Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting This has happened to me several times

I left the house 30 minutes before sunrise, got to a spot I wanted to sit about 10 minutes later. I pulled the folding turkey lounger chair off my shoulder and set it up at the base of a tree. One of the roots was in the way and fumbled around with the chair for about a minute to get it right.

I sat down in it to make sure it was all good, then turned to my left to pick up my rifle and there was a buck, 20 yards from me watching the whole thing. As soon as I got my rifle up he made a few leaps off and I bleated with my mouth. He stopped and was facing straight at me. That was it. He ran maybe 25 yards after the shot. A doe busted out a few minutes later.

I've had several times in the past few years when I was unfolding the chair and making noise that a buck would show up within a few minutes. The most important thing about all the times this has happened is the wind was right. I'm continually reminded that having the wind right, allows for a lot of other sins. This is just the beginning of the rut so I'm holding off for a big one next. Just about the quickest hunt to date.

Nice

Cool buck and rifle! Great hunt!

Good story and congratulations!

👍👍

They can be curious at times for sure!

Congrats!

Very cool buck!

You were on the X!

Sounds like a fun but short hunt. Congrats.
What caliber is your ultralight Ruger?

Ditto^^^^

I had a buck run in on me once just after I finished climbing up a tree making all kinds of scraping sounds with my Summit tree climber.

Shortest opening day of my life.

Got back to camp and one of the old timers asked what I forgot when I opened the door.

Nice deer!

When I first started going Deer Hunting with my Father, years ago, I had read all about it and had bought cover scents, camo, etc.. Dad said it was all pretty much useless, the deer could smell me anyway, and if I didn't hold still, they'd see me.

"Just move slowly and deliberately, and pay real close attention to the wind, that's the only thing that beats their nose" was his advice.

He was right.

Yep, happened once when I was brushing up a tree for a possible stand site and a buck ran right up within several yards of the tree looking around. Then second day of our gun season one year I was walking around doing my version of still hunting when I came across a fresh scrape. With nothing else to do, I noisily climbed my way into a spruce tree about 30 yards down wind of the scrape and broke lots of branches doing it. Well, not 10 minutes later out runs an 8 point buck right back toward the scrape. That one came home with me.

I had a buck run up to the blind while I was nailing the roof on, probably thought the noise was other bucks fighting, of course I had no gun.

Thanks, it's a 257 Roberts.

Great buck and story!

I once arrived at my hunting spot with a friend, we got out of the truck and were discussing if I should move the truck with camper back a few feet to make it more level, I looked over my buddies shoulder and there was a buck about 30ft behind him looking at us, I grabbed my rifle and shot the buck, walked back and shut my truck off as it was still idling.

How does the old saying go....the fastest way to ruin a good deer hunt is to shoot a buck.

That makes the story even better!

I have had them walk up while I was installing a tree stand or climbing with a climbing stand.

I’ve had that happen twice with young bucks sneaking in to see what was going on when I was using a climber…
My assumption being that they thought there was another buck making a rub.

I was just about to post the same exact thing. I’ve climbed a few times and had bucks come right in to the noise.
I climbed down one eve and was getting my gun/pack ready and a nice 10pt heard the noise and came in for a free truck ride home.
No doubt that raking trees gets their juices flowing. 👍