Bumping deer in the dark.

[zeus1gdsm]

So the first time in my career I had some deer bedded in the field I have to walk through to get to a blind.

 

Caught eyes with my headlamp.

 

What is proper procedure?

 

Wait until light and choot em?

 

Slow pace and keep walking till the bump?

 

Wait until they bump occasionally lighting them then move through?

 

I backed to edge of field to decide what to do. It was an hour until light. After 10 minutes I hit the light again and they were still there. I turned it off and 10 minutes later I heard them wheeze/blow from other side of field.

Checked with light and they were gone. Moved through with red light to blind.

 

They came back through 1.5 hrs later. Unfortunately for me I had nodded 2-5mins and when I came too just saw their butts moving into the weeds.

 

Also passed a young doe later..... regretting the pass as my hunting time is gonna dry up fast soon.

 

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[Robhuntandfish]

It happens.  No telling what they will do.  Have had them come back but not often.  One time I bumped 5 does that were right under my stand.  I used a bleet call and called a doe right back in. But usually they gone..... But at least you know there are deer there. 

Have busted does before and a buck came in later on their trail. 

If they didn't spook and you can get in stand another way then do that. Back out and then come in from behind to stand.  But if ypu see them going in the usually know your here too.  

Edited October 14, 2018 by Robhuntandfish

[Jeremy K]

Meep walking like you dont see them ,more often then not they stand and watch you walk by . Unless your walking directly in their direction .

[Nomad]

So,many variables. I walk in mostly along field edges, which is why I like to go in just as it’s starting to get light if your  eyes are adjusted, this allows me to scan fields which my binoculars .

Now what I do depends on many things can I back out and get to another stand I want to,use, do,I think these deer will even go past the stand I’m heading to , is it a doe or two,or a monster buck ?

I prefer not to take a chance on spooking the buck.

If I was relatively close and I thought they may head my way I may try to hunker down for a shot ,as that would be way cool .

[zeus1gdsm]

These were dead center of a 100yard wide field. Long ways rectangle. Had to get to far side. Either way bypassing them would put me about 50 yards from them.

Light or no light?

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[518BowSlayer]

I run into the same problem all the time. The one property I hunt only has one way in and it's through a cut corn field. Found a perfect entry point on Google earth but would have to cross the neighbors property and I don't know them so that's not happening. I've been walking through while it's still dark and I think that's the problem. I usually can't see them til it's too late. Still got a lot to learn I guess

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[Just Lucky]

Walking through and bumping them in a field ruins an area pretty quick.

If you don't have another way in I would hunt that area at a different time.

[LET EM GROW]

I try to circle around them as far away as possible... down wind if possible.. And act like you dont even see them. Some times you can get right around them. As always stated they usually see you before you see them. IMO act like you could car eless about them, avoid them and carry on and dont do it too slowly..

[Northcountryman]

This has been a problem for me before too; based on past experience, I would say there’s no foolproof method for ensuring it will NEVER happen but if and when it does, I’d say the advice to walk quickly with a purpose and ignore them is best. When you sneak in furtively they’re still gonna hear you anyway and when you’re acting that way it scares the shit outta them because you’re behavior is out of character. Pretend your e a hiker or just passing through 

[bartman9]

I have always wondered about the light thing.  Some people suggest using red or green lights so that you can see (and the deer can't).  But this makes no sense to me.  If there are deer there, they will see you if you have no light, red light, green light or white light.  Am I missing something here?

[DirtTime]

I would skirt the field edge and not walk through it.

 

Jumping deer in the dark is a part of hunting, on the way in or on the way out.

[tommyc50]

I get in the stand 2 hrs before first light always bump deer on the way in .But when I get settled in I see more deer moving around after legal shooting time up to about 10 am ,thats why I get there early to let things settle down a bit .Cause no matter what you do they know your coming in but soon forget if you are quiet. I cant count how many times I heard guys @ 6am [light already] talking ,slamming car doors and even hear the leaves rustling as they walk and they just blew their hunt. See too deer are use to people in the woods but later on cutting wood, and on tractors,im telling you  sit there and listen after 8 am to all the noise  w/ people going to work and school ect. and the deer are oblivious to it but man if they see  or hear something out of the ordinary their off in a heart beat.

[The_Real_TCIII]

I used to hunt a spot in Elma where Id go this long horrible bramble and wild rose infested route around the back of a woodlot so I wouldnt bump deer out of the field, sometime you gotta do what you gotta do

[JRod 8G8H]

i used to bump deer out of fields in the dark too, like others said stay downwind and keep moving.... If it's inevitable the field needs to be crossed, I've always felt if you keep moving they will circle around and not alert/blow. 98% of my walk i don't use a headlamp either..

[nyslowhand]

Use your headlamp or flashlight as a means of not tripping over something and finding your way in the dark. The beam of my flashlight is generally aimed ~10" in front of me. When I think I'm nearing my stand, I might aim the beam up into the trees. May be a little different finding your way thru a field than along a small path thru the woods..? JMO, if you spotlight deer in the field they may get spooked. If you dump deer in the dark in the woods, they may came back thru where they were headed on a slightly different path. Either way it depends on just how spooked they get regarding what happens afterwards.

[greensider]

When i bump them and get snorted at I snort back seems work more often than not 

[nyslowhand]

^^ Yeah, me too.

[Nomad]

23 hours ago, greensider said:

When i bump them and get snorted at I snort back seems work more often than not 

Some guys walk in with a turkey call in their mouth .

While bumping them is something I try to avoid if possible, it’s just part of the game and in my experience of hunting the same piece of farmland 30 years doesn’t effect the over all hunting .

[Buckmaster7600]

Sounds like a spot I would only hunt evenings. I won’t hunt a spot that I have to walk through a field in the morning. Bump them a couple times before you know it they’re in their bedding area well before light.


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[wfmiller]

I have to walk through fields also to get in. I found the best thing to do is just walk at your normal pace. Light, no light doesn't matter, they can see you anyways. I get in my stand about 15 minutes before daylight. 

[dbHunterNY]

i try to use terrain and not go in fields. couple years ago i think now i had to use a field. had a crap headlamp on. saw eyes. kept on them with light. eyes got curious and a lot closer. coming from darkness ended up being a target buck that got waaayyyy too close for my liking. thought it was going to come at me rack down. bounded off a ways. i kept the light toward him until i got over the crest of the field and then entered woods down into my stand. late morning he came through by the stand just out of range.