How To Gently Bump Deer At Night
Whitetail Deer
I’m currently hunting a food plot that has great potential. At the end of each evening’s hunt I have many deer all around me.
I wait in the dark as long as I can but always end up spooking them when I leave.
I’ve thought about setting up off the plot and try to intercept them, but the same thing would happen.
My question is does anyone have a technique they use to get deer off a plot at the end of the day that won’t leave a lasting impact that drives them nocturnal?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
FWIW, there's a whole 'nother thread on this topic, started recently by our fearless leader, link below. My method is that I don't hunt a spot like that every day, maybe only once or twice a week. And if deer remain in the field on an evening hunt....after waiting for full darkness, I walk out quickly, with a deer-stepping cadence, maybe grunting occasionally. They still might blow out, but usually don't go far in the darkness.
https://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=486600&messages=40&forum=4 Thank you !!!
I didn’t know it was just discussed.
When hunting with someone, I've had corn or beans fields full of deer and text my buddy to drive in to the field to get me, still bust them out but maybe they think it just the farmer and are not seeing me climbing down the tree
I just drove over to by brother's stand with the UTV the other night to bump them away so he could get down. Rather a little disturbance from a distance than figuring out that a dude has been sitting 20 feet above their heads.
Brainstorming:::::
Get Pat and Charlie to thin them out, that should reduce the pandemonium / commotion when you get down in the evening.
Set smart phone in field when ready to leave have Text Walter to call the number an bark like a dog.
Put a multi stemmed branch with string tied to it out there and start pulling on it to shoo deer off the dinner plate.
Light a couple bottle rockets off and aim them over the field. (Might be construed as harass game in some states)
Set a Manuel windup alarm clock out there set to go off at your designated time.
Send a drone over the field .
Yelp like a coyote or howl like a wolf depending on your local population of either.
Plant a strip of seasonal tall plants or arborvitae trees to give you a shield to walk behind on exiting.
Don’t worry to much about it they don’t get to disturb with movement at night.
You won’t have to worry about the great potential if you keep bumping deer off that spot. If you don’t have great entry/exit it’s not a good location.
I agree with RIT. Figure out a way to get in an out or it won't be good for long. Deer will tolerate some disturbance but before long they will avoid it.
As has been said in the other thread, coyote howler or an app with coyote sounds on your phone. I used my own voice to do coyote sounds for years until I got an app for my phone. Always has worked well. Shawn
If there is simply no way to get down without bumping them I call one of my kids to come find me with a flashlight. It's the best I could do.
I was going to say same as RIT. Even scaring them off is just one component. The ground scent you lay down every time in and out is another.
i had the same problem . going in early and coming out after dark. I'm lucky to have my own little piece of property to hunt on so I built a box blind.....I now try to only go in and out mid days. I go in one day at mid day....bunk in the blind for the night and hunt the next morning till noon or so and then head out. Kinda extreme....but Im seeing more deer, notably bucks, since doing this whenever I can
I had the coyotes do it for me tonight.... damned things were going crazy all around me as I was climbing down. They spooked off a deer near me. Time to start carrying a pistol in the stand with me..... Ha !!
