]

Might as well wait. You got somewhere else to be?

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Only have a sample size of one here, but I threw rocks last year in CO to stand up the biggest bodied deer I've ever seen. He looked like a calf elk. Had the beer gut, swayed back, going grey, walked all gimpy... all the signs of OLD. I aimed to throw beyond him, and it worked. Sort of. He stood up at 20 yards and just stared directly away from me.

I didn't realize the buck brush was so high though, and when he stood I could only see his head. That one still hurts to think about. I'm no good at guessing antler size, but he was a clean 4x4, heavy mass, and dwarfed any 150" deer I've seen/shot. I eventually got a shot off, as he walked into an opening, but he had seen me by then and he left the scene by the time my arrow arrived.

 

[journeyman713]

Had an interesting similar situation, here's how it went;

Treestand archery whitetail hunting, was doing some grunting an hour before dark. A buck responds by slowly heading my way, he gets less than 50 yards away and beds down. It's obstructed by branches.
As minutes tick by, I consider options to get him on his feet again, too close to grunt again I figured, at this range he would know it's coming from the trees. Could throw something, but it would surely hit the branches between us.
Then the answer, my sidearm is equipped with a laser, I would shine the dot back and forth on the deadfall he is facing. He would respond like a cat, and get up, right? Wrong. Red dots are invisible to deer I am now convinced.
With only minutes of legal light left and his ears facing away from me, aimed grunt tube toward the ground, let out a short grunt.
On his feet he went, headed for my tree, turned broadside 10 yards away - dead buck!

 

[Laramie]

I have used a doe bleat sound with success a few times. I have learned to make this noise with my voice so I'm not carrying anything. The key is to be at full draw any holding still prior to getting him to stand. If he stands with vitals exposed, you win. If not, your chances go south quickly. If you have to draw as the deer is getting up, you will get busted more often.

 

[Clarkdale17]

Appreciate the answers. I had a encounter where I made a deer stand go south two years ago so wanted to see what the general consensus was.

 

[Travis907]

Like most have said, that situation can go against you or in your favor but several things are dependent on it. Every situation is different. I agree it’s a risky situation to try and make him stand, but it can work.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Depends on the caliber of buck. A mature buck will usually blow out of his bed like a rocket if he hears an unnatural noise within 20 yards or a rock mysteriously falls from the sky and bounces through his bedroom. Waiting within bow range for a long period of time without the wind swirling is also a gamble unless the terrain is in your favor. But that's why we hunt mature bucks right?

If its not an old buck, the chance of it standing and looking at the noise is a lot better.

This is really sound advice/response to this question. In the years I’ve hunted velvet deer with my bow, throwing a rock has never worked ever..... tried several times. They almost always bust out like a rocket . Waiting, being patient seems to work the best. Even if the wind swirls, I’ve had the good fortune of having them stand up and look around before bolting. It’s usually only a couple seconds so always be ready. That being said I’ve had them blow out as well.... so usually just going with what your comfortable with in that particular situation is best, than hope for a smidge of luck!
Matt

 

[BBob]

Most often when I've been in close to a bedded buck waiting for him to get out of his bed, the wind will switch and blow him out before I get the chance to shoot him. Not always but more more often then not.

 

[dtrkyman]

Wait them out unless the wind is iffy

It is always iffy where I have been hunting mulies! I swear I am going to start my stalks with the wind at my back!