Walk wait or call?

[Phred]

Suppose you were heading to your "spot" and you put up a deer. What would you do over the next 15 min, ½ hour, hour? Sit? Walk? Wait? Call?
I was wondering what you guys would do in this circumstance. How would your actions differ between a mulie, a whitetail, elk, or moose?
I've had this happen quite alot while going to my stand, and I've always wondered what was the ideal action.

[bigwhiteys]

If I was hunting and there was a moose on my trail I'd spook that swamp donkey the hell outta my patch unless it was going to really screw me up...

With a whitetail I would just freeze and not make any eye contact. They are shifty buggers. I wouldn't try to call or anything if it was looking at me. If I just sit absolutely still and not move usually the animal will forget about me within a few minutes and continue on with their activities unspooked or bothered.

Same with Mule Deer and Moose (if I don't run them out).

I would think there are many variables... Wind, Cover, Terrain you are in etc...

I have yet to go for Elk so I have no comments there!

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[huntwriter]

I am looking forward to hunt other species than whitetails.

Depending at the situation my actions differ.

First I do not walk to my stand, I still hunt to my stand. I have found what alerts animals to humans, before they ever see us, is the way we walk. Humans have an even walk and animals don't. I try to mimic the animals by taking shorter steps, two to three steps than stand still. If I snap a twig under foot I give a short friendly grunt. That lets other deer in the area think that I am just another deer foraging around.

If the deer sees me, which happens very rarely because I use my binos all the time and pick the landscape appart, then I freeze for as long until the deer either runs off or resumes its activity. I have found if deer run away they do not run very far, maybe 50 yards or so and then they look around. If they do not see or hear anything they go about their business.

I use to go to my stands in the dark, sitting there for an hour or two like an owl waiting for daybreak, and spooked a lot more deer. Since I go to my stand right at daybreak I seem to spook less deer but still will see plenty deer from my stand.

[farside]

I hate getting busted. Have had that happen a fewtimes. Following 1 buck and having a different buck saunter out. All I have ever done is stop and don't move. If they run they run (they usually do for me). But it seems that they always loop back for a looky loo. So once they are gone I usually hunker down and wait. This has paid off more than once but you have to be patient and listen hard. Many times you can hear them coming back but you never get to see them.

[huntwriter]

I hate getting busted. Have had that happen a fewtimes. Following 1 buck and having a different buck saunter out. All I have ever done is stop and don't move. If they run they run (they usually do for me). But it seems that they always loop back for a looky loo. So once they are gone I usually hunker down and wait. This has paid off more than once but you have to be patient and listen hard. Many times you can hear them coming back but you never get to see them.

You are right. Deer double back on their own trail to get behind whatever spooked them. That is one reson why I always look not only to the front and sides but also behind, with binoculars, before I move on.

Thta's how I shot a dandy buck with my bow once. He run and then about 20 minutes he came behind me over the ridge. I called to him and he tried to get downwind of me. But to do so he had to pass by me or walk into the open field. He decided to come by me, for that he got a free ride in the back of my truck.:mrgreen:

[CanAm500]

Call, because waiting would take way to long :mrgreen: