What is the closest you have come to a deer?

[SonnyThomas]

Axis deer and roasted pineapple. Now that sounds just yummy

[RLW]

Lets see.......Almost stepped on a mule deer 2x2 buck laying in the sagebrush thinking he was hid from us hunters, and backed up and shot him with my .308 at 3yds.

Bowhunting one year I stopped on a timbered hillside and notice out of the corner of my eye, a huge buck bedded in heavy cover not 10-15ft away. Got an arrow nocked and tried to VERY slowly turn and draw, but as soon as he knew he was spotted, he blew out and was gone!
FYI: old mulie bucks have nerves of steel and many times will stay bedded in tight heavy cover right under your nose, letting you walk right on by if they have an escape route and haven't been spotted.........dang tough to hunt the big boys

Been very close to several over years, including one doe that nearly stepped on my outstretched foot as I laid still at base of tree with camera (have that picture someplace), and another small 2x2 buck has bruised my ribs trying to rub velvet, but that last one was cheating (& 40yrs ago). He had been found by the land owner caught in barb wire. They cared for him and he sort of stuck around becoming about as tame as a wild animal can.

One last event that was really funny and maybe stupid in hind sight.
Probably been 25-30yrs ago now, was out hunting mountain sagebrush country and spotted a few deer bed in heavy brush. They weren't legal size deer in that area, but figured I see how close I could get. Near crawling I painfully eased up in brush over next hour and lost track of where they were. My hunting buddy was back on the other hill side trying to signal me they were right there. A couple does stood moved off a few yards and looked back as if they knew something was wrong. It was then I spotted a young button buck looking at them only a few feet away......picked up a short stick laying there, reached thru an openning in sagebrush and touched him.
WOW......it was like the hillside exploded. With all the dirt, rocks, and pieces of brush flying around, and kicking hooves, I'm not sure who got scared worse, me or the deer.
Not something I recommend doing.

[alex]

I've had some closer encounters sooner, but have no photos Back in 1984 even the deer were bigger

[polaris754]

well i havent had the times like alex and sonny but i can tell u i walked behind a deer at about 10 feet fer about 50 yds man what a day , it didnt see me smell me or have a clue ,what a day fer sure ,

[NuttyNative]

My mom use to be the Dr. Doolittle of town. We had a whitetail, mule deer, and a yearling moose. A few Canadian Geese and a Chicken Hawk. The whitetail only hung around one summer. Bobby, the mule deer stayed for three years and left as a 4 point. I don't have any pics but mom has a ton. The moose was with us for a week before being taken to a university in Seattle. It was blind and wouldn't stay off the highway. Sadly, it died a few weeks later. It had a parasite in it's brain, we were told that's where the blindness came from.

[Spiker]

I had a mulie doe lick a granola bar I was holding. That was just out on public land hunting for deer.
And this is an elk calf that we stumbled across last June when we were hiking thru the woods.

[Ehunter]

Walking out of the creek bottom one day, I saw a little 6 pointer in the path about 25 yards ahead of me, grazing. Grabbed a grunt call, and grunted very softly. Had my grunt call in one hand, my bow in the other. The buck walked right up to me, stuck his nose about 2 inches from my elbow, and sniffed. Was wearing a new Scent Lok suit, and it never figured out what I was. He walked away about 10 yards, I grunted again, and he came back within 2 feet. Eventually, he just walked off, and hopped the fence. He never figured out what I was, and that sold me on the scent lok suits.

[elkslayer4x5]

Closest was the fawn I tried to help that was caught in some sheep fencing. Poor little spotted dude, his head thru stuck into the fencing. Threw my jacket over him while I worked his head free, then had to pull him backwards to free his front legs, grabed his left rear leg and pulled hin free, just barely had time to duck as he as he fired a mule kick in gratitude...
Next closest, was sitting on deck steps, stripping an arrow prior to a refletch, looked up to lock eyes with a doe who was intent on the banana peel I had just finished and tossed into the bucket of compost, about 3 feet...

[EnglishKev]

If you only count the live wild ones, about two feet.
Lying on top of a bank on a field edge in a ghillie suit waiting for a Roe buck to come out of the woods (rifle hunt btw).
A Roe doe came walking down the boundry, stopped right by me, eye contact was held for several seconds till she figured I was no threat and she walked on.
Way cool experience.

Kev

[NuttyNative]

Don't know if anyone here has seen this yet, pretty cool.