Smart or Not? you be the judge..add your Encounter please..

Hoss · Post by **Hoss** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 12:11 am

I replied to the thread about being quiet in the woods and got to thinking about this and thought it was important enough to share as a thread topic and to start a thread on encounters. I’m sure my encounter may get some at least to look over your shoulder...

I saw a buck during bow season do an amazing thing. I was hunting a east west tree line next to an old hay meadow that hadn’t been worked in a few years...I had been watching a nice 8 point cross the field about 100 yds out up wind. He was a nice little buck not mature but nice. He had no idea I was there. I was watching to see where he would travel for future ideas on where to scout and set up later...He had been wandering around in the field a bit and nibbling everything he could as he slowly made his way across. The field was kind of grown up a bit about 4 ft tall. ...A vehicle came down the road and parked at the entrance to the field where the tractors normally came into the field. The buck was out kind of in the middle of the field about 30 yds from the dirt road that ran thru it and probably about 200 yds from the entrance where this truck stopped.. The buck saw him stop his truck and as soon as this guy got out of his truck he laid down. The guy mills around a bit gathers all his gear and makes his way down the road right by the buck and the buck never moved..I watched thru my binocs in amazement as the buck seemed to know exactly where this guy was as he went by.. I’m sure he heard every step he took. I could not believe what I was seeing going on here. That young buck waited until the guy was past him about 75 yds or so, stood up and ran without making a noise to the corner of the field away from this guy who was walking down this old road. When the buck reached the corner of the field he stopped and turned around and watched this guy walk on as if he was examining his every move. After a few minutes he just stepped into the corner and vanished. This guy never looked back never heard the buck, and never even knew what had just happened and I was left in AWE. So I know some are very smart or educated as to what is danger and they act accordingly I saw it. Since that happened I always look over my shoulder and not just once. I guess if I was on the menu I would hope that I would be as wise as this young buck was...So don’t fool yourself they are animals but some are smarter than others for sure...

bob1961 · Post by **bob1961** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:59 am

i had seen a buck come to a grass field that was maybe 3' tall max....he got down and belly crawled across the field with all but the tips of his antlers showing, that was bout 60 yards wide at it's narrowest part....got to the other side bot up and walked into the woods....watched all this from my treestand bout 75 yards away in archery season....i was just barely able to see him so anyone from the ground most likely could have

.................bob

....

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:22 am

Small hunting area Hoss? Sounds like he may have learned to adapt his survival skills to accommodate a smaller bush, I see it (similar) around here too.

Cossack · Post by **Cossack** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:23 am

Some time ago I watched as a doe and her fawn (still in spots) crossed a large wheat field. They were about a 100 yards away form the road they were going to cross when a car approached. They lay down in the knee-high wheat until the car passed. They had to lay absolutely flat to avoid being detected.
On another occasion I watched through binoculars while a drive developed on the adjacent hill. What appeared to be a yearling doe moved leisurely ahead of the drivers. As she approached the posters, she crawled into the top of a tree that had been logged off for timber. A poster passed within yards of her! When he had passed some distance, she crawled out and proceeded in the direction she had come from.

Another time I saw signs in the snow where a deer had crawled on her knees over open ice to avoid detection. The cattails between me and the deer kept her from being seen until she was well behind the drive.

Dumb they (usually) ain't.

Nocturnal · Post by **Nocturnal** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:24 am

Sorry Hoss,not trying to hijack your thread,but this is the reason i started the other.I was living in a house in a wide open overgrown feild.A hunting club had rights to the land surrounding me.Every time them guys would start putt...puttin..down their trails,the deer would start pouring out the woods straight into the feild and lay there until dusk when the hunters would leave.As soon as that last ATV would roll out,within a couple minutes the deer would head back in.I've watched this numerous times and was amazed at how SLICK they really are.It is said that 95% of Mature bucks die from old age.That its self is a testament to their wisdom!

B-Logger · Post by **B-Logger** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 12:08 pm

One of my first eye opening experiences came when we were fixing fences one day. We finished one section so walked the next one south to north to check the fence to see if it needed mending. All was well so we turned around to head back. After about 50 yards, suddenly a nice buck jumped up and ran off into the woods.

As we inspected, that buck had to be laying there as we walked past the first time. The bed was very visible and was not more than 2 feet from where my foot prints were. He was okay as we passed the first time but lost his nerve when we came back.

This has happened many more times since. Sort of makes you wonder just how many times we walk past deer without even knowing they have been there.

Hoss · Post by **Hoss** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 1:06 pm

Pydpiper wrote:Small hunting area Hoss? Sounds like he may have learned to adapt his survival skills to accommodate a smaller bush, I see it (similar) around here too.

Not small but it is PUBLIC land so alot of people educate deer out here..They are the toughest to hunt ( educated deer) in my opinion. Jack and I where talking just yesterday about this very thing and how any deer you kill out here from a doe to a buck is a trophy for that reason..

Hey no prob Nocturnal Infact sorry if i stole your idea didnt mean to.. I thought it would be cool to have ENCOUNTERS that could educate some even me..

MADMAX2 · Post by **MADMAX2** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 2:53 pm

Just this past hunt last week eight hunters walked past 25yards from where 3 deer lay in the goldenrod field one hunter set up on the edge of that field and after everone past they stood up and bolted in the direction we just came from the closest hunter shot the first one

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:25 pm

There was this one doe last year that used to wear skimpy cocktail dresses and bring me a vodka on the rocks at the conclusion of every evening hunt.

I thank my lucky stars I never did find her bedding area.

chris4570 · Post by **chris4570** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 7:53 pm

I had a deer trail me after I had jumped it. The tracks in the snow revealed this to me.

Canabow · Post by **Canabow** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:17 am

I think deer learn this from when they are first born. They stay in one spot bedded down as thier mothers feed. By not moving around they dont spread thier scent to coyotes bears and such.