Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Why would a deer do this?

Went for a quick 5 mile hike with a buddy this morning in Wheeler Wildlife refuge. Saw several deer on the way in and after the rain last night fresh tracks everywhere. Bean fields are up to about three feet. We came around a bend, were talking, making noise, buddy uses walking sticks so not quiet at all. Three does jumped and ran and a 6 (maybe 8) point buck stood up, looked at us, walked about 10 yards and then sat back down. He was about 30 yards away. We were standing wide open in the road bed and could see his antlers, top of his head and his ears clearly above the beans. They were very broad in the middle and thick. He just ignored us. I hollered three or four times and threw a limb in the general direction. Still just sat there. We walked on another 1/4 mile or so, then came back and he hadn't moved. He had no intention of leaving his spot and didn't.

He's one of those stupid ones I shoot.

Wait until the week before gun season…they all are taught generationally to get cautious when fall is in the air. That’s why I LOVED bow season for years. They literally walk the woods like cows through a pasture.

Two reasons. His calendar does not say deer season yet, and he verified y'all were not carrying rifles.

They're used to the birdwatchers this time of the year.

Also, He was too hot to give a damn.

Danny - this was on Tally Bottom road going north where the woods stop at the bend in the road. Should I have walked on over and tried to pet him?

They probably have a tickler set on their smart phones to let them know when humans are going to start walking around the woods with guns in their hands.

The box turtles keep up with game regs and inform all the other woodland critters when the different seasons open. I thought everybody knew that.

Could be sick or injured potentially.......They hold tight when they're hurting

How about the buck thought I’ll sit right back down and those animals can chase the ladies that are causing all of the noise trying to escape.

Should have snuck up and kicked him then put it on aldeer like ole Bill. Short of standing to begin with, I bet they do that more than folks think. From coon hunting experiences, I know they do it at night. Pheasants will do it a lot as well. I've seen a rooster pancake out and hide pretty good in wheat stubble that was less than ankle high.

Maybe

Years ago we would man drive the RSA test range fields that were about 3 foot high in sage. Deer would often not move until you almost stepped on them. No telling how many never moved between drivers. A lot bucks get away just by playing invisible so it may be a natural thing especially out of season. Watched some bedded does get bayed in a cutover by a beagle. Dog barked at them from a few feet and only the lead doe even stood up. The dog eventually got bored and left.

I had a lease in Southern Tennessee years ago that got little pressure. We had does feed within 30 yards of us while we worked on stands and fields. My hunting partner walked up on a 4 year old 6 point standing in a logging road before daylight one morning . I'd seen him in bow season and he was a tank. My friend said the deer would only walk as fast as he did and stayed maybe 5 yards in front of him for 50 yards before easing off down a ridge. I think he was so rutted up he didn't care but it was normal for deer to pay us no attention there.

In the mid-80s - we had a 2-1/2 possibly, but very unlikely 3-1/2 yr old 8-point (mostly pencil rack - I am very confident to say 2-1/2) that would hang around our (family farm) fields and mingle with the cattle. My wife and I were driving around the property on our 4-wheeler and I saw him in one of our fields with several of our cattle. I opened the gate between the fields and I told her to watch this - we opened the gate and started riding at an angle generally towards him, he just laid down (of course, the cattle were all running towards us thinking that we had food).

He would consistently do that when anyone was in the field - I suspect that he viewed us a source of food. Either he got smart or got killed; although to best of our knowledge nobody hunted in our area.

That was my first thought also. Or it could be like others said, just accustomed to seeing abunch of harmless humans this time of year. I'm at Guntersville State Park right now and deer just don't pay people much attention unless they get to close to fast.

They get way too comfortable around harmless humans.

Many of those humans get injured during the rut.

We've had bucks and does on several occasions cross field while sighting rifle here. I think last year or year before I turned into field on tractor and a doe was nursing a fawn I stopped and watched probably 2-3 minutes before they wondered off, tractor running whole time. That being said we've hunted all over here but never shot a deer in that field. Dad likes to sit at table and watch them.