Snort, now what?

[kenn1320]

Just curious what you guys do when this occurs. Here is the scenario that I'm sure has happened to those using the beast method and one I will likely experience using Dan's tactics. Your within that last 100yds to your location and you bump a deer and it snorts. Do you continue onto your destination hoping the target animal still gets up before dark? What if the deer you bump is the target animal, you have already blown it, do you move on to another sit, or do you take advantage of the situation and look at his bed/entrance/exit routes to have better info for another shot at him later in the year?
How do you guys handle the situation?

[dan]

If its not the target animal I set up and hunt anyway... If it is the target animal I leave and hunt elswhere. I do not take the opertunity to scout... I want to do as little damage as possible and maybe hunt it again later in the season...
I honestly do not get spotted very often by the target deer when setting up unless I am hunting spots that are not prescouted... This is because I scout the beds and sit right in them and look at how far the deer can see, think about what he can hear, and what he can smell... Sometimes I even test the windstreme to see if the terrain pulls the scent stream a certain way giving you an advantage or disadvantage coming in from a certain direction. Wind does not travel straight through timber and hills it often bends and flows much like water...

[Gibby]

When you go after a specific deer in its bed and you bust any surrounding deer the target deer is likely to spook and leave also, dont you think?

I am not knocking the hunting style I just have been kinda thinking the same thing about what happens if you bust deer on the way in (perhaps even other deer) when you are targeting a specific animal and trying to get right in on him?

[BigHunt]

When you go after a specific deer in its bed and you bust any surrounding deer the target deer is likely to spook and leave also, dont you think?

I am not knocking the hunting style I just have been kinda thinking the same thing about what happens if you bust deer on the way in (perhaps even other deer) when you are targeting a specific animal and trying to get right in on him?

thats the game you have to play if you want a crack at him , sometimes you have to take thoughs chances

[Dewey]

I have been busted by does on the way in many times and thought my day was over but stuck to my plan anyway. More times than not I still saw bucks after everything settled down.

As a matter of fact I shot one of my nicer bucks shortly after a doe was snorting like crazy at me. It didn't seem to bothered him at all and actually seemed like it atracted him. Of course this was during the rut when anything can happen.

Earlier in the season if I was busted by a snorting buck I was after it would be smart to back out of there and not come back again until a later date when the conditions are absolutely perfect.

[Southern Man]

I have heard before that a deer snorts for 2 reasons, "alarm/ danger" and "who's there?". I dunno if that's true but if you hear enough snorts there is a difference in how it sounds. I also have had deer snort that seemed out of curiosity, they'd stay around if not come closer and then had deer snort and immediately bust out of there. That's mostly with does. In my experience, bucks, especially older ones, won't snort and usually leave without making a sound. If curious, they stand still and watch.

[GRFox]

According to Deer and Deer hunting, does blow to let the other deer around them that there is danger and "lets bounce".

There study went on to say that Bucks on the other hand only blow when there is another buck in they're genetic pipeline present, I guess in an effort to protect theyre genetics.

I dont know how accurate this info is but it was according to a study by D&DH. I know that I have never seen a buck blow at me, they may have when in the dark I cant see if its a buck or doe.

Does anyone else think bucks blow alot less than does?

[dan]

According to Deer and Deer hunting, does blow to let the other deer around them that there is danger and "lets bounce".

There study went on to say that Bucks on the other hand only blow when there is another buck in they're genetic pipeline present, I guess in an effort to protect theyre genetics.

I dont know how accurate this info is but it was according to a study by D&DH. I know that I have never seen a buck blow at me, they may have when in the dark I cant see if its a buck or doe.

Does anyone else think bucks blow alot less than does?

If that is truly what the study says, then the study is wrong. Not only have I had bucks blow at me, I have it on film.

[dan]

When you go after a specific deer in its bed and you bust any surrounding deer the target deer is likely to spook and leave also, dont you think?

I am not knocking the hunting style I just have been kinda thinking the same thing about what happens if you bust deer on the way in (perhaps even other deer) when you are targeting a specific animal and trying to get right in on him?

I go to my hunting spots early... If I make a noise, or spook a non-target animal, a lot of the time the target buck just hunkers down on edge wondering what is going on... After a period of no noise or commotion I believe they can forget about the whole incidence and get up like normal... I have however seen evidence that if spooked bad enough or late enough ( close to the time they get up ) that they may stay bedded till after dark or leave immeadiatly when spooked. But I think they stay there and foget enogh to make it worth while to take a chance and hunt. After all, you already burned the spot getting your scent in there.

[BassBoysLLP]

I generally stick to plan and hunt, assuming its not too bad and the wind isn't shifting too bad. I've killed enough after "the snort" to assure myself that it is worth my time.

I often equate the situation to terror alert levels. A slight disturbance upgrades the level to yellow. Life goes on, but there is a little more awareness in the woods. If the wind is in my favor and not shifting, I can still win.

Good topic BTW.

[Gibby]

I go to my hunting spots early... If I make a noise, or spook a non-target animal, a lot of the time the target buck just hunkers down on edge wondering what is going on... After a period of no noise or commotion I believe they can forget about the whole incidence and get up like normal... I have however seen evidence that if spooked bad enough or late enough ( close to the time they get up ) that they may stay bedded till after dark or leave immeadiatly when spooked. But I think they stay there and foget enogh to make it worth while to take a chance and hunt. After all, you already burned the spot getting your scent in there.

That was part of my thinking as well because knowing how quietly and slowly you approach a hunting spot, if you leave to hunt another spot you may be pressed for time and be rushed to get in which might bump that deer as well.

In the scenerio mentioned by the OP I would still hunt the spot as well, but I am curious why you would not investigate or scout at least a little if you still hadnt yet reached your target set up tree to make sure if there was a subordinate deer bedding close by or an alternate target buck bed that you would be aware of it for the nexrt time you came in to hunt that spot again

[RUTIN]

I would say its different per scenerio.... I have had does blow at me in the dark and continued my way in and found that it has blown the target deer out, but sometimes he may just get up and skirt the area to shortly come back to his bedroom on an afternoon stroll back. I would also say it depends on time of year.... they rut is a very crazy time and he may not even care if hes on a hot doe! just my 2 cents

[dan]

When I took my son Jamie out gun hunting a few years back we hunted a buck bedding area and we really pushed the limits on how close. When we got to the tree a nice buck got up and started sneaking out at 50 yards... Jamie shot it and the shot was a bit back and it ran into an area full of the orange army and massive gunfire erupted and we could here shots for hundreds of yards... It was a fight I new we wouldn't win, and one I did not want him to experiance.
So I explained it to him and we climbed the tree and hunted anyway. An hour or two later another nice 9 point buck came out of the bedding area and walked right up and he shot it clean.

[GRFox]

According to Deer and Deer hunting, does blow to let the other deer around them that there is danger and "lets bounce".

There study went on to say that Bucks on the other hand only blow when there is another buck in they're genetic pipeline present, I guess in an effort to protect theyre genetics.

I dont know how accurate this info is but it was according to a study by D&DH. I know that I have never seen a buck blow at me, they may have when in the dark I cant see if its a buck or doe.

Does anyone else think bucks blow alot less than does?

If that is truly what the study says, then the study is wrong. Not only have I had bucks blow at me, I have it on film.

Yea it sounded pretty silly to me too, im not sure how they would even conduct a study like that.

Do you think bucks blow less often then does?

[ Post made via Android ]

[Zap]

Blow em out
Set your stand
Trim your lane
Get some sleep
Get there early