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Deer Sleeping
Well Ive been hunting all day,and I had a pretty unique experience. I was looking around, wasn't seeing much, and then all of a sudden as I turned to my right, I could see a cape/chest of a deer but the rest of the body was behind a tree. So I watched it for a second and when he walked I realized he was a little basket racked 8 pointer. He was only about35 yards away from me. Well he was walking real slow and digging in the dirt with his nose, I couldn't figure out what he was doing and then he started walking right at me! He walked all the way til he was about 25 yards from me and then he just kneeled down and bedded there! I couldn't believe it...I literally said "Oh my god come on" Because I knew I was gonna be froze and not be able to move since he was looking straight at me while he was bedded. So anyways he laid there for about an hour and 45 minutes and I finally got to see a deer sleep. It was really neat because I had always wondered how they slept. He would close his eyes for about 10 minutes and you could see his head fall down and then he would wake up and look around for about 10 minutes, then would get sleepy again, close his eyes, and sleep for about 10 more minutes. He did that for the whole time he was there. I had to move and look around when he was sleeping, lol. When he wasn't I just stared at him and used him for my eyes. I got ahold of my dad on the radio when the buck was sleeping and told him I was pinned down and couldn't leave, so my dad gradually started walking to me and when he did the buck saw him, and I kid you not he ran so hard and so fast out of there and NEVER MADE A SINGLE NOISE- I was only about 25 yards from him and I never heard a leaf crunch. He was jumping over logs and running down hills, and he never even made a noise loud enough for me to hear from 25 yards away. Made me wonder how many deer have WALKED past me if he was running that hard and I couldn't even hear him when all my attention wason him. And he blended in absolutely amazing. Its really neat when you get to observe them for a while and learn their behavior. Today was a day when I definitely would have just preferred to watch him, it was just a different experience.
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RE: Deer Sleeping
That's neat to see. I walked up to about50 yards on bedded 1-1/2 year buck this year. He was doing the same thing you talked about. I watched him for about 20 minutes or so then back tracked and took the long way out of the woodsso I wouldn't spook him. It was cool to see.
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RE: Deer Sleeping
I had a buck bed down 14 yds away for 3:40 last year. His head was behind a tree, though...most of the time...so my movement wasn't an issue.
He only got up when some other deer entered later in the day. I also saw 4 sparring matches between 6 different little bucks, that day. It's still what I refr to as my greatest day afield......and I never shot anything.;) Sounds like you had a great day. Congrats. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
ORIGINAL: GMMAT I had a buck bed down 14 yds away for 3:40 last year. His head was behind a tree, though...most of the time...so my movement wasn't an issue. He only got up when some other deer entered later in the day. I also saw 4 sparring matches between 6 different little bucks, that day. It's still what I refr to as my greatest day afield......and I never shot anything.;) Sounds like you had a great day. Congrats. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
When he closed his eyes to sleep, I'd have drawn... ;)
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RE: Deer Sleeping
I had three does bed down no more than 10 yards from me this year...i was frozen!
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RE: Deer Sleeping
cool experience i once saw a video of a guy stalk a deer that was sleeping got to about 15 yards with its head drifting up and down as it slept for a few moments when he drew back and shot him.
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RE: Deer Sleeping
ORIGINAL: Rhody Hunter cool experience i once saw a video of a guy stalk a deer that was sleeping got to about 15 yards with its head drifting up and down as it slept for a few moments when he drew back and shot him. It's kinda funny how they learn what to tone out too, there were all kinds of birds and squirrels (and youknow how loud squirrels can be)right behind him and he ignored them like they weren't even there. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
thats a great story ive always wanted to catch a deer in its natural state like that
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RE: Deer Sleeping
last year I spotted a young eight pointer following some does that were about 75 yards from me, when they decided to bed down. They were on a small ridge so I could see them very well from my tree stand as they laid down in the leaves. The buck bedded down about 15 yards from them which put him about 60 yards from me.
