Spooked Deer

Is it worth following/chasing a deer once you've spooked it?

Had one in my sights today but no clean shot, wind must have swirled a bit cos it got a whiff of me (20-30m away) and bolted before presenting a shot. Waited a minute in case it calmed down and stopped but heard it crashing off, followed its tracks a long way down the hill but never caught up and eventually lost the tracks. Tracks were mostly easy to find but hard(/impossible) to follow quietly as it went through a bunch of scrub and fern stuff down a fairly steep hill.

Bit of an amateur at this, was it worth me following or should I have just let it go and looked for another?

You just never know GB. I usualy say once they get a nose full its over. but is saying this they are sometimes lazy and dumb. and if they have to drop into a basin/gut before climbing up the other side you can get lucky.
Hunting presure can also change things too. If your heading that way then why not i say!

Last red we spooked and it went 20 odd Metres, mate followed it and shot it in the face, mate was actually looking past it and went shit its right there looking at me!
If all you get is a bit of experience by tracking it its all good in my book!

+1 usually if they get your wind they are gone... If they just saw or heard you they might hang around for a look or try and get your scent.

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You may as well give it a go. You never know what might happen. I have often spooked a deer and just stood there for a few minutes not moving, and have shot a few that have snuck back around for a second look.

It ran about 30-40m from the initial spook which put it straight downwind from me, paused about half a second and then really went for it straight down the ridge. Maybe if it had gone the other way the first time it would have stopped, who knows. Tell ya what the tracks are pretty easy to see when they're running though!

if you are hunting into the wind and you spook one in front... keep going. if the wind is behind you and it gets a wiff of your stink.. you may as well give up. sika will yip even with the wind in your face.

Not from me, but something ive read on our forum, 'bark' loudly just once, and sometimes they stop to look back, chance of a shot!........cant remember who posted it.......great advice (advise, Dougie!)

I've whistled and they've stopped. Still couldn't hit them though.

Might give that a shot next time if I have sufficient presence of mind when it comes down to it. :pacman:

I love that video 7mmsaum put up where the deer had no idea about the hunter, he barked at it and it looked straight at him... last thing it ever did :) Pretty cool stuff. Good on you Ben for seeing some deer even if you didn't bring it home this time!

Graham May, in his book "Keen as mustard" often talks about chasing after deer and getting them after spooking them.

Firstly i will say this is not typical of the deer most of us hunt.

99 percent sure she had never seen a human before.

But it does show how a deer that hasn't got your scent can be stopped. Be it a grunt, roar,bleat, whistle whatever. You got nothing to loose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe-dN...e_gdata_player

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Originally Posted by GravelBen

Might give that a shot next time if I have sufficient presence of mind when it comes down to it. :pacman:

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+1....I spooked a Sika, frightened the shit out of me more than the deer, after it had fuked off, i then remembered to 'bark' in case it stopped!!!! FFS