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. 👍

Love the Ruger and the chambering. that buck will be soft as butter!


couple years ago, when i could still hike a buddy and i drove around the mountain above my house on logging roads and parked about half way up the slope.
Bob went south on the old logging road and I cut a trail going straight up the mountain through a clear cut. about 2k rise and half mile distance.
got to the top of the peak and it leveled off into thick new growth tamarack and fir.
started seeing lots of wolf sign so decided not to go into the brush.
when i turned around there was a nice 4x5 whitetail buck about 25 yards back on the trail i had just climbed.
had just bought a Mauser in 300 win mag topped with a 4x16 scope. had it on 6. when i threw it up to shoot all i could was hair. touched it off and shot over his back.
he trotted off another 10 yards and i drilled him.
about the time i was cutting out the tender loins the wolves started singing in a half circle back in the reprod. pucker factor jumped about 10 fold.
my Friend heard the shot and showed up just as i finished boning the deer out, so we packed up the meat and started back down the trail i had walked up.
that busk had been bedded down about 50 yards up from the road, had let me pass and bird dogged me all the way to the top. now i ain't the best looking guy but don't think i look like the back side of a whitetail doe, maybe a donkey but not a deer. i guess he was just curious. him and the cat.
those wolves kept us company all the way to the truck.

Like others have stated it's happened to me making some light but clinking noises using a climbing stand. Always a buck when it happened. I think particularly when approaching or in the rut they are prone to investigate anything they think might be other deer, or in the case of light clicking noises possibly thinking it's 2 other buck messing around.

1 time while climbing a tree I took a break and looking out through the woods past the tree I was climbing I seen a sapling going back and forth and around in circles. Yep, a buck was raking a tree. He came in looking for me until he got 20 yds beside me directly downwind then it was all over.

Another time climbing I just got done and got my bow up and could hear 2 buck clicking horns together right behind me. Nothing serious and when it was over 1 of them came right through, again acting like he was looking for me. Plenty close but never offered a shot.

I was building a stand in a tree one sunny afternoon, sawing and hammering away. I stopped for a water break and look up and there was a nice 8 point feeding in the soy beans 20 yards away. Not a care in the world.

Also, a few different times when I've helped my Uncle cut and split wood along the river bottom, we'd have deer walk right past us and the running tractor, chainsaws etc. One was a really nice 10 point.