Stalking bedded blacktail

[Dysfunctional Vet]

This is my 4th year of bow hunting and I usually eat tag soup but that’s ok with me. Anyway, I was lucky enough to spot a decent buck bedded in a Capitol forest clear cut. I was able to sneak the 700 yards, wading through chest deep salal/trailing blackberry and get to 35 yards. Just as I got there the wind swirled and he was gone without giving me a shot. There was no shot while the buck was bedded, could only see antlers in the tall grass. I guess my question is, what do you do when you’re in position on a bedded buck? Do you just wait for him to get up? Try to get above him so you can take a shot? I’m not really sure, it was the first I’ve been able to get close enough to a buck for a shot. I’m thinking just camp out and wait, but I’m hoping someone will chime in with some pearls of wisdom that I can use next time.

[Bullkllr]

First of all, give yourself a pat on the back for getting as close as you did. That took perseverance and some skill.

You described a situation that is very common ime. There may not have been much else you could do. Sometimes it just doesn't work out, but the next time he might have stepped right into a shooting lane. Unless the cut is really bare, the brush is always a factor and makes it tough to get a shot. That's where you really find out what "looked like a couple feet, but it's over my head" really feels like. Then, animals bed where the wind is likely to swirl, or so it seems, making those situations even tougher.

As far as strategies when you get close, I think most will agree it depends on the situation. You will need a shooting lane that agrees with the wind, or it's all for naught.
 

[Dysfunctional Vet]

I was super stoked to get that close and as far as I’m concerned it was a successful day. I’ll try to do it again next weekend. Lol! Thank you for the response.

[NiteHawk]

I think you've got to come in from the top and guess on which shooting lane he will step into when he gets up. It's a roll of the dice! Good job getting as close as you did. Stick with it!

[zwickeyman]

Ive stalked in on bedded bucks. Muledeer, Blacktail and Whitetail. It depends on a few things if you are going to try and get them to stand up. If you know for sure the wind is going to be a constant I will wait them out and hope they stand to stretch or re position in their bed. If i think the wind is iffy or losing daylight I will try to get them to stand. I have used all of these with success and failure. Bleated, grunted, thrown small rocks.

Most of the time its a gut feeling or just a guess what you think will work at the time

[Dysfunctional Vet]

I think you've got to come in from the top and guess on which shooting lane he will step into when he gets up. It's a roll of the dice! Good job getting as close as you did. Stick with it!

I was thinking that when I got to where I was at but the wind decided it wasn’t my time. Lol

[Rem14]

I have stopped many Blacktail I have jumped by just whistling

[Dysfunctional Vet]

Ive stalked in on bedded bucks. Muledeer, Blacktail and Whitetail. It depends on a few things if you are going to try and get them to stand up. If you know for sure the wind is going to be a constant I will wait them out and hope they stand to stretch or re position in their bed. If i think the wind is iffy or losing daylight I will try to get them to stand. I have used all of these with success and failure. Bleated, grunted, thrown small rocks.

Most of the time its a gut feeling or just a guess what you think will work at the time

To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to get as close as I did. When I got there I wasn’t sure what to do. When he smelled me, he jumped up broadside, but with some branches over his vitals so I didn’t shoot. He stopped again at 60yards but I’m not comfortable with that range so I let him walk. Thank you for the tips, I’ll try one of those next time. Hopefully soon. Lol

[GWP]

Ahhh yes. ‘Hunting’.
😄
Sucks at times. Lots of work at times.
Congrats on getting that close!
I have used chirp/whistles with ‘mostly’ success for getting deer to stand up or stop. Keep in mind that once on ‘alert’ they will ‘string jump’ much quicker.

[Dysfunctional Vet]

Ahhh yes. ‘Hunting’.
😄
Sucks at times. Lots of work at times.
Congrats on getting that close!
I have used chirp/whistles with ‘mostly’ success for getting deer to stand up or stop. Keep in mind that once on ‘alert’ they will ‘string jump’ much quicker.

I loved every minute of it.

[IslandHunter]

Good work closing the distance to 35 yards. Sounds like a successful hunt even though you went home empty handed.

First of all, you never know what is going to happen. If the weather was a little different or the wind shifted slightly different you might have bagged that deer. So don't think you need to change things up drastically.

One thing you could have done is tried to identify where the deer was likely to head once it get out of its bed and set up in that area in hopes of cutting it off. Or alternatively keep your distance and watch the deer from afar and figure out where he is going and what he is doing. Maybe you can catch him headed to the bed the next morning or you can figure out where he is feeding and set up there.

Good work not forcing a shot. You can never take back a bad shot. Keep it up and you will have success.

[Dysfunctional Vet]

Good work closing the distance to 35 yards. Sounds like a successful hunt even though you went home empty handed.

First of all, you never know what is going to happen. If the weather was a little different or the wind shifted slightly different you might have bagged that deer. So don't think you need to change things up drastically.

One thing you could have done is tried to identify where the deer was likely to head once it get out of its bed and set up in that area in hopes of cutting it off. Or alternatively keep your distance and watch the deer from afar and figure out where he is going and what he is doing. Maybe you can catch him headed to the bed the next morning or you can figure out where he is feeding and set up there.

Good work not forcing a shot. You can never take back a bad shot. Keep it up and you will have success.

Thank you for the response. I’m not planning on changing up much. I must be doing something right if I got that close. After I spotted him I spent 30 mins plotting a route that kept me hidden behind small trees but I could keep an eye on him every once in a while.

[Alchase]

In my humble opinion, you had a successful hunt!
The killing is only the last “minor” detail that still needs to be worked out 

You keep doing what you are doing, it will all fall in place.

[Dysfunctional Vet]

In my humble opinion, you had a successful hunt!
The killing is only the last “minor” detail that still needs to be worked out 

You keep doing what you are doing, it will all fall in place.

I agree that it was successful. I don’t have a lot of time to hunt so my goal was just to see deer. I really enjoy just sneaking around on deer trails to see what they do and see what I can see. I get to see a lot of deer but it’s usually when I can’t hunt them. Lol

[Skyvalhunter]

First let me congratulate you on seeing a deer in Capitol Forest.