What's the closest you have gotten to a bedded buck?

[Canis Latrans]

I'm looking to find out realistically how close I can expect to get to a bedded buck. I know exactly where his bed is, and I am trying to figure out how close I can realistically expect to get to him without him knowing. I know I will have to move extremely slow, but I will be out of sight and with easy quiet access until the last 100 yards, then I can stay out of sight and down wind but there is brush in the way.

So my question is for you stealthy beast hunters, what is the closest you have come to a large bedded buck that you were hunting in yards or feet without him busting you? What was your set up? Stand, blind or nothing? The more detail you include the more helpful it will be to this new hunter. Stories, maps with access and stands marked out would be great. Thanks guys.

[dan]

Its really different for different terrains and conditions... I get a lot closer in marsh and swamp, than in open woods. And rain will get me across otherwise noisy leaves... I usually get within 100 yards in the marsh. And within 200 yards in hill country or open woods. I set up my stand last week and had a nice buck get up 40 yards from me.


I get pretty close to this one. Its a good example of setting up close.
[bbvideo=425,350]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD396slTRO4[/bbvideo]

[cedarsavage]

Its really different for different terrains and conditions... I get a lot closer in marsh and swamp, than in open woods. And rain will get me across otherwise noisy leaves... I usually get within 100 yards in the marsh. And within 200 yards in hill country or open woods. I set up my stand last week and had a nice buck get up 40 yards from me.


I get pretty close to this one. Its a good example of setting up close.
[bbvideo=425,350]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD396slTRO4[/bbvideo]

Is the added distance in hill country because it's harder to get close undetected? Also are you expecting them to move further in daylight because of generally hunting hills during the rut?

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[Trailcamaddict]

On windy days (+15 mph) I have been able to set up on bedded bucks within 50 yards on several occasions in the marsh. The closest without busting was 30 yards - too bad he was a little guy! When I was 14 I was doing a still hunt in a pine grove across from my parents house. A buck fawn walked so close to me that I hit him on the rear end with my hand as he walked by. He was pretty freaked.

[Lockdown]

Closest was 55 yards from the bed. I snuck to within 20 yards of multiple deer that were bedded where they "weren't suppose to be".

Opening night I bumped a target buck from under my kill tree, then got one stick and stand up when he was standing 50-60 yards away. He didn't know what I was and apparently didn't want to leave the security of the bedding.

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[Lockdown]

The difference of wind/no wind is tremendous. Also sneaking is way easier early season when everything is green instead of dead and dry like it is now.

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[SamPotter]

Set up on a very dry, still day this fall. Had a mature 160s stand up from his bed @ 29 yards a little while later. Hoped he would be somewhere close, but maybe not that close. A couple weeks later I spotted the rack of a bedded 3 yr old when I was half way up a tree. Managed to get set up undetected.

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[Worm82]

I walked within 10ft of a mature 8pt Sunday while checking my cams. It was our juvy hunt in Tn so I had no bow or gun. I had walked by him the first time and checked a cam 100yds above him in a honeysuckle thicket and was walking back out and spotted his rump laying there. He knew he was hidden and was just laying there looking at me. He finally got up and took a few bounds into the thicket and didn't seem like he was to worried about me. He was laying in a corner with pasture on 3 sides and the wind was blowing from where he couldn't see in the woods.

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[flinginairos]

The buck I killed this year I got to within 65-70 yards and got set up. I killed one in 2013 that I got within 20 yards of but I didnt know he was there! I knew he was in one small area but I thought he would be bedded about 80-100 yards away. I was putting my stand on the tree when I spotted him and was able to get my release and arrow on. He stood up and fed his way right into a shooting lane and I smoked him

[headgear]

50-60 yards. Jumped them as close as 10 but those were on accident as sometimes the bucks like to surprise me and bed not where they are suppose to.

[JakeD]

I was boating in to a stand with a jon boat and it was somewhat windy and still early in the season. I got out of the boat and bedded down 10 yards off the bank was a 2.5 year old 7 pointer. I ended up sneaking up behind him and laying down within about 7 feet of him and watched him for awhile. He eventually got up on his own, hit a rub and walked off.

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[wickedbruiser]

Well this just happened to me last night. I get settled around 3:00 very quietly. Not a peep. A couple of hours laters of squirrel watching, this spike popped up 20 yds left front of me out of nowhere. Little bugger was bedded in a deadfall with little pines the whole time and I had no idea!! Amazed me how well this deer blended in. He slowly walked into the wind feeding. Close to bedded buck but 1. didn't really consider a 1 horn spike a buck and 2. it was non-intentional.

[Killemquietly]

That video Dan posted is one of my all time favorites. One question, since you said the tree was in his view. Did you set the stand on the back of the tree and stand facing the tree the whole time OR chance setting up regular and risk getting busted getting into it? I assume the brush didn't really obscure his view of that stand height on the tree.

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[dan]

That video Dan posted is one of my all time favorites. One question, since you said the tree was in his view. Did you set the stand on the back of the tree and stand facing the tree the whole time OR chance setting up regular and risk getting busted getting into it? I assume the brush didn't really obscure his view of that stand height on the tree.

[ Post made via Android ]

I go up the back of the tree and use it to cover my movements. I reach around the tree and set the stand while watching the beds. I only need to get above the stand from behind and slip around the tree.

Is the added distance in hill country because it's harder to get close undetected?

Yes

Also are you expecting them to move further in daylight because of generally hunting hills during the rut?

during rut yes...

[tricospinner]

8ft away in the thickest part of a cat tail swamp. I interrupted his afternoon siesta unexpectedly. I thought I was just following fresh deer sign in the swamp -not expecting at all to SEE him. He wasn't a monster and I don't care, but he was grey at the muzzle and looked like he'd been around for awhile- as old as most public bucks get . He wheezed snorted then stood up ,looking right
through me. I was shocked- jaw dropped. I had a howard hill style longbow w me then. I'm 5'1 and the cattails were obstructing my bow (my excuse anyway for not shooting). I think I was small enough he didn't see me or
smell me. I was just too stunned to shoot.. I will never forget that moment.
this was in 2010. He never used that same bed again.

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