# Crazy deer hunting stories.....



## Dragons4u (Jul 18, 2011)

Well, who else has some crazy deer hunting stories?
Here's mine, which I still can't believe happened to me.
Third day of archery season last year, I was walking into the woods along the trail. It's about a three quarter mile walk to the tree I'd been running my climber up, but only about two hundred feet into the woods, a doe jumped up out of some brush not thirty feet from me.
I froze in my tracks, standing there with my crossbow cocked, but no bolt loaded, my climber hanging on my back. That deer bleated and was answered by not one but about eight other deer. I looked around me and I was standing in a circle of deer, I stopped counting at ten. Never in my life have I ever found myself surrounded by that many of something I'm hunting.
This big doe walks right down the trail toward me, stops about six feet in front of me, bleats and stomps the ground with one foot. I just stood there, and so did she. Every few seconds, she'd bleat and stomp, but not move away or anything.
Very slowly, I sat down in the middle of the trail, pulled out a bolt and loaded it into my crossbow....Still that deer just stood there bleating and stomping with all these other deer watching.
I stood back up, deer kept doing the same thing. Finally I just said out loud, "Ok, if you're the dumb one, you are going home with me."
The other deer ran like mad, but that doe still didn't move away. But she moved into my truck just fine. Two hundred seventeen pounds butcher dressed, and tasty as could be.


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## mpd5094 (Jun 20, 2005)

That's a great story! Amazing how deer act so strangely sometimes.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I have been bowhunting for over 40 years and there are a bunch of memories but the ones I remember the best have nothing to do with the taking of a deer.

It is amazing how the early morning darkness can mess with your head.

I have two occurrences that I will always remember.

Many years ago hunting a small wood line between two fields. I had a portable set up with tree steps to get into it.

I enter the field way before daylight and attach a scent drag with doe estrus, the rut is in full swing, for my walk through the field to my stand.

I get to my stand and tie my bow on the pull rope and put my foot on the lowest step to begin climbing. I hear something break a twig right behind me and I stop to listen. I hear a big deep inhale and then a very loud series of grunts followed by a load wheez a mere few feet behind me. I don't think I used all of the steps getting up the tree.

The second also way before daylight on my way to my stand I walk through an old house site deep in the woods. I am using a small pen light to see my way through. When I get to the house site something, emphasis on something to my right something starts screaming and growling. I turn my light to the right and there are two big red shining eyes at my head level looking back at me with the growling getting louder. The light was only bright enough to illuminate the eyes but not what kind of monster they were attached to. It took me a moment to realize it was an opossum 6 ft up in a small tree that was upset that I had disturbed it. That 10lbs of fluff had scared the crap out of me.


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

3 years ago..opening day i'm walking to my stand and on the path i see what looks like a real FAT cat...so i stop and look a little harder...thats no CAT!! it starts charging me!! i take off running like a sissy(mind you..i'm the "big bad hunter" with a bow in my hand..) that dang skunk ran me 35 yards back down the path... so i wait to see if it was still coming...i inched my way back up the path and didnt see him again... the crazy thing is that was the story of my season..."SKUNKED!!!"


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## Header (Apr 14, 2004)

Over the years I've had deer walk under my stand, a hawk fly under my feet. A hawk triing to get 2 squirrels on the same treee while they ran around the trunk. I dropped spit on a button buck at the base of my tree. A spike scent me in one spot after I moved to another just to run from that spot to 10ft in front of me. I started talking and he leaned and focused aronud me to see if he could find the person talking. I jumped he took off and came back. The best, I was done from the morning hunt, walking out with the compound slung over my shoulder and thermos in my other hand when the dogs ahead of me started barking, I stopped and waited. Yep, the momma doe passed me at 6' on the other side of the creek I stopped at. Her fawn jumped the creek toward me and stopped at my side, I could have petted it. It sniffed me and then took off looking for momma.


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## CHOPIQ (Apr 6, 2004)

I posted this story a couple years ago about a button buck that came up to me while deer hunting.

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=131885&highlight=snickers


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## Dragons4u (Jul 18, 2011)

Great stories, keep them coming.
One of the small private lands I was hunting had a ladder stand up that the owner's son hadn't used in a couple years. I fix up the straps that were worn out and made it useable again. I hunted out of that thing for three weeks, and the only thing I ever saw was this squirrel that would meet me there every freaking morning. As the sun came up, he'd come running through the woods, climb up the tree and sit beside me. The little guy would sit there for hours, and when I got ready to go, he'd run off.
The owner's son came out to meet me one day and I told him about that squirrel. He told me that's why he quit using that stand because if a deer did come around the squirrel would start barking and deer never came close enough for a shot. Lol, and he hadn't hunted from that spot in atleast two years.


