Had an interesting encounter with a spike this afternoon...

[roundball]

Finally decided to take a seat in a small wooded ravine on the place that was otherwise totally clearcut last year...4 foot weeds up everywhere but a few tracks showing deer moving through the property so I figure what the heck.

I'm sitting against a tree with the large head / branches of a cut down tree on my left.
Right at sundown I hear a noise to my left and cut my eyeballs that way and here's this spike only 20 feet away...actually not a bad sized deer, probably 1.5 years...but had a tiny single straight up pencil spike on the right side.

He stopped and looked at me a bit...took some steps on forward and stopped to look at me again, studying me this time....took several more steps around another tree so he could get squared up in front of me and really looked me over...15' away now...did the head bob / head circle thing...did the foot stamping thing...did the phony head down grazing/head snap up thing, etc.
He wasn't 'scared' but knew something wasn't right...finally he turned slowly, did 2-3 half-hearted low volume partial snorts, and slowly walked off with his tail half-way up.

By then I was out of light for open sights so I gave him 5 minutes to clear the area and left...interesting little hunting memory there.

 

[Flint311]

And people wonder why we "go sit out in the cold". You don't get those memories by sitting on the couch! Good story.

 

[rabjr]

:haha: I had a similar encounter way back when I was 15 hunting Vermont and had a button buck walk out and greet me just as I had climbed down from my tree stand. The sun had gone down and it was time to walk back to camp. Heard him coming and just backed up against the tree quietly. He appeared at about 15 feet from me and stopped noticing something just wasn't right here...I stood still as he did the head bobbing and foot stomping, he had some heavy breaths but didn't snort. I played his game for a few minutes as it was cool to be up close like that but being a kid, I suddenly pushed off the tree and jumped at him yelling RWAAAR! :shocked2: Well, that little button absolutely came unglued! For the next minute and couple hundred yards I heard him crash into stuff and broken branches snapping off coming from the swamp he had run back into. :rotf: I laughed my arse off all the way back to camp. Ah memorys. :grin:

 

[Vtsmoker]

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[rabjr]

I wonder if the little $hit is still runnin! :rotf:

 

[jethro224]

Year before last, real windy afternoon, I was sitting against a good size tree in a fencerow watching a hayfield. Couple hours before dark. Wind right in my face.
All of a sudden a doe literally looks over my right shoulder to see what the heck I am. :shocked2: Scairt the manure outta me! Outta the blue a big furry head over your shoulder will do that to a guy. :haha:
'Course, when I jumped, she spun around and got the heck outta there. I ain't sure which one of us had the faster heartbeat just then. :haha: Left me sittin' there against that tree laughing out loud.

 

[Supercracker]

a few years back when I was still hunting with the longbow I was out chasing tree rats and was standing under a big oak looking up trying to find a squirrel that I could hear but not see. After a few minutes of staring up there I just felt something watching me and looked over and a doe was standing 10' away staring at me. Trying to figure out what I was. When I moved she bolted, but it was still neat.

 

[VEARL]

Several years ago ( should say decades ago) I drew out to hunt cow elk at the Wichita Refuge at Ft. Sill, Okla.
First morning, I'm dropped of by the game warden staff in my assigned area. Saw and followed several bulls but no cows. They were all in the adjoining area. Could see them but for some reason they would not come into my area.
At lunch time, I sat down with my back up to one of the many boulders in the area. A single whitetail doe came around a small cedar tree and stood about 10 ft away watching me unwrap and eat my two sandwiches. She wasn't nervous or spooked. I finished eating and stood up. She walked a little distance, stopped and turned for one last look before walking down hill from me.
Never did get a cow elk.