The interesting thing about this was that the buck walked in a circle about 3 times just like a dog before he laid down. Then after he laid down he curled up and actually stuck his nose under his back leg, all you could see was his rack and his brown coat. What was really cool was after watching them for about ten minutes my attention was draw to a sound behind me so I turned around to see what it was. When I turned back around I looked back around to the buck and I couldn't find him, that is until he lifted his head up to look around for a couple of minutes and then stuck his nose under his leg again. He did this for about 45 minutes until the does got up then he got up and followed them. It was amazing how he literally disappeared in plain site of me and how he hid his face under his hind leg. Has anyone ever seen a buck or doe do this? It was one of the neatest things I ever seen a deer do. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
Thats a great story right there. I cant believe your luck ive never had any good luck with deer that are bedded down like that its always just like when i see them their front legs are touching their ass thats how fast their running hahaha.
Ryan. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
I have a friend that CLAIMS to have stalked up on a young deer that was asleep and poke him with a stick.He said that was a mistake and he wouldn't try that agian.:D He claims it jumped very high and kicked and just about got him.
He is a woodsman and he is capable of telling a story or 2 but I can usually read him andI think he just might have done it.[&:] |
RE: Deer Sleeping
I have a story that happened to my hunting buddy last year during the rut...it is still my favorite story ever...anyways...he went out hunting in our woods and this time decided to hunt the ground...he was there maybe 1 hour before seeing a deer...he said a nice 8 pointer probably a 2 year old...he takes the shot and misses(he does that a lot)...the deer takes off and he nocks another arrow...when off to his right in the thicket of the woods he hears all sorts of grunting a comotion...what he sees is none other but a bigger buck giving his love to a doe...you talk about observing these animals in their habitat...thats something to see...he never got a good shot at the beast too much thicket...but everytime he tells that story I can't help but laugh...what are the odds...
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RE: Deer Sleeping
thats wicked cool welcome to hunting, the joys of life. Wish i can see some stuff like that. Could you get a shot at all with it that close?
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RE: Deer Sleeping
Then after he laid down he curled up and actually stuck his nose under his back leg, all you could see was his rack and his brown coat. Another thing.....he groomed himself (licked) JUST LIKE A CAT would. I didn't know they did this. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
ORIGINAL: GMMAT Then after he laid down he curled up and actually stuck his nose under his back leg, all you could see was his rack and his brown coat. Another thing.....he groomed himself (licked) JUST LIKE A CAT would. I didn't know they did this. He was pretty much oblivious to everything, so I honestly believe someone could have crept up on him. But you know, after watching him and laughing at him for so long, I dont know if I could have shot him. Call me weak or not, but I felt different towards this deer than other deer I have seen for some reason! |
RE: Deer Sleeping
Same thing happened to me about 15 years ago and it was exactly like you described. He laid 10 yards from my tree, naturally I only had a doe permit at the time, but it was neat to see. Picture a big dog curled up on the floor. He would fall asleep and his rack would lay on the ground on one side or the other. He would sleep for about 10 minutes then wake up and look around. When he would turn his head a lick his hind quarters I would go to full draw just to see what I could get away with. I drew on him 12 times and he never saw me once. When some rabbit hunters came into the woods with beagles he stood up and just watched the beagles at about 40 yards away. When they left, he walked away. When I climbed down and went to the truck he was out in an open corn stubble field with 2 does. Great experience I'll never forget!
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RE: Deer Sleeping
I snuck up on these two early this fall. Junior was asleep and I was all proud of my stalking ability until I saw mom was watching me the whole time. They both departed shortly after. The fawn actually rested her nose on the ground and didnt tuck it in.
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RE: Deer Sleeping
those are some awesome pictures....
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RE: Deer Sleeping
ORIGINAL: MNpurple Junior was asleep and I was all proud of my stalking ability until I saw mom was watching me the whole time. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
Yeah, thats always a cool experience. Heres a pic of a little doe I had bedded down near my stand earlier this year.
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RE: Deer Sleeping
Wow guys those are some neat pics. My dad went out this afternoon and said the same buck bedded down in the same area again, but he never slept this time. It obviously puts the argument that ladder stands scare deer away to rest, cause he's real close to one!