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## Roadkil (Mar 11, 2011)

This one happened about 4 years ago. I hunt on public land and I had two ladder stands about 100 yards apart both in well traveled areas that are used by the deer as they move from the woods to fields to eat and vice versa. On the second day of bow season a friend and I had hunted the morning and saw no activity. We were walking from one of my stands to the other to fix it since someone had tried to yank it off the tree and bent it up good. Not being too loud, but talking as we walked. 

Anyway as we were cutting from on area to the other talking we jumped up a mature doe. I immediately moved behind a large oak and knocked an arrow on my compound bow. My friend stopped and stood stock still. The doe had jumped up and only moved about 25 yards from where she was bedded. I whispered to my friend to let me know if the deer started moving to the left or right and waited. We had two things in our favor at this point; the wind, and it was only the second day of the season. 

Even though the deer was spooked out of its resting place she was still curious as to what spooked her and began walking straight toward us. As she moved my friend said left, so I got ready and drew the bow while standing behind the tree. The only problem I had was that she was walking straight toward us. She stopped 20 yards in front of us still facing us and began stomping her hooves. At this point I knew she was getting ready to bolt so I stepped out from behind the tree and found my mark. All I had was a neck shot as the deer faced us. I put the pin directly on the white patch on her throat and let it fly. The arrow found its mark and the deer expired where she stood 20 yards from both of us.


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## WeekendWarrior (Jan 20, 2008)

Dragons4u said:


> Two hundred seventeen pounds butcher dressed, and tasty as could be.


Wow that's a big doe


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## Header (Apr 14, 2004)

Down at Wills Creek on Conesville property I was busted by a yealing doe, she ran about 35 -40 yds out and stopped. I was right beside the tree I was going up with my climber still on my back. The doe starts coming back, I was still going to climb but what the hay. I had the climber on the ground when the doe was 20yds out and coming. I sat down on a rock to watch, she keeps coming. I cocked and load the xbow, got my glasses out of my pocket and put them on, only to have them fog up. I take them off and lay them on the ground, she is now maybe 10yds in front of me. I think not but what the heck, dumb deer, bolt pass thru, she goes aprox. 20yds. I'm done for the day after about a 20 miunte walk in. I think she field dressed at 80+ lbs, good eating.


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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

Opening day of archery last season I was walking into the woods with my climber. I was getting close to the area where I had planned on setting up when I bumped a deer. It took off running and when I looked in the direction it ran and saw a set of eyes reflecting from my headlight. It was another deer bedded down. I turned off my light, backtracked about 20 yds and climbed up a tree. By the time I got up in the tree, hung my bow, and turned around, the deer (a doe) got up and was walking towards the tree I was in. Checked to make sure shooting hours had opened, drew back and let an arrow fly. I was off to the check in station by 8:00. Had to be one of the quickest, easiest deer hunts I've had.


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## Dragons4u (Jul 18, 2011)

When I took that big doe in to the check station, the guy had everyone come out and look at it. He said it had been the biggest deer he'd seen in years.
I stopped back by the check station a few days later and some guy had brought in a 282 pound buck he'd shot about four miles away from where I'd gotten the doe. That thing looked like a small elk or something. It was crazy big.


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## Thesilverback (Mar 5, 2011)

Since you guys are talking about quick and easy, last year opening day gun season at 8:00 I walked thru a small field took two steps Into the woods and shot one of the biggest does I've ever seen! My day of hunting had came and went in less than ten min!

_The Silverback_


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## Roadkil (Mar 11, 2011)

Last year I hunted from the ground all year during bow season and gun season. I took two does from the ground with my bow @ 30 yards or less and two with my gun from the ground. The first one was just one of the times everything went right.


I spent the majority of this Octocber day set up halfway down a finger that leads into a bowl and saw nothing. I decided to walk the dry creek bed to see what I could see. I got to a point that it dumps out near a trail and the creek splits off. I cleared the leaves and set on the bank of the creek next to a log. Sat there for a good twenty minutes and saw nothing. I sat my bow down and laid back to rest for a bit. I kept hearing the rustling of leaves and every time I looked up it was a squirrel or two chasing each other on the side of the hill, so the next time I heard it I didnt bother looking. After a few minutes I slowly sat up and looked up the hill and at the top of the trail and two does coming down the trail right to me. 


I slowly reached for my bow without getting busted then knocked an arrow and the lead doe caught my movement. The wind was in my favor, as well as the sun. The lead doe knew something was not right, but was not sure what it was. The doe behind her started walking down the hill so the lead doe followed suit. Once their view was obstructed by a tree I drew and waited. She slowly kept coming down the hill and stopped about 30 yards from my position and turned broadside to eat some acorns. That was all I needed. I let the arrow fly and hit my spot. Both deer took off up and out the side of the steep hill and then I heard the crash. Twenty minutes later I was dragging the doe out of the gulley from that steep hillside.


