Last chance, and I made a MISTAKE.

[the blur]

Walked in 1 mile on the trail.  No deer tracks in the snow coating.  Took my usual right turn to my favorite rock; about 100 feet off the trail.    put my gun down,  take off my back pack.  sit on the rock.  start to relax.

turn my head, 2 DOE are standing where I took my usual right turn 3 MINUTES before !!!  (100 feet away)  Like they followed me in.

My heart is POUNDING.  I flinch, (no gun in hand).  Big doe hears me.  I wear blaze orange vest and orange hat, black ski pants, blue winter jacket.  She sees me immediately & stares me down.  I'm looking right at her.

I slowly reach for my gun.  get my scope covers off, and she had enough.  both doe bolt off deep into the woods towards posted property.  I tried following them a little while later,  but the tracks were non-existant in the light coating of powder.  They might have been jumping so the tracks were far apart.  I couldn't trace them for nothing.

That was my excitment for the season.  5 days, and will eat tag soup.

[the blur]

I read that too, eariler this season.  No more blue coat, and I have to dump the blue back pack.

My flinch caused the doe to look up, which was the first mistake.

[arrow nocker]

meh.It wasnt the blue jacket.I had this happen to me in full camo with some cover.She saw me move.I wasn't still long enough.I figured if i didn't get the shot now i wouldn't get one so i wasn't paitient.I tried to slowly move to get the shot.The movement was what sent her bounding away.She was on bound and i have missed  deer before.I wont shoot at a running deer especially without snow.

I have had it happen in my tree stand.Had a nice doe come from the right side of me.I went to turn and my lock on made a squeek.Shee looked at me then away then at me then away.I was in blue jeans and an orange jacket.She never saw me.She was just looiking for the source of the sound.She did that for a while.I stayed still.She figured it was nothing and started to move on so i tried to move and she saw me move.She bounded and i missed.

Paiteience is what got ya.I used to try to rush the shot.I got to the point that i won't rush or move till the deer decide I am not a threat.Took me a long time to figure that out.Lost many deer cause of it.I have hunted in blue jeans and had deer never even spot me.That is pretty much what i where when hunting gun any how.Blue jeans and a orange jacket.

I am sure you know your hunting.Probably hunted longer than me.But my opinion is if you just sat there with out moving till it was convinced you were not a person it would have tuned and not bounded off.Hell you missed the deal any how by moving so what would you have lost by being paitient?She may have grazed on and gave you a better shot later on.

That is just the main thing i have learned hunting the past 5 years.Paitience.Ever since i started practicing not moving and being paitient i have had way better success.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Not the blue jacket? Arrow, deer see the blue spectrum of light the best.

Sorry to hear about that blur. Try again today if you can.

[the blur]

even though I have a blue jacket,  the orange vest covers everything except the sleeves.  (Which is why I never brought camo)

I say 2 mistakes:

#1)  The doe heard me move.

#2)  either the amount of orange I had on, or the blue sleeves gave me away immediatly.

maybe a breakup orange vest; as I hunt on state land, and won't go in there without orange.

[Jennifer]

maybe a breakup orange vest; as I hunt on state land, and won't go in there without orange.

I wear orange from head to ankle, a full 'pumpkin suit' and I have experienced that breaking it up is a really good compromise. Movement will still get you busted, but if you are still and aren't silhouetted deer will have a very hard time making you. I just used black fabric paint to create random black marks like branches and some 'blobs' to help break up the orange.

Sorry you got busted-- happens to us all at times! Best of luck next time.

[SteveMcD]

Jennifer... that's deer hunting! And it's happened to all of us.. probably more than just once. Although, biologists say deer to see the color Blue and Green. It is really movement more than anything else that will give you away. This is true for all living creatures including us. I cannot see the letters on this computer without my bifocals, but I hunt without glasses and can see a field mouse weaving the the crevices of rock in a fieldstone fence 30 yards away! Stay absolutely motionless until they start to relax and meander. Then draw or aim when their line of sight is obstructed from you. Never silohuette yourself and have your back to a tree or boulder. Always have a face mask & gloves If your face and hands are covered and you are motionless they may not distinguish you as a threat, although they do know you are there. If you are going to be on the ground at a "favorite" spot.. try building a natural ground blind. Deer readily accept them, rather than pop up blinds that take them several weeks to get use too. 

[Jennifer]

If you are going to be on the ground at a "favorite" spot.. try building a natural ground blind. Deer readily accept them, rather than pop up blinds that take them several weeks to get use too.

Yep! One of my favorite tactics on the ground in a favorable travel area is to sit on a 'junk pile'... that is, an uprooted tree ball or other such natural areas that will break me up and obscure my form.