Did I just get challenged to a game of tag by this buck?

[scythefwd]

Ok, I just walk to a new spot and something catches my eye on the ground. I sit down, reach down to grab it, inspect it (weird looking stick) and toss it away. I look up, expecting nothing to be there because I have been there less than 10 minutes and I did not come in quiet.

There is a trike (a spike but with a 3rd tip, aka 3 pointer) looking at me about 20y away. He has to weigh 160 lbs or more live (I have dressed 140 lbs live weight deer and they were tiny in comparison). He does the come play stance that dogs do, did a snort wheeze, and then runs off. All of this has taken about 1/2 a second. He was large enough to actually make a thump every time his hoofs hit for the first four bounds. Sounds like it was an "oh crap, where did that head come from" thing, except I thought the lowering of the head and snort/wheeze was a challenge.

When he was running away, his tail was down... not flagging which is something they do when they are alarmed. I didn't take a shot because I only have one...it is muzzle loader season and it would have been a hind quarter shot by the time I got the rifle up. I would have mistaken him for a dominant male round here except he couldn't have been more than 2 years old. Did this deer really just challenge me to play tag????

No lures were in use. I am pretty sure he didn't smell me or he wouldn't have gotten that close. He didn't react till he saw my eyes.

 

[schlockinz]

I've had deer snort and wheeze at me before then run off, usually they want you to move so they know what you are, if you don't then sometimes they stay, but usually they leave in a hurray, and not always (especially with the youngins) with tails up

 

[WTBguns10kOK]

He's prolly quite confused. Young animals do funny, funny stuff sometimes. I'd say mad/annoyed more than scared, kinda like you're thinking.

 

[bmsera1]

This is one of the things I love about being out in the woods. My first hunt this year I had a yearling come in running at full speed. My stand is in a semi-open area in the woods... it stopped in the area and started to run in circles... behind the stand... back in front... then between the ladder and tree and back out the way he came.

About 30 seconds later it came running back in... same thing... some circles... then back out the same way.

About 30 seconds later it came back... stopped and nibbled on some saplings... about 45 seconds after it got there... three Doe came in and milled about.

I can only assume it was running out front of them and just "playing" ... it was very neat to see.

Gotta love the outdoors.

 

[scythefwd]

Saw him again today. All I saw was him running though. He snorted behind me and was in full movement by the time I looked.

Tomorrow, I am going back out. This time, instead of hunting upright, I will be prone behind a dropped log in the area. I followed his footsteps, and I know where he has been scratching (new ones), where he crosses the trail, and I think I have figured out where he is bedding (a very thick copse of 1/2 inch trees that I couldn't get near). I think he scented me today, so tomorrow I pull out the scent canceling lotions, soaps, detergents, etc. I am going to be about 20-30 ft off the trail, hidden behind the fallen log, prone, with my legs going slightly down the slope of the spur that I have been hunting. I will be severely ticked (possibly literally if I am unlucky) if I don't get a shot tomorrow. I am pretty sure I have his number now. He came back two days after I saw him the first time (I didn't hunt there yesterday).

 

[scythefwd]

Didn't go out today. Will update next week when I get another chance to go out.