I've walked up on Mule Deer in Colorado sleeping before and I couldn't do it. I'm not saying you guys that would are wrong. It just didn't seem right to me. Why? I guess cause maybe I think of hunting more as a sporting contest, it's the same reason I wouldn't play dodge-ball with an 80 year old woman. Just doesn't seem fair I guess. That and I don't want to feel bad about it later. Same reason I hate fishing stocked tanks basically. Seems rigged.
A couple years ago, I was walking through the bottom beside my home and seen a doe bedded down, but she had her head up. I looked through my binoculars and she had her eyes closed. . I started walking towards her just to see how close I could get! . . I got to 25.5 yards and she never even knew I was there! . . I used my mouth to make a doe grunt sound (LOUD!) and she never did stand up or even look in my direction! . . I even used my feet to make some noise in the leaves! After trying to make some noise to get her to stand up, I decided to take the shot. I gave her a chance and besides, I was bow hunting! . . I filmed it and have it on my computer. . When I shot her, she got up and jumped around like a kangaroo! So yes, If I can get in shooting range with a bow on a deer that is bedded down, I will shoot it! And plus, That was a rush trying to get as close as I could without getting busted by her!
Yeah actually when i think about it, I feel worse shooting a buck who thinks he's about to get a piece of tail than one sleeping. I know I've been "shot down" many times when I thought I was just about to score. So I feel for them.
If I could stalk up to a deer and get within shooting range, I would be killing a deer with more skill than sitting in a tree stand and waiting till they walk by ....
This season I had a doe bed down and fall asleep with her fawn about 10 yards into my shooting lane in my orchard. I let them take their little nap and walk.
I feel that it would be better to shoot it laying down and asleep then standing and alert. There would be less of a chance for it to jump the string or make a poor shot if it started walking. It gives you time take and make a well placed shot.
I don't think there's anything morally wrong with it, as the said above we hunt them any other time. I personally chose to pass them up though.
I will not shoot a sleeping deer, I think it's immoral and seeing as how I'm the "moral authority" I feel I must speak out against it. Lol, jk No I won't shoot a sleeping deer, first off I only hunt from a stand so I doubt I'll ever encounter one while hunting but also because I prefer to be able to clearly see exactly what I'm about to harvest, clearly see the vitals areas, and be able to judge the animals behavior. If an animal is sick, I don't want to eat it and if it's laying sleeping it could very well be because there's something wrong with it. Personally I don't feel like it's a very bright thing to do from a management/biological standpoint with EHD, CWD and literally a hundred other diseases out there than may not be obvious through any other means besides being able to see how the deer acts on the hoof. It's not like I don't have plenty of other deer to shoot while on the hoof...I can wait.
One of the bigger bucks I've seen on my property bedded down and took a nap 75 yards away from me, eventually getting up and walking close enough for a shot only to turn last minute and walk away unscathed. If he were to have bedded down to nap within 40 yards of my stand with a clear lane, you better believe I'm shooting. As someone else said, a sleeping deer tastes the same as a standing deer.
