The year before they extended the archery season farther into November. I was out pulling a treestand the day after archery closed (didn't want it up during gun season). I was standing at the base of the tree and heard that leaf crunch cadence of a buck on a zombie march. Turned around and the buck I'd been hunting all season was walking straight to me. He got to about 10 yards, saw me leaning against the tree trunk, did a half circle around me and marched to about 3 yards before he caught my wind and blew out of there.

 

A nice 8 point came into my stand at about 12 yards just as I sat down 15 feet up an old locust tree with my bow still on the ground. He stood there for a long time. When he looked away I would pull on the bow pull string and he would hear the noise in the leaves as I tried to raise the bow and he would look at my bow. After about 3-4 attempts and not being able to get my bow fully off the ground he came over a few steps and stared at my bow for a minute or two then shook his head and walked away......bummer....

 

Grunted a nice 6pt in many years ago. He was crossing a field and came straight at me and came right to the base of my ladderstand. As he turned I drew back. Well my arrow fell of the rest. I was at full draw trying to get it back on the rest, it fell off the string and clinked and clanged hitting the ladder on the way to the ground. The buck ran off about to about 60 yards away and stopped. I nocked another arrow and grunted him back to about 30 yards but he stayed behind a bush and I couldn't get a shot. He ended up wandering off not responding to anymore grunt calls.

 

Directly under

 

One year on the rifle opener I got to my spot and was waiting for the sun to rise. As the sun came up and you could just see about 50 yards a group of does got kicked out by the neighbors getting into their stand late and they ran straight at me. The lead doe slid to a stop five feet in front of me. I could have poked her in the eye with my rifle.

Another year I was in a small ground blind at sunrise on the rifle opener and heard something running towards me at sunrise. A fisher came down the edge of the ridge I was sitting on and stopped six inches from the side of my blind trying to figure out how to get into in. I sat their whistling at it with my rifle out the window just inches above it's head. If it decided to go under the fabric I feel like self defense would have been fine justification for ending him. That blind was way too small to try to win a territory war with of of those things. On the third whistle he finally realized what I was and he took off back up the ridge.

 

I’ve had numerous deer right under my stand over the years. Some I got some I missed some i didn’t want to shoot or didn’t get a shot.
every time I’d take my daughter out for early youth doe it would be a buck parade. One spike buck came right across a field to us and sniffed our boots. Watched other nice bucks make scrapes right in front of us.
Had a turkey hen between my boots once in spring. Had one this year I could have grabbed. Circling me and calling. I’ve had owls hit branches right beside me to check me out. Some squirrels that had me nervous.
Had a bear cub come up the tree beside. I could’ve touched it with an arrow. Many close encounters over the years.

 

I've actually had several close calls:

Once while turkey hunting I had a small doe come close enough that I could have poked her with my shotgun barrel.

Once while deer hunting I was crouched behind a blow down and someone spooked two does right at me, at the last second they split and jumped over the log a few feet on either side of me.

Once while walking out from an archery hunt, bucks were chasing does all over, and it was getting too dark to see. I wanted to climb down, but I didn't want to blow up my spot. So I waited until the activity died down, climbed down, gathered my gear and walked to an overgrown gas line right of way that headed towards my truck, all with no flashlight. As I'm walking up the gas line I start hearing pounding hoof beats. I stopped in my tracks trying to hear where they were coming from, and quickly realized that they were coming down the gas line right at me. I fumbled getting my flashlight out of my pocket and got it turned on just as a big doe lurched to a stop mere feet from me and swapped ends and took off. In those brief seconds I had visions of someone finding my sorry dead carcass with hoof prints going up my chest and down my back like some bad cartoon.

 

Does it count if you hit one with the truck? Because of so.. pretty close.

 

I was sitting at the base of a small tree with my legs straight out along a small fallen log. A spike buck came off the hill and jumped over the log and my legs. I could have stabbed him with a knife. Same spot, not a deer, but a grouse glided past my head and lit on the other side of the log. Less than 2 feet away but not visible. Finally, after maybe 30 seconds it stuck its head up. It knew something wasn't right but cautiously walked off 20 yds and flew. A squirrel ran up the right to me before it stopped and saw me. It decided to get out of there, not if a big hurry though. Only started bow hunting when I retired and I only hunt from the ground. I've had lots of close encounters since bow hunting. Love it.

 

Couldn't get a shot, the lady at the double diamond deer ranch would probably be quicker to the trigger

 

Is that too close

 

Below me and 6 ft on the ground

 

I had a nice one straight down get away from me about 5 minutes into the season last year. I was frozen and should have been drawn but messed it up. It was not the first day but I think the first Tuesday, I've never shot a buck that early.

 

Literally 2 yards in front of me. Button buck. Got out of the ground blind to take a leak, looked to my right and he approached. Was pretty cool.

 

In spring turkey I was sitting on the ground with my back against a tree and had a yearling deer step on my foot.

 

Directly under my tree stand, numerous times.

 

MANY years ago had a button buck under my stand in archery.Had a rubber blunt in my quiver.Took it out , lined up,dropped it in the mid of shoulder blades.Legs went straight out and took off.Went 20 yds ,looked around and went back to feeding.

 

I was sitting in a row of pine trees and had a six pointer come in to less than ten feet for well over twenty feet. He kept really thick bushes and branches from a blow down between me and him. I pulled my bow back so many times and for so long that when he finally walked away I went home because my arms were too tired and sore to pull the vow back again.

 

I had a nice buck within 8 ft back in 2020.
I decided to ground hunt a spot I had prepped and was tucked in behind a bush right off a 2 track trail on private land. It rained the night before and was very quiet, after not seeing any movement I started to 'daydream' or at least wasn't focused on shooting deer.
I don't know how I missed the movement but by the time I knew something was coming he was almost on top of me. We locked eyes at ground level and he shot off. Never even had a chance to move my bow. Needless to say I sat there for a good hour trying to figure out just happened and how I blew it.
I had a trail cam setup about 60-70 yards from the spot and decided to check it later that morning, here he is trying to figure out what he saw.

 

Had a spike at the bottom of a 20' tree stand sniffing the ladder. I had some leftover "juice" on my gloves and climbed it with them on. Funny, he turned around and walked back the same trail.

 

The biggest buck ive ever seen live and in the woods i had hunted a lot of a season. The last day he had returned from galavanting to his core the evening prior. I setup the next evening and here he came on a string only to bed at 20 yards with no shot. I waited for him to move and he never did. At dark I threw my scent shield bottle at him in disgust. He was a true tank of a buck.

 

A massive 9pt. at maybe 8 yards. A hot doe was working her way through the brush in front of me and popped out just below in my shooting lane. I could see and hear him right behind her. I thought he would do the same thing. Nope, he came straight toward me behind an oak. He was looking for her for 10 minutes (or who knows how long my heart was racing so fast). At no point could I see more than his butt or his massive headgear. He turned directly back into the brush looking for her.

 

Sniffing the tree I had climbed. I eventually shot him at 14 yards after he walked off and turned.

 

Straight down...more than once....

 

Had a decent 8 point at about 5 yards last year on the first week of Nov. He came from might right rear and was moving under me and never stopped. It happens a lot if your picky about your shots, which can be a little of a lost art.

 

Twice but not deer hunting. Turkey hunting at base of tree and a doe and hours old fawn at arms reach passed by.
Another turkey hunt buddy and I were back to back at a tree and he was calling. Spike walked up, sniffed my boots then walked around to check out buddy . He wandered off.