I don't think I can shoot him if I see him though, something about him just makes me not wanna shoot him! I dont know why! lol. Do you guys think thats weird? Have you guys ever had a deer that you just couldn't bring yourself to shoot??? |
RE: Deer Sleeping
I killed my biggest buck to date while he was bedded. I was hunting acut over that was bout five yearsold, so thetrees were about ten feet tall.It was thefirst cold day in2004, I think it gotdown in the 30's that night.The landI washuntingwas very hilly. I was hunting a club stand that hadn't been hunted in over a year. The stand was on top of a hill, looking down into a bottom on both sides. Out in front of the stand, the pine trees were a lot thinner and there was a lot of tall grass.
Igrunted and bleated every now and then,watching for movement. About thirty minutes after I got into the stand, I noticed adeer's rack right in front of me.I looked for it, but couldn't find it. Then it appeared again.At first I thought that the buck wasstanding behind one of the smaller pine trees, but Ifound the buckthrough my scope, I noticed that he was actually bedded.I watched him lick his self for a while. Then he would just nod off. I watched him for a good while, waiting on him to stand up soI could shoot him. It was starting to get later and the thermals started to swirl. He lifted his head up and began to lick the air. I figured he might have caught my wind, so I placed my crosshairs on him and with one well placed shot, he never got up. I figure he was worn out fromchasing does all nightand bedded down in the soft grass on top of the hill to warm up in the evening sun. heres a pic of him.  |
RE: Deer Sleeping
Wow..I had a simular experience..I watched a very nice buck bed down less than 20 yds away but no shooting lane at him...He stayed for over an hour..It was about 15 out and I was frozen...Wouldn't you know that the buck would get up and come within 5 yds of my stand but I could not draw my bow...I tried and tried but being so cold all I could do was shake...It really was not all buck fever but sitting motionless for over an hour with it that cold does not help...He would have been a wall-hanger..It was a pretty cool experience..
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RE: Deer Sleeping
Now that makes it all worth while.
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RE: Deer Sleeping
ORIGINAL: englum_06 Well Ive been hunting all day,and I had a pretty unique experience. I was looking around, wasn't seeing much, and then all of a sudden as I turned to my right, I could see a cape/chest of a deer but the rest of the body was behind a tree. So I watched it for a second and when he walked I realized he was a little basket racked 8 pointer. He was only about35 yards away from me. Well he was walking real slow and digging in the dirt with his nose, I couldn't figure out what he was doing and then he started walking right at me! He walked all the way til he was about 25 yards from me and then he just kneeled down and bedded there! I couldn't believe it...I literally said "Oh my god come on" Because I knew I was gonna be froze and not be able to move since he was looking straight at me while he was bedded. So anyways he laid there for about an hour and 45 minutes and I finally got to see a deer sleep. It was really neat because I had always wondered how they slept. He would close his eyes for about 10 minutes and you could see his head fall down and then he would wake up and look around for about 10 minutes, then would get sleepy again, close his eyes, and sleep for about 10 more minutes. He did that for the whole time he was there. I had to move and look around when he was sleeping, lol. When he wasn't I just stared at him and used him for my eyes. I got ahold of my dad on the radio when the buck was sleeping and told him I was pinned down and couldn't leave, so my dad gradually started walking to me and when he did the buck saw him, and I kid you not he ran so hard and so fast out of there and NEVER MADE A SINGLE NOISE- I was only about 25 yards from him and I never heard a leaf crunch. He was jumping over logs and running down hills, and he never even made a noise loud enough for me to hear from 25 yards away. Made me wonder how many deer have WALKED past me if he was running that hard and I couldn't even hear him when all my attention wason him. And he blended in absolutely amazing. Its really neat when you get to observe them for a while and learn their behavior. Today was a day when I definitely would have just preferred to watch him, it was just a different experience. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
ORIGINAL: shawnfogelman ORIGINAL: englum_06 Well Ive been hunting all day,and I had a pretty unique experience. I was looking around, wasn't seeing much, and then all of a sudden as I turned to my right, I could see a cape/chest of a deer but the rest of the body was behind a tree. So I watched it for a second and when he walked I realized he was a little basket racked 8 pointer. He was only about35 yards away from me. Well he was walking real slow and digging in the dirt with his nose, I couldn't figure out what he was doing and then he started walking right at me! He walked all the way til he was about 25 yards from me and then he just kneeled down and bedded there! I couldn't believe it...I literally said "Oh my god come on" Because I knew I was gonna be froze and not be able to move since he was looking straight at me while