Whats your play

[Billy74]

I went out for a day hunt (NE WT). Got to my spot 10 min before legal shooting and settle in to look ok down on an opening, kind of bowl.  After a good 10 min i hear brush move 10 yds or less just on the other side of a mound I couldnt see to.  Then all the stopping and snorting for a good minute.  Two other deer do the same further off quite a ways but this guy was close and sounded big butthere was no way I could belly crawl without sending him running so i just sat there hoping he would leave in a good direction but he Didn’t.  I sat there for 2 hours thinking he might pop out somewhere and At this point I could only make it worse.  I did end up making a big loop to higher ground where I could look down to where I was.  Had a similar thing happen up there where I was just sitting and watch and 50 ft away in some brush i get another loud grunt.  Pretty sure I sat within feet of him while he was bedded that morning.  What would you have done to find success.  In hindsight i wish I had tried to belly crawl to him but if i did i would just be wishing I stayed put.


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[7mmfan]

I've been in this position before archery hunting mule deer. I had a nice buck aggressively rubbing a tree 20 yards from me, but I needed to move a little to get an angle. I was so scared I might bump him that I froze hoping he'd give me a shot when he was done. He did not. In hindsight, I believe that if they are occupied rubbing a tree, you probably have a little leeway to make a move and try to get a line of sight on them.

[Mfowl]

I've had plenty of deer and elk wander away while I stayed put and waited/hoped for an opportunity at them. I've also bumped/blown my fair share of opportunity trying to be more aggressive and create a shot. Seeing the right move in the moment is just one of the challenges in hunting. These days I still lean toward being aggressive and trying to create a shot opportunity. Encounters are limited each season and even if I blow it I feel like I tried.