being still

[Sam Menard]

I've had a couple of close calls.  One of them involved the first buck that I've shot.
 
One afternoon, a friend and I had checked out a field with winter wheat growing in it. A snow storm was brewing that afternoon and the temperature was starting to drop.  Out in the field was a 5-6 acre woodlot and we split up to go around it; he went one way and I went the other.  We got to the back end of the woodlot at the same time and jumped about 20 deer which had been feeding on the winter wheat.  The deer proceeded to run off in different directions, including a big buck which ran down the length of the field before dissapearing into the woods. 
 
To make a long story short, we returned to the field later in the afternoon.  My buddy hung out by the woodlot in the center of the field while I went to the spot where the buck had left the field.  There happened to be a sliver of bush that protruded out into the field at that location.  I tried sitting at the tip of the sliver while watching the main bush line, but the wind cut through me.  Eventually I moved closer to the field edge but still within the sliver.  In fact, I found a natural ground blind behind the limbs of a fallen poplar.  As I sat in the ground blind watching the field edge, I caught movement to my right. Not 5 yards away, I saw 3 does feeding, and  I was so startled that I almost had a coughing fit.  The deer must have entered the field from behind me.  Anyway, being a nimrod, I assumed that there must be a buck nearby, so I looked behind me, where I had originaly sat, and indeed saw a buck 10 yards away.  It was a big buck too; all 10 points of him! Unfortunately the buck was on high alert as he could no doubt smell me.  If it hadn't been for the does, he wouldn't of stuck around but luck was on my side.  Because of my body position and his proximity, I couldn't get my rifle up for a shot so I started to think of excuses about why that I wasn't going to get this deer.  After what seemed like an eternity, the buck finally relaxed and trotted out to be with the does; which by that time had moved off further into the field.  Anyway, I had my opportunity and put the rifle up to my opposite shoulder and fired.  The buck ran off for about 40 yards before doing a face plant in the snow.  It was an incredible experience.
 
I've had other experiences where bucks have wandered below my treestand as well, but I didn't shoot them.  (looking for bigger ones)
 
This last story doesnt' involve a deer.  One day while small game hunting, I walked out onto an old logging trail.  As I stood there getting my bearings, a fox came running down the road with a rabbit in its mouth.  I thought for certain that it would veer off, but it didn't.  It ran within 3' of me and as it passed by, I could see his eyes turn up to look at me.  I swear it smiled at me as it went by.
 
Sam 

[fasteddie]

I was sitting in a 15' ladder stand in South Bristol a couple years ago . A doe and her 2 fawns were approaching . The doe milled around in some thick stuff and the fawns continued my way . The female fawn walked past me at about 8 yards and the button buck was in front of me . The doe wandered into the gully and 5 minutes later the doe fawn headed down to meet her . The button buck walked to my stand , looked up the ladder and walked into the gully .
I had my bino-camera and took a pic of the BB . The camera is a 5X and focuses from 40' to infinity so the pic is a bit blurry ...........
 
 

[MHHC S. IL]

Being partial to bowhunting, I tend to get antsy during the IL firearm season.  Opening day of the 08 firearm season, I waited out the whole day in my tripod stand on the edge of a thicket.  I saw several deer, but nothing mature.  However, I could hear some pretty intense activity inside the thicket-grunting and constant traveling all day-but couldn't see far enough inside the thicket to identify what the source was.  By the second day around 10am my curiosity got the best of me.  I moved quietly into the thicket and sat down against a cottonwood that was easily twice as wide as my shoulder span.  Within ten minutes of settling in, I heard footsteps and noticed a small forkhorn coming my way at a fast walk.  Although I had set up a good thirty yards from a major trail intersection, he was off the beaten path.  He was literally within two steps of walking right over my feet before he finally noticed me.  I didn't move a muscle and he simply paused, gave me a confused look for about 30 seconds, shifted his course by a couple degrees, and continued on his way.  Needless to say, my heart rate was topped out.  Although he was just a small buck, it was one of the most exciting encounters I have ever had with a whitetail.

[danesdad]

ORIGINAL: buckhunter21

ORIGINAL: danesdad

About three years ago on the opening day of archery, I was walking into my stand.  It was pitch black and I had my headlamp on.  I saw two sets of eyes coming up the logging road towards me, so I just stopped.  As they got closer, I saw that it was a mature doe and her fawn of that year (about 3/4 grown).  The doe stopped about 20 yards away, but the little deer kept coming until she passed me at about 2 feet distance.  I could easily have reached out and touched her.  Even tho my light was shining up the whole area, the deer weren't disturbed.  It was very cool.

Wow, great story danesdad....Very interesting how they react!

That was about the highlight of that season for me. I've never been closer to a live, wild ,deer.

[Nubs]

I have killed two deer with in 5 yards from me. Last year I had a 1.5yr old 6 point with in arms reach out in the middle of an open field. 3 yrs ago while turkey hunting I had 2 velvet bucks about 5 yards from feeding on browse without them noticing. Sometimes you just catch them off guard or they are to rut crazy to even stop and notice.

[GTOHunter]

When I was about 14 years old I was squirrel hunting in the early morning,I fell asleep and when I woke up a young Deer walked right past me about 10 feet away.One time I was doing security at an open gate on a Lake Developement close to where I live,at about 12:00 noon I was sitting in my '69 GTO and a Doe walked right up to the gate and passed me by while I was sitting in my car...I just sat there with my mouth open as she walked down the road and crossed the main highway about 75 yards away!Two years ago I walked down into the woods to check my trail camera when I saw a Doe with 2 Fawns walking a small Lake dam towards me,I sat behind a large tree and they all 3 passed me within touching distance.Last year I sat in my ground blind during turkey season and 2 Deer walked up to the food plot and 1 headed straight towards the blind,it walked right in front of the blind and circled around it to the mineral/salt lick behind me..it was so close I saw it was a young button Buck.

[nhdeerchaser]

Acouple of years ago I was sitting on a ridge of NH opening deer season. I was leaned up against a tree, when I heard what I thought was a squirell walking along the stone wall.

Then a big head of a doe, showed up! She walked to an opening in the stone wall, about 15 yards away, and milled around!

She stopped in direct line of fire where my buddy was sitting on the other dide of the ridge.[:@]

Well, the wind must have blown his scent to her, because she whipped her head in his direction, and tore off!

Very exciting morning!

[DeerCamp]

Fasteddie thats a pretty sweet pic!
 
There was one year, I was hunting and I had a nice big doe walk right under my stand kinda like fasteddies story. I could dropped my arrow from my stand and killed her.. She was directly underneath me and had no idea I was there.

[ranwin33]

My first year of bowhunting I was on the ground sitting in a lawn chair behind one of those three sided turkey blinds with the open top, backed up against a big round haybale.  I grunted at a buck off to my right about 30 yards away and he made a beeline for me.  Because he was off to my right, I couldn't get turned to bring my bow up, he kept coming to within about 3 feet when I decided it was best to move because I wasn't sure what would happen if he put his head over the blind and got in with me.

[gunther89]

I had a 2.5 year old 9 pointer within 5 yards before he finally realized I was there.  He was more worried about sniffing the ground looking for does.  I also had a month old fawn within a yard of me.  It actually was licking the 4 wheeler I was sitting on.