he was bedded. So anyways he laid there for about an hour and 45 minutes and I finally got to see a deer sleep. It was really neat because I had always wondered how they slept. He would close his eyes for about 10 minutes and you could see his head fall down and then he would wake up and look around for about 10 minutes, then would get sleepy again, close his eyes, and sleep for about 10 more minutes. He did that for the whole time he was there. I had to move and look around when he was sleeping, lol. When he wasn't I just stared at him and used him for my eyes. I got ahold of my dad on the radio when the buck was sleeping and told him I was pinned down and couldn't leave, so my dad gradually started walking to me and when he did the buck saw him, and I kid you not he ran so hard and so fast out of there and NEVER MADE A SINGLE NOISE- I was only about 25 yards from him and I never heard a leaf crunch. He was jumping over logs and running down hills, and he never even made a noise loud enough for me to hear from 25 yards away. Made me wonder how many deer have WALKED past me if he was running that hard and I couldn't even hear him when all my attention wason him. And he blended in absolutely amazing. Its really neat when you get to observe them for a while and learn their behavior. Today was a day when I definitely would have just preferred to watch him, it was just a different experience. DEFINITELY a successful hunt. I had more fun watching that buck, actually laughing at him when his head would fall, then I have some of my harvests. Like I said it was just completely different, having the opportunity to see an animal like that in that state. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
I actually watched a doe sleep about 5 feet from my front door one evening under my lone apple tree, it was kind of cool to watch. not to mention being able to sit on the couch and watch it. She got up and left about 45 minutes later when 2 bucks came to the front again 5-10 feet from the door and started fighting.
I had to cut the tree down since it fell over in a storm and haven't seen any deer in the front since. They are in the back all of the time though. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
My dad was hunting in a stand (#1) one day and around 4 pmabout a 14 inch 7 point came to the northern edge of the food plot and bedded down for about 45 minutes. I was in a stand (#2) about 300 yards north of him and my brother was in a stand (#3) about 400 yards west. The next day we decided torotate and my brother went to stand #1. The same thing happened to him at the same timeexcept the deer went to the northeastern corner of the plot and stayed again for about 45 minutes. The third afternoon in a row we decided to go again and I went to #1 and saw the same buck at the same for the same amount of time and he was in the eastern part of the food plot. That afternoon my dad shot a really nice 8 pt out of stand #2. It was by far one of the coolest things I have ever seen in the wild without taking a shot at an animal. It was also amazing how it was3 afternoons in a row all at the same time, but in different parts of the food plot.
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RE: Deer Sleeping
Yup, seen them sleep a lot. The other day I had a big ole fat doe( I almost suspect she was a big old buck with no horns the way she acted and the place she picked to hide out for the day). Anyway, there were some deer tracks across my yard in the snow from the night before. They went both ways. I looked them over and finally figured the deer headed to the swamp. It was gun season so I grabbed my 30-06 and binos just to go snooping and pooping in the new snow. I never made it out of the yard. My back yard is a drop off of about 40 feet to the beginning of the swamp. I glassed the land below and soon found the doe bedded 100 yards away behind a downed tree. She already had me in her sights but was hanging tight... I guesss she figured I couldn't see her. I watched her and surveyed the surrounding brush looking for macho buck but he wasn't there. I tired of the game after 20 minutes and left and drove to a piece of ground I have to hunt. I just was snooping and pooping looking at deer sign in the new snow. I came back home about an hour and half later and sneaked up to the edge of the drop off to check on my doe. She was still there... it's now about 9 AM. I watch her sleep and wake up and snooze and lay there with her head up... but her eyes would close and stay that way and then open and she'd look around. I walked across the road to check sign in the new snow. I came back at 11:30 and sneaked up to the bluff to check on macho doe. She was still there cat napping but semi alert. The wind was strong on my left ear. It suddenly came strong on the back of my neck. I was watching this girl and felt the shift and said to myself... I'm too high, she won't smell me. About a minute after the wind shift she opened her eyes wide and jerked her head up and started the nose high sniffing deal. She was on full alert but didn't leave her hiding place. A couple minutes later the wind shift back and she almost immediately relaxed. I sat there watching her and glassing the surrounding golden rods for 30 minutes through my binos. She'd doze and then snap awake with every wind shift. I finally tired of the game and went inside to shower and shave. I sneaked out at 12:30 or so and she had gotten up and moved on. Deer are just different.
