...does this happen everywhere?

[mk4125]

I found a 1906 IHP on the way to my deer stand...but that's not the reason for the post.

Archery season is underway in Northern Michigan and yesterday evening I headed out (Its fairly warm still so I elected to bring my detector along and just search along the way). The hike into my tree-stand is roughly a 600 yard hike through the woods...which is littered with LOTS of dry sticks, rocks, branches, etc. It does not matter how quiet I try to be the deer are going to know I am coming.

I did not try to be quiet as I zig-zagged back & forth searching for any random drop....then I bumped into a deer bedding down. I stopped swinging the coil and only THEN did she stand up...I started searching again she merely walked off - which is super odd because they usually BOLT (as they rarely see a person in the 16,000 acres of designated state forest). I continue on and notice a small buck is walking along the ridge just ahead....nope...TWO small bucks. I keep an eye on them while heading off at an angle slightly away from them...continuing to sweep the ground and make no effort to reduce my noise level. They clearly see / hear me coming but continue to nibble away at whatever barely taking notice. ODD!!!! I get within 25 yards when one of them starts stomping his foot - which gets the other one on alert. I am waiting for them to both take off with their traditional snorting, huffing & puffing; which alerts everything within earshot that there is a predator in the area. Nope. I keep swinging through the leaves and head on past them and he just stands there staring. I glance back every so often and see that they are both back to eating....heck they are not even facing towards me any longer. Bizarre.

Now I have searched around my suburban house and have noticed that the deer do not get that spooked - but assumed that was because they were just used to people. That may be a partial factor but, for whatever reason, the sound of rustling leaves does NOT appear to be all that alarming to a whitetail deer. Even with the occasional breaking of a twig or branch. I am hesitant to completely change my approach as to how I enter the woods...but will definitely if others are consistently experiencing this when out searching.

Sorry for the odd post...I am sure that this should have been parked somewhere else.

Happy hunting all!

 

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[Jaysix]

We were metal detecting a field not too long ago and there were two fawns just hanging out. They weren’t even bothered that we were there. They just hung out and ate hay from one of the farmers bales.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Theres some kind of 6th sense thing going on. I have seen it many, many times. When you aren't hunting you can walk right up on them, they don't care that you are relatively close to them. When you are hunting, they are very wary of you being the area and the instant you stop, they are gone like a shot. Most of the time you didnt even know they were there until they bolted, just showing you that big white tail.

 

[ltd063]

Seems to me that the coil sweeping the leaves/grass looks like a browsing animal to the deer. You might be on to something.

 

[neodetectorist]

Maybe your scent was not alarming?
I have walked past deer in the summer detecting and they just look at me.
I try to look for signs of them pointing to the ground where they are at to tell me there is silver of gold there.

 

[neodetectorist]

Maybe your scent was not alarming?
I have walked past deer in the summer detecting and they just look at me.
I try to look for signs of them pointing to the ground where they are at to tell me there is silver or gold there.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I have been metal detecting a sports field that boarders a nature park with a chain link fence between them. A doe and fawn come up to the fence watching me and grazing.
I figured they were watching the crazy human.
Animals are not stupid. As long as i just glanced at them and didn't maintain eye contact and kept swing the detector they stayed, grazed and watched me, but when i watched them more intensely they left.


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[against the wind]

What,, no pictures??

 

[JerseyDigger19]

Great story. A couple months back I was out digging at dusk and shared my digging spot with a family of 5 deer. They were maybe 30 feet away from me. Every time they moved a little closer to me I moved a little farther away to keep the distance. It was pretty magical.

 

[RustyGold]

I was out at a camp facility, here in our local mountains standing on a boulder, enjoying the scenery when a buck walked right past me nibbling on some grass. When I looked up he looked right at me and when I turned my head to look down he went back to eating. When I glanced over to him again he would look up then go back to munching when I looked away. I stood still on the rock for a long while and the buck could care less I was there.
It was awesome!

 

[trdking]

They smell gun powder It is funny how they quickly learn when the season opens. They are invisible from that day on.

 

[JimJ]

I have noticed this also in my past 50+ years hunting. I believe they can detect danger from our body language and actions when we are hunting opposed to when we are just out enjoying nature and/or working. If you act casual in the woods you can make noise (within reason) and relax you will see more deer, squirrel, and other game. Must not work for sasquatch though haven,t seen one of them yet. LOL

 

[releventchair]

They do play off our body language ,perceived intent.
Those watching me work on my hunting property ( well ,some of them) act / react , very different than when I am hunting.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

This is actually pretty common if not the norm. Prey animals are extremely sensitive to how potential predators act, ie how they move. Many times I have been doing something that wasn't hunting and have walked up on and by deer. Prolonged eye contact matters too.
If you are dog savvy, think about how you judge a strange dog's intentions/mindset. Similar.

 

[coinman123]

I heard leaves rustling behind my a couple years ago while metal detecting. I quickly glanced back and saw what looked like a greyhound just a few feet behind me, following me. Then I noticed, wait, this is a baby deer! Anyways, the baby deer followed me for around thirty seconds until my friend yelled, "Oh my god! There's are deer behind you!" Cool experience while it lasted!

 

[dts52]

Theres some kind of 6th sense thing going on. I have seen it many, many times. When you aren't hunting you can walk right up on them, they don't care that you are relatively close to them. When you are hunting, they are very wary of you being the area and the instant you stop, they are gone like a shot. Most of the time you didnt even know they were there until they bolted, just showing you that big white tail.

Jason is right! Years ago I was walking out of the woods in the afternoon, muzzle-loader thrown over my shoulder, puffing on my pipe and making more noise than a herd of elephants. Hadn't seen a deer all day. Then I walked to within 30 yards of a doe who just stood and looked at me. Somehow she knew I wasn't hunting at the time. Like Jason,I've seen it many, many times.
HH
dts

 

[Msbeepbeep]

What,, no pictures??

Would if i could, i'm using my phone....it doesn't like me.

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[Honest Samuel]

Deer are good tasting and free food.

 

[digger460]

Were you wearing orange? Just a thought.

 

[pepperj]

The weirdest encounter was I looked up one time a 10+point buck was staring me down. Tilting his head back and forth looking at this strange creature that was wearing a set of Grey Ghost headphones. I glanced around and knowing a 6-8" tree wasn't going to help if this guy decides to rut with me over his herd. Because I noticed three or four does hanging around and I knew instantly that this guy could be all business. So I just took off the headphones slowly and started to chat up with him, asking him if he was ok? It wasn't scared of me, nor was I, but I was thankful that he just walked away.