Your closest stalk?

matathonman · #1 12-10-2008, 02:50 AM

What's the closest stalk that youv'e made on any game animal, whether it be a bust or closed the deal? The closest stalk I've made is litterily 2-3 yrds this year on a decent 4-point mule deer that was roughly 165-high 160's.The closer I got the better he looked because the stalk was so intense!I got so close that i didn't know what to do as my plan was foiled by a smaller buck for a 3yrd shot which started from about 150 yrds.I got too close too quuick and was royally screwed, the buck looked my way,away,my way away and then bolted and no matter how fast my bow shoots I had no hope in hell!I was so close I coudv'e touched him whith my arrow. But the feeling of actually stalking such a critter that close was the best feeling ever imagiinable,that I outsmarted a 3 1/2 year old deer that didn't even know my presence.The next was the one I got,but nothing beet that feeling I had with that buck at 3 yrds and had too make some some quick decisions!HE beat me again!Man I love bow hunting.

interceptor · #2 12-10-2008, 03:48 AM

Water Bufallo from 12 to 14 yards front on, that was my most intense shot.

My closest shots however were on a Feral Billy Goat, under 4 yards, and quite a few Hogs at around 5 yards.

I am with you mate, I love Bowhunting.

Cheers Noel

packhuntr · #3 12-10-2008, 06:52 AM

I have closed up to within 10 yards quite afew times. Afew were well under 10 yards..... Not one of those situations where i was right on top of them produced anything for me except a scattering of deer sh*t. Once was a coulee mule deer that i lost track of in buckbrush. It took about 10 minutes after i decided to hit the binders and attempt to relocate the deer to realize id accidentally got right on top of him, (approx 160 inch). No options where i was for a shot, so began easing out to re position and he heard me. BUSTED, see ya later.... Another time was with a small w/t buck, prob go 120 inch. Bedded in weeds and i closed right up on him, everything was perfect and i decided to get right on top of him and take him in his bed. Normally if i want the animal, i close up and wait for them to stand, 15 minutes, 5 hours, doesnt matter, be ready to draw as he stands and shes over. This was an open country stalk that worked awesome until i once again got in tight, couldnt locate him in the weeds and i made a bad call. I decided to advance even though id made my landmark. I made it about 3 yards and here he was, not 3 yards bedded and lookin right through me and my shinanigans. BUSTED! Adios mr whitetail.... Ive had afew in tight deals go bad, some worked, but boy does it do something to ya. I hear ya fellas.... I too love to bowhunt!!

CNP · #4 12-10-2008, 09:24 AM

Touching distance lol. But that wouldn't be exactly the truth. I was the stalkee and the bull was the stalker. Bull moose stalked me to within arm reach.........I had to back up to get an arrow off. I first saw him maybe 150-200 yards away and he was comin' straight to me, no deviation whatsoever, gruntin' all the way. Thrilling for sure. I almost blew the shot...almost...he ended up in the freezer. Besides that, 15 paces to a wt doe.

cardiacphil · #5 12-10-2008, 09:31 AM

Not hunting...I jumped out and touched a fawn from behind a hay bale...it was pretty funny...too bad deer dont have facial expressions or I bet it would have been sheer terror of this bush jumpin out and touching it, all three deer took off like 3 scared mice.

hunting I shot a 250lb bear at 7 yards on my rangefinder, pretty close considering there was no bait.
clean shot, good kill dead in minutes...

munyee4321 · #6 12-10-2008, 12:12 PM

.5 a foot on a gopher HA! LOL

my closest 7 yards to 2 small 2point mulie bucks but never shot could have but didn't want to waste my draw tag.
My closest shot was 10 yards on my first bear, no bait was chasing mulies when i saw her.
last year 12yards from a nice 4x4 mulie but got blown at 9yards by a small 2 point that i failed to see...SIGH.....ohwell lol
This year 13yards from a mulie doe.... and I blew the shot!!!!!!!!!!!! man i was mad at my self lol.....

shane_buck · #7 12-10-2008, 01:20 PM

Well it wasnt a stalk...but i had a white-tail fawn come to within about 5 feet of me and stand there looking at me for a bit. I think using a primos can call the fawn thought i was its mom. It was fun anyway.

russ · #8 12-10-2008, 08:15 PM

1-2 yd, man did that deer's get big! I kid you not, when he figured out he could be screwed they got huge! Not a chance closing that deal. Made that season pretty special.

A friend of mine got nose touching sniffed.

BrownBear416 · #9 12-10-2008, 09:11 PM

I had a cow elk inch's from my broadhead this year.We were eyeball to eyeball for 30 seconds then she exploded,the whole ground shook.lol

BigRackLover · #10 12-14-2008, 09:18 PM

1 yard

Face to face with mulie 4x4 in velvet. I lost my nerves and moved ... he bolted. It was a long long winter.

The Bit Runner. · #11 12-14-2008, 11:09 PM

Cow elk last year at mabey 5 yards,This year cow elk at mabey 7 yards and the bull i shot at 11-12 yards,Elk are awsome they are so big at close range definatly gets my blood boiling,I love elk hunting with a bow of course.

Cowboy Al · #12 12-15-2008, 10:02 AM

Less than 4 yards...not a stalk but my first time sitting on a bear bait. I was on the ground 26 yards from the bait heard something behind me and it was getting closer....and closer.....and closer.......I was almost crawling out of my skin I slowly turned around and came face to face with a velvet clad WT buck! Never have I been so happy to not see a bear. It was about 5 mins after I got home that I purchased some ladder stands for my baits!

matathonman · #13 12-15-2008, 08:12 PM

The Mrs. fed a whitetail doe out of her hand a couple years ago at Elkwater but I'm not sure this counts as this would be baiting and it was out of season.