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RE: Deer Sleeping
Last year's Illinois Shotgun Season I sat all day on Friday, and then I turned around and hunted all day Saturday. At about 12:00 p.m. Sunday I got down and was going to walk back to the barn and I saw deer out in the field and one was the 140" that I missed Friday. Well they were just standin out in the middle of the field then they bedded down. They ended up bedding down for about an hour and I slept along with them. I fell asleep because I just could not stay awake any longer when I woke up it was one and I thought they would be gone but they weren't they were just starting to move and coming closer and just as they were closing the distance a coyote comes and scares them away. I think I was mad but just too tired to realize it.:)
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RE: Deer Sleeping
ORIGINAL: davidmil Yup, seen them sleep a lot. The other day I had a big ole fat doe( I almost suspect she was a big old buck with no horns the way she acted and the place she picked to hide out for the day). Anyway, there were some deer tracks across my yard in the snow from the night before. They went both ways. I looked them over and finally figured the deer headed to the swamp. It was gun season so I grabbed my 30-06 and binos just to go snooping and pooping in the new snow. I never made it out of the yard. My back yard is a drop off of about 40 feet to the beginning of the swamp. I glassed the land below and soon found the doe bedded 100 yards away behind a downed tree. She already had me in her sights but was hanging tight... I guesss she figured I couldn't see her. I watched her and surveyed the surrounding brush looking for macho buck but he wasn't there. I tired of the game after 20 minutes and left and drove to a piece of ground I have to hunt. I just was snooping and pooping looking at deer sign in the new snow. I came back home about an hour and half later and sneaked up to the edge of the drop off to check on my doe. She was still there... it's now about 9 AM. I watch her sleep and wake up and snooze and lay there with her head up... but her eyes would close and stay that way and then open and she'd look around. I walked across the road to check sign in the new snow. I came back at 11:30 and sneaked up to the bluff to check on macho doe. She was still there cat napping but semi alert. The wind was strong on my left ear. It suddenly came strong on the back of my neck. I was watching this girl and felt the shift and said to myself... I'm too high, she won't smell me. About a minute after the wind shift she opened her eyes wide and jerked her head up and started the nose high sniffing deal. She was on full alert but didn't leave her hiding place. A couple minutes later the wind shift back and she almost immediately relaxed. I sat there watching her and glassing the surrounding golden rods for 30 minutes through my binos. She'd doze and then snap awake with every wind shift. I finally tired of the game and went inside to shower and shave. I sneaked out at 12:30 or so and she had gotten up and moved on. Deer are just different. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
Here's my contribution. Last January this buck spent all day doing the same thing you described....
  Last monday had a small 4 point do the same thing in almost the same spot. Both were outside my office window. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
ORIGINAL: Pops423 Here's my contribution. Last January this buck spent all day doing the same thing you described.... Last monday had a small 4 point do the same thing in almost the same spot. Both were outside my office window. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
Englum,
I guess you've never seen my backyard bucks posts the last few years (which reminds me I really didn't do one this year.) I work out of my house and my office window faces an old farm behind my property. It's been tough the last few years working in October/November. My boss is pretty understanding though, when I go off of IM for a while during those months, he knows. When I get back online, he just sends a message that reads, 'How big?'. |
RE: Deer Sleeping
The past two weekends I've had a doe bed down within shooting distance of my stand. The first for 3.5 hours! the second for 1.5 hours. Neither one ever seemed to go to sleep, although the first one did tuck her head in her back leg, but only for a minute. Of course neither one of them were in heat. [:@] Last year I stalked within 5 yards of a 140-150" class buck in his bed. (I admit I didn't know he was there untilhe stood up but he never knew I was there) I couldn't get a clear shot and after a minute of looking the other way he took off, but he never looked my way and the wind was to me so I suspect his "sixth sense" told him it was time to go. It's fun to watch them but it's a pain too if you want to be able to shoot a different deer, an extra pair of alert eyes is not what you need.
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