Is my Hunting spot comprimised?
 

This has never happened to me before, but I was getting ready to climb down my stand tonight at dark. I here a bunch of cracks and sure enough a deer was 10 yards in front of my stand. I was still 25 feet up and I dunno if noise scared it or it actually some how saw me. This has never happened to me before, but is this spot worthless now? Or do i just need to not hunt it for 3 days or so?

Don't sweat it, if you are lucky it will happen many more times before you have to hang it up... :)

That deer might not have even known what you were...Hunt it tomorrow if you want to...I would change trees if you are using a climber, that way you can reposition closer to where the deer came from...

Thanks Hawkeye thats encouraging

Only 2 living creatures know that it even happened. You and the deer.

The only one that can share the fact with anyone is you. Even if it spooked the one deer off there are others.

Bit of advice...
 

I know that not everybody has the money and or the space to install at least 2 stands, but I highly recommend it. Myself I would stay away for a few days, IF, it's my only stand. I ran into this very problem years ago when I tried baiting one year. Deer would come to my bait pile after dark, locking me into my stand until after 9p some nights. I was afraid to leave for fear of them never coming back, I missed many of dinner. Then I got smart. I started carrying 8-10 apples with me, and when it came time to come down, I just started whipping the apples at the bait pile. It worked, you could hear them running at top speed thru the woods. This went on all season, some of the thuds sounded a little different than the ones that hit the ground (oops, sorry:confused2:). I ended up shooting 2 nice bucks out of the stand I had set up about 40 yards down wind of the pile. That was the first and last year of me hunting over a bait pile, I always set my stands 40 plus yards down wind of a bait pile, if it is legal, or a natural food source. Good luck. Moral of the story, carry apples and toss them, then listen to which direction they run to safety before coming down. The intel you pick up after dark, is just as valuable as scouting in off season, IMO.

As far as that deer knows it was an overgrown squirrel. lol As has been said it is only one deer. I wouldn't sweat 1 slight encounter after dark. You could reposition your stand, but I think it has a few more good hunts in it.

Uncle Matt, ya ole fart, good to see your still hangin around. The very best to you my friend, this season, and always.

I think you are fine. Depending on the age of the deer it may have forgot what it was running from once it got 100 yards away. If I had somewhere else to hunt I may try it and give it this one a few days but I think you have done no permenent damage.

Yeah depending on the age I have seen 4 year old Does avoid areas they know to have seen or experienced loud noises in for up to a week, but truthfully in most cases given a week of non-activity in that area by hunters they forget about it.

I decended one of my stands last year during gun season right at legal hunting hours,took a good look around before calling it quits. I was unhooking my ML and looked up to see a buck standing not more than 10 yards from me. I thought you little stinker! I saw him again a week later being chased by a dog in the same area along with 2 does. Seeing me did not keep him away long,so I agree with the other guys if it's a good spot don't loose hope on it just yet.

If you took a survey of the number of times a deer has blown at one of us when we were in a tree stand . . . .
You're fine.

That same scenario happened to a friend of mine who was busted by a doe in his stand. A week later the same doe came by, and immediately looked up because she remembered, so she blew at him and kept on walking as usual. Other deer came by including a nice buck that were clueless. So I would say that specific (one) deer who saw you might remember to look up as they remember you were there, but they are still unsure of what you are. Other deer shouldn't have a clue.

Since so many hunters. . .
 

are going to one site and one tree stand location, I'm sure we'll get more and more, after the season reports.
We're getting information that never existed. Especially from hunters, where it is now legal to hunt over a bait pile and a trail cam taking continuous pictures.

Where else is the hunter to go, who has a big condo tree stand, stationary in one place, overlooking a perpetual tree cam and maybe, legal in some states, overlooking a corn feeder. He's already got time and money invested in the one spot.

How does a hunter pick a place he's never scouted or had a trail cam looking at the area. And how would the average hunter pay to adequately cover, in modern times, five or six scouted sites.

Who knows what costs will be enacted when it comes to hunting.

I agree with most that you should be okay. I did something similar a few years ago when a family herd moved in around my stand just after legal shooting time and milled around for about 40 minutes. When I thought they had left; lowered my bow and bounced it off a deer at the base of the stand I couldn't see. Moved my stand about 35 yards and the next weekend dropped a big doe from the group. You're site should be fine.

Deer remember for a long time is my experience. Is it compromised? I'd say yes with that deer. Round here that deer may be the only deer so if your after that one move and catch it looking for you over there. Either way I'd be gunning for that deer as it will be watching all the time and bust you when your drawing down on another.

If you have a lot of deer forget it, if not you better do things differently. This is from a guy who's hunted where one or 2 deer maybe in one square mile every 4 days and hunted where there's always 10-20 deer per square mile every day.

I'd kill that deer first chance I got. Seen deer just like that one looking for where I was, one never knew I was 10 yards away watching her look for me. She was looking right at me, but focused 75 yards away, I'd moved and she didn't know it. Put that deer #1 on the hit list. :)

your fine, they will come back through.

should be ok