What has been your closest buck ....

[wooly]

Closest one I had was a young rut struck 3 pt that tried to charge right through me at least 3 times. I'm sure he was only a foot or two away, but if I hadn't hit the deck, he probably would have ended up inside me,lol.

*** I blame the encounter on a bottle of deer piss I spilled on my hunting clothes the day before.

[RangerClay]

We were turkey hunting in the spring of 1995.  It was Mothers Day and snowing.  Out of the blue this young buck just walked up to us.  We fed him crackers and he followed us around for a while.

[steve863]

I've posted these videos before.  Have to say that this is the closest that I've ever got to some decent bucks in NYS, all at the same time.  I shot these videos at Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island, LI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Don_C]

 Many years ago I was in an old wooden stand one morning in southern PA... I was a kid then and I got bored, I climbed down and walked about 100 yards into a large area of thick, tall ferns,  I stopped, looked around for a couple of minutes and heard a faint noise behind me, I looked over my right shoulder and a beautiful buck slowly rose up from the ferns not 10 feet from me. Immediately, with one snort at least a dozen other deer rose from the ferns one by one all around me. Not my closest encounter, but it was the most amazing site, i was right in the middle of a group of bedded deer and had no idea they were there, I'm sure if i would have kept walking they wouldn't have budged an inch.  It was absolutely "ghostly" the way they rose and bounded off.

 

 

 

[WNYBuckHunter]

Well, other than on the deer farms Ive been to, the buck I shot during bow season a couple of seasons ago was at about 3 to 5 yards, on the ground. When I shot him, he ran in a circle, and came right at me. He passed me on a full death run, so close I felt the breeze.

[Uncle Nicky]

Numerous times I've had bucks (and does) walk directly beneath my treestand.

 

The closest on-land encounter? I walked past a big, bedded 8 pointer (5 yards away) on the way to my treestand during mid-afternoon in archery season. After I walked on about 10 yards, the lightbulb suddenly went on in my head telling me I had just walked past a legal buck, and a nice one at that. I backtracked just to be sure I had seen what I thought I had and not hallucinating, and sure enough, he was bedded in a blowdown. Unfortunately, buck fever suddenly kicked in, and I dropped my crossbow bolts, as well as fumbled with trying to get my crossbow cocked (legal in PA at that time) and removing the scope cover; by the time I finally got set up he was on his feet and giving me the white flag salute on his way out of there.

 

Another time I was picking up twigs in the woods behind the house to start a fire. I felt eyes on me, bent up, and there was a 6-pointer within 10 feet of me giving me the stare-down. I reached over to pet his nose, and he was off to the races.

 

I also had one come trotting alongside me on the road one warm early November night a few years ago (3 pointer). I had the truck windows open, reached out, petted him on the head, and stayed with him about another 50 yards before I slowed down and let him get around me. Fun times.

Edited September 13, 2013 by Uncle Nicky

[chiefbkt]

I was 16 and It was 2 weeks before northern tier gun season opened and I had an itchy finger. So I decided to go squirrel hunting behind my grandfathers house. I just shot a couple squirrels with the .22 and sat down on a stump to let the woods settle down. After sitting for a few minutes I started to hear walking behind me. I sat there quietly as it got closer and closer until finally it showed. A giant 10 point standing there 5 yards away. I always carried my camera with me so I reached in my pocket and slowly brought it up. That's when he saw me and just stared. I didn't quite have the camera up to my eye when I decided I had better get a picture. So snap went the camera and off went the deer. I was pumped, biggest deer I had ever seen and I got a picture of him. I immediately took pictures of everything so I could get the film developed. 1 hour photo and I ended up with a picture of the deer from the base of his antlers down. Biggest deer I've had that close.

[Fletch]

I have touched/petted quite a few in Old Forge.

 

For wild deer I have had a few.

 

Probably around 17 at the time during gun season I am sitting in a swamp against a big pine and I had a yearling come in and keep coming until her nose was about 10 inches from my knees. She could not figure out what I was and did the stare until I could not help but move a little. Man that deer turned inside out!

 

Early 20's bow hunting I was in a tree stand and had a decent 6 go by too far out. I thought I knew where the deer was headed, I was along a creek trail. As soon as it was outa sight I got down and jogged around and just stopped behind a tree and out he walked outa some brush directly broadside 5 feet in front of me. I put an arrow right through it. The deer walked maybe 15 yards turned around and fell over dead.

 

A year or 2 later on that same creek I was leaning against a tree during gun. I hear a terrible crashing and such going on and coming closer. All the sudden I see one deer come in head to the ground running through the goldenrod then another right behind head down as well. Going in circles then the lead pops up her head and I see it is a doe and she zips right past me. I could have stuck my hand out and smacked her. Then the second pops up his head and I see antlers and he comes charging right at me. I shot him with the 12 gauge at about 10 feet right dead on in the chest. Nice little 7 point. I thought for sure he was gonna run right through me!