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## BuckeyeHunter (Nov 5, 2008)

Several years ago I was sitting in the stand on my uncles property when my uncle came walking down. Apparently his neighbor who had about a 1 acre pond woke up to find a wounded buck laying by the pond that someone else had shot. The neighbor was an anti hunter and refused to shoot it but he didn't want to leave a wounded deer lay there and suffer so I was summoned to finish it off. I walked down to find a nice 8 point laying next to a tree but it was curled up in a ball and gave no good shot from across the pond except his head so I tried to get closer as it was obviously weak and wounded. In the course of working around the pond the deer spotted me, jumped up, into the pond and swam all the way across but it was too weak to climb back out and it got stuck in the mud on the bank. I then shot it twice from about 10 feet away at which point it got out of the mud, swam back into the pond and rolled over dead - right smack in the middle of the pond. Luckily the guy had one of those two person peddle boats so we chipped the ice out of the seats (it was cold that morning), launched it and peddled out to the deer. I grabbed it by the antlers and we then went in one giant circle no matter how hard we turned the rudder as this deer was nothing but a 200 lb water logged dead weight dragging us to the side. I was forced to climb onto the back of the boat and hold it straight behind us like a rudder while he paddled us back to shore. I ended up with a nice 8 point rack on my wall for the efforts but the meat tasted nasty.


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## CHOPIQ (Apr 6, 2004)

I was bow hunting last year and shot a 1.5 year old doe. The shot was just a little back. I watched the doe run about 40 yards and bedded down. I could see her and every now and then would lift her head. While I was waiting for her to expire I saw a coyote trot by my stand. I didn't have an arrow ready so I couldn't get a shot at it. Well the coyote trotted by me and then saw the doe that I had shot. Of course the thing ran up to the doe and started jumping on her back. The doe stood up and started going in circles to keep the coyote off her. I was po'ed. I didn't want the coyote to chase my deer away and then I would have to hunt it. I was in a climber so it took a few minutes to get down from my stand. I knocked an arrow and then ran up to the deer and coypote. The coyote was on the deers back. I drew and yelled at the same time. The coyote jumped off her back and took off. THe doe then laid back down and died. Then I realized that I shouldn't have ran up on a coyote. 

Then two years ago I was hunting from a tree. I saw three does coming from my left. I was just about to draw on them when they stopped cold and just stared. They were staring at something to my right. I slowly looked to my right and not 20 yards from me was a bobcat. He was staring straight at the deers. This went on for like 5 minutes. I then turned slightly to see the bobcat and he saw me turn. He took off to his left the deer turned around and went the other and I didn't get a shot at anything.


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## Roadkil (Mar 11, 2011)

The coyote story triggered another memory.

A few years back the day before gun season I was bow hunting from a tree stand until about noon. My brother in law was coming in from Toledo, as he does every year, and me not having any deer down yet I wanted to hunt and try to have something in the freezer before he showed up so I could help him tag a deer. Anyway I was slowly cutting through the area back to the trail and I spotted a doe on the side of the hill about 60 yards away from me.

I slowly worked my way to a couple of blow downs and watched. There were 3 does and they were working their way to me so I just sat tight. They came down the hill crossed the creek and shot up the hill on my side and then turned and started walking in my direction and were about @ 45 yards. I drew my bow and waited. The lead doe was just about in range and almost clear of branches, bushes, etc. and I was getting ready to release the arrow.

All of a sudden the lead doe stopped dead in her tracks and looked to her right and turned and bolted. The other two followed suit. I was perplexed about the sudden frenzy to vacate the area since the wind was in my favor. One minute later I saw the reason for the deer bolting; a coyote came bouncing through area. It stopped and I released the arrow and narrowly missed the coyote.


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## icingdeath (Jun 2, 2010)

His thread makes me think of my first deer.back in 90 me and pop were up in sugar bay mckean co. Pa. Was hunting the top of a bench overlooking a hemlock bough.sometimes nature calls.its snowing like mad!found myself a nice log and did my thing.cup of coffe in one hand,smoke in the other..06 leaning next to me.a 4 pt decides to step on the trail at 40 yrds.bad timing!!!!!! Regardless,i spilled coffe all over me and pants down took out the buck with a neck shot.thank goodness my cousin found me as all i had to work with was an old G96 fillet knife!that day earlier i saw a nice bear at 200 yrds and ran for my life.while carying my Remington 700......... :-(

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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

Three years ago last day of gun season I was hunting my woods and sat on a laydown that was up against a standing tree that was angled perfect to sit back and relax and see what happens.