TreeGuy · #14 12-15-2008, 08:47 PM

Great thread!

I took my first bull elk last year. I first saw him when he was 4 yards out (I kindda fell asleep laying over a water hole), and shot him at 40. You know they are close when you can smell their breath!

My coolest was this year. Glassed a book mulie at 700 yards. Wind was perfect and they went just over the top of a small hill, but bedded one on their backtrail.

I worked the sporratic bush for about the first 400 yards, but after that, it was all uphill grassland.

I've heard too many stories about 'belly stalks' to not try one myself for the first time.

So for the next 2 hours, I slowly crawled on my hands and knees into a set position I had picked from the binos.

I actually managed to work past their sentry at 60 yards. Fortunatly, it was the dumb azz spiker rather than an older doe. He just watched with great curiosity.

Got to where I wanted to be, and the buck popped out and started raking a small tree. By now, I'm half frozen and soaked from the 6" of snow.

However, his position gave me some time to prepare for a draw/shot scenario.

I hit the grunt tube, he challenged, perfectly came to 21 yards and I drew........

Peep was full of snow/ice. Had to let off. Yet another lesson learned........... Toughest one yet!

Tree

catnthehat · #15 12-15-2008, 09:16 PM

12 feet on a whitetail doe, , flatbow and cedar with Zwickeys!
Cat

muzzy · #16 12-15-2008, 09:26 PM

Back when I was younger and definitely misisng a few brain cells I used to outfit black bear hunting If we saw a bear at the bait we would try and sneak in Worked really good if the bear was half in the barrel feeding and on several times we snuck right in and poked them in the butt with the shotgun barrel We had no intention of shooting just see if we could do it We did it probably 4 times and luckily for us the bear was so startled they came out of that barrel like a missle out of a silo and took off without even looking at us. We were dumb and lucky I guess but sure was exciting
Also stalked within couple feet of bull moose and got him with bow Could touch him with arrow

Gord

twofifty · #17 12-15-2008, 09:37 PM

Under 20 feet. Belly crawl toward a feeding doe, through tall meadow grasses. I was not hunting, just experimenting.

After awhile, she knew something was not quite right, and was spending more & more time looking and less time eating. So I gradually spent more time laying still, then keeping my face down even while inching forward. It took a good 40 minutes to go 80 feet. But I got well within bow or spear range. I stood up and she bounded away.

This stalk transported me back thousands of years to where that was the only way to get meat on the 'table'. What an amazing feeling.

munyee4321 · #18 12-15-2008, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muzzy

Back when I was younger and definitely misisng a few brain cells I used to outfit black bear hunting If we saw a bear at the bait we would try and sneak in Worked really good if the bear was half in the barrel feeding and on several times we snuck right in and poked them in the butt with the shotgun barrel We had no intention of shooting just see if we could do it We did it probably 4 times and luckily for us the bear was so startled they came out of that barrel like a missle out of a silo and took off without even looking at us. We were dumb and lucky I guess but sure was exciting
Also stalked within couple feet of bull moose and got him with bow Could touch him with arrow

Gord

ha i know that feeling.... cept this fella was not very startled but very hungry and curious....... I had to throw the bait at him to get him to stop.

moosehunter3-0 · #19 12-15-2008, 09:51 PM

Bear hunting last spring I had mule does under my tree sniffing my pack.

Then one summer I stalked a big pronghorn buck that was bedded and got within like 5 yards. I bleated and took 3 snap shots as it got up. When it saw me it ran out to 20 and I got one more of it standing before it took off.

GillieSuit · #20 12-16-2008, 03:36 PM

Closest bow kill ever. A coyote on the ground at 4 yards. Called him into my position and nearly had him land in my lap. That was really cool.

Now he's on the wall in my living room leaping off a corner platform like he's going to pounce on a mouse.

Cheers,

Cowboy Al · #21 12-16-2008, 05:31 PM

Moosehunter 3-0 thats too cool. To stalk that close to one of those parinoid buggers is truely an amazing feat! Was that by chance in the Cypress hills? The trees have me wondering......

Ticdoc · #22 12-16-2008, 06:49 PM

My story does not exactly involve stalking, but.....back in late 80s, while bowhunting in Swan Hills for male moose, a cow and calf appeared leaving a creek bottom. They were on the same trail as I. I ducked behind a spruce and touched the calf with my bow as it came by.

Neat part of story was....the cow had a big ear tag and she was close enough that I could read the number (= 8) easily. Spoke later with the Fish and Wildlife biologist who had put the tag on 10 years earlier (when cow was a ylg) and 10 miles from my sighting. Thus, this 12-yr-old cow had produced a nice big calf.
tic doc

moosehunter3-0 · #23 12-18-2008, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowboy Al

Moosehunter 3-0 thats too cool. To stalk that close to one of those parinoid buggers is truely an amazing feat! Was that by chance in the Cypress hills? The trees have me wondering......

Thanks for the comment, this happened to be in Wyoming.

moosemad · #24 12-26-2008, 07:09 PM

My very first bow kill, I watched 4 does being followed by a nice 4x4 mulie buck walking the ridge. I crawled up to a spot where the trails intersected expecting a quartering away shot at the buck. Duh, they took the trail I was on. I had the bow cocked when the first doe stopped 3 - 4 feet away and looked at me. All I could see was hair in the sights but had to shoot. The arrow fell out after the second bounce and she ran about 75 yards and piled up. Great experience for my first bow deer.