Close range bow shot

[Jerry Worley]

I hunt in Gatesville and I normally just cut into a cedar and put the cut limbs in front of me. The scent of the cedar really seems to stop them from bustin me. My two kills have been less than 20 yards, but I have had a number of them walk by me less than 10, just not shooters.

[ACH]

Had a bobcat try to climb in my brush blind with me. Scared him on the draw, and then smoked him when he stopped and looked back at about 15 yds. I have deer within 10 yds all the time, but that cat was awesome!

[KMock]

I love ground blinds. Started hunting in home made carpet tents 15 yrs ago and have killed 60+ deer out of them. Most were 7 - 15 yards and I could see them fall. I love it.

[BigErn]

I'll like 10 to 15yards! I think 26 yards
is about the farthest I ever killed a deer.

[Tubby]

Closest deer I've had to me is within arm's reach of a ground blind. Had a yearling lick the steps of my 8' tripod and lay down at the base of the ladder for over an hour.

Closest kill was a doe at 12 yards. Never had any idea I was there

[dieselmaker]

I had a doe and her two fawns walk up to me while i was sitting on the ground. One of the fawns licked my broad head and cut her lip. I dont think they would have figured it out if i hadent busted out laughing.

Jason

[b.latiolais]

One of the most fun hunts I've ever had was in an old creek bed at my last lease in Harper. We had a tripod set up in there and we would juice it up with some feed when we got to the lease and then hunt it a couple days later. One afternoon I had about 16 deer eating at that tripod. They were literally right underneath me. I wasn't planning on shooting anything unless it was a toad, but man I think if I would have seen "the one" I would have had a heckuva time drawing without getting busted. At one point I bet I had 6 deer all within 8 feet of me. It was a very cool hunt.

[wetfeather]

I have shot several between 10 and 15 yds and have taken a couple at 40-45yds. but prefer 25 yds or less. One time at Brushy Hill hunting behind Pete's house on the edge of the big oat patch in a homemade ground blind make out of silt fence material and brushed in had a young 6 pt come in and start eating leaves off the brush on my blind and finally stuck his head in my shooting hole and ate leaves he didn't see me because he closed his eyes to stick his head in there. Could hear him eating and breathing. Then he walked out to my corn and ate stayed an hour or longer. Talk about a tuff few min. bent over and trying not to move.

[Codie]

I had a couple of 6' (at the base of the seat) tripods, which put my feet resting at about 4 1/2 feet off the ground. The one I was hunting was backed up into the edge a big oak tree with handcorn scattered all around in front of the blind. I had a nice young buck (120"-125") eat corn and then come make a scrape on the low hanging branches of the oak tree that were touching my tripod. When he starting working the limb with his horns his left antler nudged into the leg on my tripod about 1 ft below my foot and the son of a gun started rubbing my tripod leg like a tree! He only stayed on it for about 5 seconds and then went back to the overhanging limb. I am still suprised to this day that the noise his horns were making on that tripod leg did not alarm him or spook him a bit. Probably one of the neatest hunts I have ever had!

[txsyotehntr]

I have had a doe snort on me while i was in a ground blind. I had no idea she was there until i felt a mist of snot and heard her snort and stomp. My closest kill was 7 yards from an improvised ground blind (cedar pile i cut a hole into). I have had coyotes almost step on me but couldn't get the bow drawn had to shotgun them. Still waiting on a coyote with my bow.

[jerp]

I was sitting in a pop-up eyeballing a doe 20 yards away waiting for her to turn broadside. She finally turned so I leaned to my right so I could draw between the windows to conceal my movement. I drew, then slowly leaned back in front of the window to take the shot. A spike had snuck up on me unnoticed and when I leaned back in front of the window with a fully drawn bow he was about to stick his head in the blind - his face was maybe a foot away! Fortunately I did not yet have my finger on the trigger - I flinched and the bow about jerked my arm off as I did a violent let-down. I don't know who was more surprised. I fell off my stool and he turned inside out and vanished.

[huntnguide83]

the 2 most memorable close encounters while bowhunting I first think of is I had a small 2.5 yr old buck walk up to my ground blind and start trying to make a rub on the cedar i brushed the blind in!! #2 happened at a buddy's farm up near eastland. I had been doing some scouting and decided to take a rest under a oak tree next to a food plot....had a doe walk in behind me and when she got about half of her body's length past the tree noticed me and turned to bolt and when she did ripped my leafy suit leg. Sure glad she got the suit and not my leg. But was probably one of the best adrenaline rushes id ever had.

[Hogmauler]

My closest shot happened in Centerville in 1979. I had set up in a yaupon bush right off a heavily used trail. A doe meandered down the trail and I vented her at three yards. Nothing like taking a white tail on the ground up close and personal.

[Jerry Worley]

This is good stuff. Some of these stories had me laughing my arse off. I cant wait till this weekend. This is the stuff bow hunting is all about.

[loco cacahuate]

Buddy of mine had a buck mounting a doe 5 yards in front of his blind.