Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: savagehunter on November 03, 2019, 07:46:58 PM
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I usually hunt a high bluff that overlooks a huge plot of 10 yrs old reprod. This particular day I decided to go deeper and hit a spur rd that took meningitis about three miles but left me about 1000 yds south of my bluff. The spur rd took me out to a little landing that looked down on a small ravine that I know is a highway for bucks buat have never had a vantage pt. Before. This particular morning clouds were real low and fogging through every once in a while. I sat down on a rock looking down into the ravine which has a patch of reprod in the bottom that is 200 yds long by 75 yds wide. As soon as I sat down I picked up my binoculars and looked down and immediately spotted a mature 3 pt blacktail at 75 yes head towards that patch. I grabbed my rifle clicked off the safety and looked and the fog obliterated my view. Fog lasted about 15 min buck is now in the patch of reprod. I waited 4.5 hours for him to come out I can see all escape routes but he never moves. Should I have tried to go jump him? impossible to sneak in way to much under brush and fairly steep he would hear me coming. I was by myself so no way to push him into view. Trees are about 12 ft tall really thick open ground at each end with brush down both sides. I felt like he wasn't spooked and figured I could out wait him. Didn't happen
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Fig or fog? :chuckle:
You did the right thing...no way to know for sure if one decision is better than the other. And they are sneaky sucker's..he could of snuck out without you seeing, or just hunkered down..they can bed for hour's in a small patch. Just need enough room to stand up and piss and stretch.
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I carry a wrist rocket sling shot in my pack.
In the past I have used it to move game into view for a better look.
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That's part of hunting, you can't shoot what you can't see. Next time the fog may give you enough of a break to get a shot.
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Had this happen to me with a big 5x6 whitetail. Saw it two days in a row. First light he was heading to his bedding area and he would reappear as he was heading to a field to feed. Set up in the perfect spot in the morning. Picked him up in my binoculars at first light hugging the tree line. Fog was so thick, I couldn’t see him in my scope. Lost him. Ended up shooting a 3x3 WT instead that came out at 30 yards that I could see.
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I have heard of more than a few people using the slingshot to spook the deer up out of cover. My brother has shot a couple bucks launching rocks off the end of landings and getting the deer to run up the opposite hillsides
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That's part of hunting, you can't shoot what you can't see. Next time the fog may give you enough of a break to get a shot.
:yeah: I was thinking I was going to have a frustrating day in the fog like the day before.
But this time the fog cleared and I ended up getting my nicest BT .
You did the right thing.
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I love the wrist rocket idea would have worked I think.
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I've heard of plenty of guys throwing rocks down the hill trying to get bucks to stand up, occasionally with success. The wrist rocket idea is great as well. Another idea that might produce similar results if a fawn in distress call. Blowing on one of those like a banshee will often get deer to stand up and look around to see what/who is being attacked/killed etc. In my mind, these are last gasp efforts before you move on from the area.
All in all, sounds like you did what you could though. I would have done the same as you. You can't second guess it. If you had arrived 2 minutes later, you never would have known he was there and you wouldn't even be asking this question. It just becomes one of those close calls that didn't pan out. There will be plenty more of those in the coming seasons.
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I don't know about your area but butt ends work great. The rock thing works occasionally but often doesn't make enough noise. Find yourself a head butt end on a landing and roll it down the hill...if you get some speed they make a hell of a bang. Me and my buddies call it bowling for bucks...it's worked on more than one occasion
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I carry a wrist rocket sling shot in my pack.
In the past I have used it to move game into view for a better look.
That's a cool idea.
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I don't know about your area but butt ends work great. The rock thing works occasionally but often doesn't make enough noise. Find yourself a head butt end on a landing and roll it down the hill...if you get some speed they make a hell of a bang. Me and my buddies call it bowling for bucks...it's worked on more than one occasion
What is a head butt end?
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I assume sawed off log ends, round for the roll and heavy.
Know what is down hill, really bad stuff happens
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My hunting pardner has a story where he tossed down a baseball sized rock in some thick cover and hit a huge bull moose by a total freak accident, no idea the moose was there.
moose got up ready to kill something, kill anything, he stood very very still
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I have had the fog give me a buck. Hunting in extreme fog makes you also invisible and if the wind is right it is great camo. Had a nice blacktail walk out of thick fog thirty feet away from me. I shot the buck and he leaped back into the fog. Since I had no visibility I decided to wait to pick up his trail. After 30 minutes of waiting I went over to where I had shot him and he was laying there only another 10 feet further away. I had never seen him laying there the whole time I was waiting for the fog to lift.
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You are carrying a rifle. You can plug a round into a stump. I've seen deer sit right through the sound of a rifle, but its a free chance to bump him up. I'd have gone the rock route first, then rifle, then push him.
