It's dark and deer are still all around your stand...It's time to leave but you're hesitant to spook up the neighborhood, so to speak, knowing that you'll soon be hunting again in this spot. What do you do? Climb on down and spook away the now terrified and blowing deer? Throw something at them? ;-) Turn on your flashlight? Play like it's Halloween and holler "Boo??" Stay there until they finally wander away???

Staying until they leave would be best, but if not bark like a dog or something?

I dont know if this would be considered the right thing. I have had that happen many times, I simply climb from my stand as quietly and as motionless as posible. I take the quickest route out of the woods, avoiding the deer trying to stay down wind of them. The next morning the deer are back. It might not be the same ones, but there have always been deer back at the spot. I do a lot of scouting and have noticed that deer tend to have a pattern to there movements. If the conditions are right(meaning the wind is to where they fill comfortable to move in the direction of your stand) the deer tend to come back. If the conditions are not right, you will not see the same deer agian at the spot. You might have deer come in from another direction, depending on the wind.

I just climb down quiet as you can! Iv'e done this countless times over the years and the deer still keep coming back...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Hunt Safe!

Jack

I agree, just try and sneak away as quiet as possible. If your in a transition area and the deer will be moving away in a short period waiting is acceptable too. If you hunt food sources, you may never find the right time to leave, so just do it and be as quiet and undisturbing as possible.

Stay the night!
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I try to remember to carry a pine limb up with me. When I get ready to come down I break it as loud as I can, they usually scatter. Limbs pop and break all the time in the woods with squirrels and large birds knocking them out and it is startling, but not a danger sound that would change the deer's pattern.

I did the barking dog thing one night and boy that deer did run! Next night I shot a deer out of that stand. Guess it worked that time. Jim

I usuall try and remember to pick up a few rocks and put them in my pocket when I go to the stand, that way if deer come in too late and I'm ready to climb down, I just chunk a couple of rocks at them, this runs them off, and they have no idea what spooked them.

You know when you want them to stay around they dont, And when you want them to leave they wont. I shot a deer last week and wanted to get down and here is this doe and she is taking her sweet time just a nibble here and then a couple of steps and then a nibble there etc....., Well I want her to leave, So I tried the barking like a coyote and she tucked her tail between her legs &quot;literally&quot; and quickly trotted right out of the area.