I don't really know how to ask this, but I'm sure everyone has been in this situation. It happened to me again tonight and I'm not sure of the right way to go about it. You're in the stand and have a few deer come in and they're feeding around you..now it's dark but they're still there. What is the best way to "scare" them off so you don't educate them where your stand is or spook them so bad they don't want to come back??
If possible the best way is to have someone else spook them. It sucks to do either way, but it's gotta be done unless u wanna sit until they leave.
I've found a snort wheeze works for me....depending on which deer and time of season. Usually scares off does n fawns as well as young bucks.
Loud grunts and throwing bark. Usually works with no spooking and I've done this to the same deer multiple nights in the same week with good success and they come back.
I used to text the kids down at the house and they would walk up and push the deer off, they are all off to college now. 1 sit this year I used my grunt and they moved off, on another sit it did not work so I waited till it was all the way dark and climbed down in slow motion without making a sound. One year I was stuck up in the stand and I had to pee, I dang near peed my pants by the time I got down
I had a button in on me last night. I grunted, nothing, so I began packing up, nothing. Clanged my climber, nothing, dropped my bow and pack he still kept eating 15 yards away. Finally I shined my 160 lumen flashlight on him and he just looked at me any went back to eating. Deer like that are not gonna live long!
I have shined lights on lots of deer and they never seem to spook from it. Of course yours has a death wish, definitely.
Awesome, thanks for the advice. I don't usually carry a grunt call with me but I'll keep one in my pack and try it next time.
If it's not a target buck I don't worry about it too much. If it's a deer I'd like to shoot, I'll stay in the stand until it's completely dark or until the deer has moved on.
If you are in a place where someone can drive in to get you that works well. I have a predator call that I can make a coyote howl with and that usually works too.
I get stuck in the stand quite a bit in the evenings. Earlier this year, a 140" or so buck came in right before shooting light and stayed for two hours eating acorns. I just sat there and waited for him to leave on his own, I had no plans for the night anyways. Usually if a doe sticks around too long, I'll shine her with my 500 lumen flashlight. 9/10 it doesn't do a thing, until I turn it to the strobe setting. Then she will finally walk off.
