bflem55

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?

nchawkeye

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...

bflem55

Thanks Hawkeye thats encouraging

uncle matt

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.

tight360

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). 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.

deerdust

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.

Alltlk4

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.

SavageArms

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.

doetrain

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.

Murdy

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.