Stopping deer...

[dan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqicJfGwb7I&lc=z23usdsietvkjx2e2acdp433cmp3hw05wtxmtpmyvqhw03c010c

[ChasingFLATS86]

I always wondered if I was a little crazy for thinking that stopping them was not always the best idea. I have had mixed results, the buck I shot this year I didn't stop and ended up hitting farther back than where I was aiming. I have also tried stopping them and they take off like in the video. I guess it's all about reading the deer, distance, and the situation.

[crankn101]

I think its ironic that people try so hard to be undetected then alert the deer to their presence right before the shot.

[cspot]

I think the video is a good explanation of when and if you should stop them. Something that really isn't discussed that much.

[PK_]

Hi my name is PK and I am a deer stopper.

It’s a mental thing for me, I do not like to shoot them walking unless it’s verrry slow walk.

I also do not stop them with an abrupt MEHHH. I start very quiet and crescendo just enough to give them pause not to put them on alert and lock up on me.

[Jackson Marsh]

I stop them if I need to, this year one stopped on it's own and one I shot walking.

[stash59]

Excellent video. I'm older than Dan, so "merping" at a deer to stop it, was totally foreign to me until I saw it on TV. Personally the few I've tried to stop never worked out. Plus it messes with my shot mantra. Just 1 more thing to think/stress about. And often my throat or lips are too dry and or cold to work well enough to get a sound out.

Liked the clip on arrow noise. I've preached for years that arrow noise is a major cause for deer "jumping" the string. Add a broadhead to the front, especially vented blades, and arrows are even louder. Plus remember how much better a deer can hear. I believe hunting from an elevated position adds to why deer drop so fast on occasions also. What do we do if someone on the floor above us loudly drops something on the floor. We start to hit the deck!!

Kinda goes to what your confident in!!!! I've just taught myself to lead them abit!! But not over 20 yards.

Thanx Dan!!!

[TripleOG]

Great video as always Dan. Loved the hoodie you were wearing at the beginning. Looked at the link you had attached and couldn’t find any. Any way you could point me in the right direction to purchase one of these. Thanks

[KornfedKiller]

This is my second year bowhunting and this video was much needed to help me... I've missed 3 sparkling opportunities this year and I hadn't really come across anything that addressed the issue of stopping a deer.. I had been assuming you HAD to stop a deer this whole time. Really gives me a new way to look at some of my experiences this season, and just how unique each deer is. Thanks Dan

[strutnrut716]

Excellent video ! Thanks.

One thing I will always stop from walking is a turkey. Man, those things have rubber necks that are hard to hit when walking...

[dan]

Great video as always Dan. Loved the hoodie you were wearing at the beginning. Looked at the link you had attached and couldn’t find any. Any way you could point me in the right direction to purchase one of these. Thanks

www.shopthehuntingbeast.com

[BAS4109]

Great video.

“Patience is the key”

I tend to stop them but this year when I drew on a shooter buck I told myself don’t stop him because of how he was acting. I got lucky because he stopped on his own.

I don’t like shooting at walking deer with the bow. The opposite with the gun, I love letting them walk right into the shot.

Notice how many of those deer in the video drop a little at the shot? Even when they stop on their own. There was a thread on another site about sighting in 2” low. Sort of makes sense.

[Grizzlyadam]

More often than not I have to stop them to get a clear shot. Like Dan said as soon as you stop them you put them on alert. Chances of "jumping the string" or whatever you want to call it are really good after stopping them. More times than I care to remember I have clean missed perfectly executed shots over the top of deer at just 20 yards that dropped at the sound of the bow going off. I have mentioned it before on this site that if I'm shooting at an alert deer over 20 yards out to about 30 I'm aiming 6 to 10 inches low. Anything over 30 I'm not shooting at period if it's alert.

Maybe it's just me, but I have terrible success shooting walking deer with a bow, I end up hitting them too far back. So for me I usually have better success stopping them. Even if it means putting them on alert and then having to compensate for an expected reaction.

In a perfect world I would have a deer calmly slowly feeding out in front of me with wide open shooting lanes where I could take my time and wait to execute that perfect shot. Even better if the wind is blowing leaves around or acorns falling to keep them from reacting to the surprise sound of bow going off. Unfortunately that rarely happens for me.

Knock on wood, I've yet to have one spook from stopping it. Just a matter of time I guess. I can imagine it will be one that has lived through that experience once before.

There are many different variables to consider and the hunter gets better at deciding which is best with increased experience. We all make mistakes and learn hard lessons from them. This video is a good guide to give us all some things to think about next time we are patiently sitting in a tree waiting for that buck of a lifetime to emerge. Thanks Dan!

[Buckfever]

I like the part in there where you talk about being adept at making hunting specific shots. I think there's not enough emphasis on that.

[218er]

That’s a great video full of priceless info. I strongly prefer to not stop them but sometimes if their out there a ways or their walking through a window of opportunity it’s try and stop them or nothing. I’ve had good experiences letting deer walk into my pin within 10 yards. I’ve released the arrow right at the edge of the shoulder and arrows have hit 3-6 inches back resulting in a nice double lung hit with great blood trails.