high pressure public land deer
 

at least the ones I've seen,don't come walking slowly. They're always on a steady jog and never allow me much time to do anything about the situation. They will appear out of nowhere most times in a direction I'm not looking, and be gone in 3 seconds literally. In those 3 seconds, I'm trying to catch a tenth second window wherethe deer isnot looking my way so I can draw all the while looking for a shooting lane all the while heart jumping out of chest. It aint workin'.

Twice this year that's already happened and I want to know if there's anything I can do about it. I thought that instead of waiting for three things to happen 1- chance to draw 2- clearing to shoot 3- deer to stop or slow down in that clearing... that I should just stop the deer in mid jog then just draw and hope that it doesn't immediately bolt and happens to be in a shooting lane. What do you think?

These same deer will almost never come out until legal light is just about over too but there's nothing anyone can do about that.

Thanks for any suggestions.

RE: high pressure public land deer
 

I honestly would draw while the deer is on the move, this may accomplish a few things:

1. It's more difficult for the deer to pick up your movement when he's moving.
2. The deer may actually stop to "see what the movement was" and if you're already drawn then... thunk!

Also, I've learned that when I'm hunting deer on heavily hunted public land I have my bow as close to me as possible and not on a hanger in the tree.

If there is a place to put a ground blind, that may be a viable option as well. Good Luck!

RE: high pressure public land deer
 

I will try that next time. I guess I'm just too careful in trying to avoid being busted that my chances get busted instead.

RE: high pressure public land deer
 

One other viable option is : Since you are hunting on public land, I would assume that your stand is not perminant. You would most likely be in a climber. So take the climber and move closer in to the area from which the deer are coming. They may not get to you until almost last light, but what is keeping you from going to them? If you move further up their trail, then it will be earlier , the next time they come by. If it is still not enough, note where they are when you first see them, and move even further up their trail. Keep working your way back until you can get a shot opportunity with decent light.

RE: high pressure public land deer
 

I thought about that as well MichaelT but in that particular spot, I've seen deer coming and going in both directions morning and evening. In fact this very last time I was out, at about 5min before end of legal lightI had the one doe come from the north then disappear into a brush pile 40 yards away from me. I didn't want to get down from fear of spooking it because I knew it had not left the area.Then about 10min after legal light it stepped out and started foraging about right towards my tree. At the same time another one started foraging from due south and yet another from the southeast. It's a bit of a predicament.