mauser06

i have a question for you all....i might hunt a spot monday mornings opener that i found last week....i snuck into a small brushy hidden ravine to look for a flock of turkeys we scattered...out popped a BIG buck...and another deer or 2....along with the turkeys....just an excellent hiding spot....think the deer either bed there or we pushed them there walking through the woods lookin for the turkeys...either way there will be a good number of hunters in the woods so they will bump the deer to their hiding spots as well i hope......so i think that hidden brushy ravine just might be a good piece to watch even though its small.....i just wanted to know how you guys feel on shooting bedded deer...in this case.....if im REALLY lucky and sneaky and the winds perfect the sun may come up and the deer are already there bedded.........for who knows how long...and who knows when the wind shifts or they see me and bolt....its close quarters....50yds max to see down in the little ravine...any farther and you wont know the ditch is even there.....so would you shot one in its bed?? also.......i gota count to 4pts to a side before taking a buck...and make sure my does dont have antlers over 3 inches long.....prefably no antlers at all......for how close they are and how they may run clear to that ditch to hide and dodge bullets i may not get a chance to check the antler status quickly....so say the deer i want beds down after walking by me.....and snuggles in......would you shoot one then?? i just dont know how to feel about it and would like everyones opinons......i know some guys say shoot it....some would call me names and call me a murderer......i just want your views and reasoning if you dont mind....i dont know what id do...and wont until i have the crosshairs on a deer bedded....i think i am a pretty ethical hunter and havent shot doves off a wire....turkeys on a roost....walking or running pheastans ect ect....so i just dont know how to view a bedded deer....ive never felt "bad" about killing a deer or any animal..but i dont want to look at the antlers on the wall and look down on myself.....i just dont know how id view something like that...and was hoping you guys can kinda enliten me and tell me your views and reasoning....also...will they stand if i grunt or bleat?? just wondering.....thanx guys

rybohunter

there is no ethical "downside" to shooting a bedded deer.
Just make sure you have your angles straight as sometimes bedding down can look a little decieving where the vitals are. No need to worry about it being wrong.

mauser06

i guess thats kinda true....its not like they are sleeping like humans do...pretty un-alert and senses turned off, for the most part anyway...they dont lay down or shut their eyes and are still very alert i think...if they werent theyd be a heck of alot easier to kill....and i thought about shot angles already...im a nut when it comes to thinking of shot placement.....i already thought with them bedded it will look alot diffrent......thank you forthe reply

Jeff Ovington

IF YOU CAN HARVEST A BEDDED BUCK.......
YOU CAN HONESTLY SAY TO YOURSELF......
YOU DID EVERYTHING RIGHT...
ALL SKILL AND NO FLUKE
.....BE PROUD...
THERE IS NOTHING UNETHICAL ABOUT IT....

jimmy the foot

DUDE... it's hunting, the whole point is to shoot game so you, friends and family can eat a good meal and tell stories and stuff. wether it running, crawling, climbing or sleeping it's all the same to me.

jrbsr

If you can sneak up on a bedded deer and shot it.
After walking on dry leaves and sticks and keep the wind
In your faver and can do it.

All I can say is

You Da Man

mauser06

lol thanks guys....i really think that they might bed infront of me REAL quick if my plan works out and i hunt that spot....im betting pressure sends them running right back to that ravine to hide out...and they will probably keep running/trotting clear to the ravine...its usually a heavily hunted area...sportsmans club near by alot of guys hunt...local dump across the hill....a heavily hunted road on the other side...just alot of guy in a small area...the deer are going to be seeking cover and that little hide out is a sanctuary i bet...noone has any reason to walk near it or through it.....i just got pretty dang lucky that i walked to it lookin for them turkeys...and it will be like...10days or so since i kicked him and his doe out of there...so he will have time to settle down....once the guys move in the woods at first light hes going to be running for his hide out...and i really think i found it.....and ill be there an hour before shooting light just to beat him and the other guys in......cant wait....just gota clear it with the drive leader......he likes to know where we will all be sitting in the morning...and he gets us our permission on all the land being he farms ALL the land...even if its posted we get permission just by knowing him lol.....its nice...but i always clear it with him to let him know wehre ill be...where i should park...if i need to knock on doors first ect......and i dont wanna make him mad....hes a good friend of mine and he leads our drives later in the day...i just dont think he will see my logic behind sitting there...hes a drive hunter and thats all he knows...he knows how to send guys to sit certain spots but wont understand that that spot should work because of pressure from other hunters.......though last year i sat where he told me it was useless lol.....thanx guys..

Dexy

I agree with jrbsr, if you can pull that off, man I want your secrets, a beded buck is not an easy thing to sneak up on! He is beded there for a reason and it's not because he can't hear or smell or see! Good Luck!

pjhunts

It takes much more skill to take a bedded deer than one up moving around. I've always heard that it is not ethical to shoot a deer in it's bed, IMO that's a bunch of crap! The deer is motionless, giving excellent target. Some will say that the deer doesn't have a chance if it's bedded. Every deer that I've watched is much more alert while it is bedded, they know they are vulnerable to their predators. I like to still hunt and have come upon many deer that are bedded and have shot a few. Last year I arrowed a nice 8 pt in his bed the last week of our 3 month archery season on public ground. For me that was quite an accomplishment even though he wasn't my biggest.

Steve F.in MD

I always thought dying in your sleep would be a peaceful way to go. Do it!