One of the thrills of bowhunting is how close deer get. What’s the closest encounter you’ve had where you didn’t get the shot? (For me it was a buck at 6 yards, completely behind brush… still haunts me!
Closest You’ve Ever Had a Deer Without a Shot
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OCDFogh44
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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.
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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.
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Below me and 6 ft on the ground
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Is that too close
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Couldn't get a shot, the lady at the double diamond deer ranch would probably be quicker to the trigger
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In spring turkey I was sitting on the ground with my back against a tree and had a yearling deer step on my foot.
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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.
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Does it count if you hit one with the truck? Because of so.. pretty close.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Directly under
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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. 
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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....
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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.
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