About an hour into the hunt it starts to sleet pretty good. I forgot my gloves that day and the ground was already covered in snow so I had my hands inside my coat and my arms over my gun. I closed my eyes to focus on any noise other than the sleet and I ended up falling asleep. I woke up to a MONSTER buck sniffing my face. This was by far the heaviest/darkest horned deer ive ever seen in the woods. BUT it was also the dumbest looking. He had a HUGE nose that looked goofy and a dopey set of eyes. I dont even know if he knew what he was doing. I could feel air getting blown on my cheek and I slowly opened my eyes to find this deer RIGHT THERE! I was instantly froze. After what seemed like 10 mins but probably only 45 seconds he turned to his right and took off sprinting. Went down a hill and took a left and came up topside out to the cut corn field. I sprinted to the top and seen him running across the field at a bad angle so I didnt shoot. Watched him run about 400 yards crossed the road and entered the next woods and it sounded like world war II. By far one of the best memories ive ever had in the woods. Scary but good!


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## Dragons4u (Jul 18, 2011)

The coyotes stories reminded me of something else I was lucky as heck to witness about four years ago.
I was hunting on public land, right at the border to some private land. I was sitting in the middle of this big bush the made a semi-circle around me so all that was above it was my head. It was a really thick thing, but all of a sudden it start moving to my right like something was going through it. It went rummaging through that bush all the way around to my left, then out jumps......A FOX!
Dang thing had went all the way around through that bush, not even two feet from my feet. It jumped out, shook itself off, sat down and licked like a dog, then went running off down the tree line onto the private property.
After a couple minutes I hear a shotgun going off repeatedly, so I jumped out to look and could just barely hear this guy yelling at that fox, "(expletive) fox, I will get you for eating my chickens!"
I walked down and talked to him. Ended up getting permission to retrieve any deer I shot that went to his property, in exchange though, he wanted me to kill that fox if I ever saw it again. Which, I never did see it again.


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## Roadkil (Mar 11, 2011)

October of 2007, I think, it may have been 2006; anyway bow hunting just at the beginning of the rut. Two does meander into my area out of bow range and bed down in the thickets. They stay there all day getting up occasionally to feed then bed back down and stay out of bow range the entire time of course. Bout mid-morning I catch glimpse of a set of horns coming up the hill. It was an odd looking 4 point. He had extremely tall tines with 3 on one side and one long horn on the other, big body, nice looking buck all the way around. 


Just for the uniqueness of the rack I decided I was going to take him once he was within range. I hook my release to the loop on my bow; start pulling back and then slackness. My loop busted and I watch the arrow go sailing up into the air. Have no clue where it landed. By this time the buck is 10 yards from my stand broadside and as I go to knock another arrow to shoot with my fingers one of the does comes running out of the thicket to the buck, bleating. She stops in front of the buck, turns and lifts her tail. The buck looks at the doe grunts and turns and runs off. I never did get the arrow out of my quiver I was more interested in watching this unfold. I was so dumbfounded by the action of the buck that I just let the doe walk back to her bedding area and waited a bit to exit the area. I thought it strange that the doe was letting the buck know she was in heat, practically begging for his attention and the buck just walks off. Odd behavior I thought. 


So I leave for the day and am off to get my looped repaired. Got that done and am back in the same stand the next morning. Around 11:00 A.M I spot a nice 8pt and he walks within range so I arrow him. He runs about 20 yards and flops down on the ground just near the edge of the hillside I was hunting. I was thankful that he did not go charging down the hill, less work for me right? I figure Im going to give him a good 20 minutes before I go gut him. I can see where he is so no worries about tracking, other hunters, etc. in short Im happy. 


While I was waiting a bigger 10pt buck comes up the hill from the opposite direction. He walks right up to the buck I just shot and pokes around him a bit, and then he lowers his head and rolls my deer over the side of the hill with his antlers. All I hear is my buck crashing/tumbling down this steep hill and then a very loud splash. Great! Not only do I have to drag this deer up this hillside I now have to retrieve it from the creek below. It had been raining so it was about knee deep and cold.


I work my way down the hill to my deer and get his water logged carcass out of the creek and start gutting the deer. Above me I hear running and crashing and look up and see the odd horned buck from the day before chasing two does. I thought to myself well at least he finally caught on.


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## walleyewrangler13 (Apr 2, 2010)

wasnt hunting but walking (scouting) through the woods with my dad a few years ago, i was like 12 at the time. we were on out way out when we came acrossed a fawn all by its self. it was like 5 yards away and wouldnt leave. as we kept walking, it would follow. we almost got out of the woods when it started getting really close to me. i told my dad and we just kept walking. all of a sudden this little button buck head butts me in the behind. scared the crap outta me! and the thing still wouldnt run. it followed us all the way back to the truck and watched us drive off..... couldnt believe it!


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