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Bumped 2 bucks!

I'm hunting a 110 acre parcel. And I went and checked 2 cams. While walking the field line back out I looked up and saw the 2 bucks I've been getting on camera out in the field and running away. Tails down and head high. The level of fright didn't seem high. They seemed spooked and I'm only assuming it was cause of me. ive never had this happen to me. but it happened. So I'm looking for knowledge on what your thoughts are with their behavior to come. I'm hoping I didn't ruin my chances for early season.

You are going to have those that tell you it was terrible and you pretty much wrecked your early season. I don't believe that, although frequent camera checking may have done more harm. I think you will be fine if you get things set and stay out for a while.

You did not ruin your season. They likely knew you were in the woods during your last camera check. Those deer were close, you likely jumped them from their bed because you got too close. They are prey, you are the predator, and they are always going to avoid humans if their is risk of them getting preyed upon. They'll be back, they love where they live, and will move when your "bumping" becomes habit forming.

I went out with a buddy, and set up another alternate ladder stand last Thursday. We drove right up to my stand site, and parked my truck not 50 yards from my stand. We set up a ladder stand on a giant 200 year old oak tree. Realized I didn't have enough ratchet strap, nor enough rope to pin the stand to the tree during the initial installation. I drove home, grabbed my stuff, came back, drove around the woods, parked in the same spot, set up the stand to my liking (odd shaped tree, took 4 attempts to get it right), and it took us almost 2 hours. My buddy climbs the stand after we made the final adjustments. He looks into the alfalfa field, and there's a young buck grazing about 100 yards away. We weren't talking loud, but we weren't that quiet. He looks to his left, and said there's another at 60 yards. I'm standing on the ground, the choke cherry trees are thick where I'm standing, but I'm not 15 feet from the field edge, and I peak at the doe, and she's looking at my parked truck. Only looking, and now moving our way. She actually fed her way to within 25 yards of me. I thought I didn't want to spook her too badly as she approached, so I decided to do a barred owl call like I was shock gobbling a turkey on the roost. She doesn't spook, she walks closer, until she winded me. She trotted away, and grazed at the field edge about 200 yards from us. We walked out, she put her head up, and wagged her tail, and walked into the woods. I'm not the least concerned that she won't walk by me again. I'm almost certain I'll see her more than enough times during the season. She might wind me again, she might run off, but the limited interaction will not send her away forever, but she is not going to flee to the next county, not knowing if I will or will not harm her?

My buddy jokingly asked me if I'll see any deer from my stand, noting we seen 2 while setting it up, sweating our balls off. I told him maybe a couple if we didn't scare them all off. With all that said, I decided this year I was not going to use my cameras. I know there's probably at least 20 giant bucks out there if I use my imagination versus my cameras lol!

Thanks for the input guys. This was my intention too! But still a bummer. Guess future pics will tell me what it did. Cause they were pretty consistent for the last 2 weeks.

Hahaha Pete-pec... That's pretty neat... I understand deer do that at times. More common for younger class deer. Bucks with age are simply different, most the time. And with opening 3 weeks away Im praying they still move comfortable day time.

Well, I'm not sure what kind of indicator this is, but I scare deer out of the yard at my cabin almost every time I step outside to take a leak at night...and they keep coming back. I think as long as they didn't hear a loud BANG!, or you didn't continue to pursue them, that you'll be just fine. Their one and only thought right now is food so I'm sure they've already forgotten about you.

As long as you can keep all the coyotes and wolves out of the area until after you kill one, you should be fine.

You got that right FiveRs. That opens up a whole nother debate. A depressing one at that! Good luck this fall and stay safe

You're fine right now... Once they get hard horned it's a whole other story!

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