Pennsylvania Game News - August 2013 - 27

the front row. But being close means
there’s little wiggle room for error on
your part. Fidgetiness and unnatural
noises, such as stand creaks and backpack digging will send deer elsewhere
in a millisecond.
Okay. So you’re sitting quietly,
blended-in with camouflage — hands
and face, too — watching for deer. Soak
up every interaction on the surrounding landscape. That squirrel or dog
barking in the distance may be scolding
a deer. The drone of farm machinery
in the distance may be a corn-picker
chasing deer from the cornfield. The
shots of squirrel or waterfowl hunters
also may start deer in your direction.
All the aforementioned activities are
signals to watch even
closer. So don’t get
caught napping; get
your game face on.
If approaching deer pick you
out, one usually
stops immediately,
stares at you and
checks the wind for
your scent. Sit still,
regardless of how far
away the deer are from
you. A lot of times,
deer detect our odor when we
can’t see them, because of shifting wind
or poor stand selection. In these cases,
the deer are never seen, and you leave
the woods wondering how that hotspot struck out. Work with the wind. It
can be your best friend or worst enemy
as a hunter.
If a deer suddenly picks you out
in close, it’ll usually stand erect, cup
its ears toward you and give you the
stink-eye. How you react to its stare
will usually play a role in whether you
AUGUST  2013

get to take a shot. First, and foremost,
don’t move and don’t make direct eye
contact. You’re busted if you do. Such
standoffs with deer can last a while,
but normally they’re less than a few
minutes. In heightened encounters,
deer will use head-bobs, snorts and
hoof-stomps to coax you to move and
confirm their suspicions. Don’t take the
bait. Go granite.
About 15 years ago I was busted by a
doe on an evening hunt on an archery
opener. The deer came up from behind
and I didn’t hear it until it was within
30 yards. I peeked over my shoulder to
see what was making the noise and she
saw me. She took off blowing, but after
about 20 yards, she stopped abruptly,
turned around and faced me.
She kept blowing and started
head bobbing. I figured, that’s
it, I’m done. But after about two
minutes of blowing, she started
moving toward me. Go figure!
I’m already holding my
bow, but I’m reluctant to
move, because now I’m
thinking she’s coming
closer. And she did!
Her stare was unrelenting. She knew I
didn’t belong, but
she couldn’t pull
herself away. Each time she closed
the gap between us, I inched my bow
higher. When she hit 25 yards and
started head-bobbing again, I pulled
back slowly and anchored. She turned
enough to the right to get around a
decomposing tree trunk and gave me
a chance to shoot. I didn’t miss.
Curiosity killed the cat, but that
night it also helped to kill a deer. It
was one I wasn’t expecting to take,
because spooked deer usually don’t
27
Pennsylvania Game News - August 2013

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