Blown out today

[xjon]

Was out and got to a spot on top of a ridge. As soon as there was light I see a doe bedded out in open at 500yrds. That was joined by another doe and they both had young ones with them. Few ridges over another doe and a young one. I was thrilled watching them eating and playing (300yards). At around 9am I lost track of them. I figured they bed down. So at 930 I decided to move to look over a ridge and or see how close I can get to those does in hopes they have a buck close by. Then I noticed the duo from earlier came up a ridge right below me. They were maybe 75yards away and there was a big bush between us. I waited to see if they were heading elsewhere but I guess they bedded down since I never saw them emerge.
So I packed up quietly then I hear couple blows, I see them stotting and then the 2 below me went bye bye. I stopped and looked around listened for 30 sec then I hear some more blows from the distance. Soon after another from farther away. I saw one deer from 4-500 yards away running down. So I stayed and watched where they went. I found 4 deers at the farthest ridge under one tree looking at my direction. That was 6-700 yards away. Never seen that sort of chain reaction before. I think I cleared the whole side of mountain.

So the questions are:
When does are with kids, are bucks around or avoid them?
The scenario above, what would you do next? I figured my hunt in that area is over so I headed out.

 

[jlroberts100]

You just never know. Yesterday I jumped a group of 5 doe and one forky. I actually jumped them several times while trailing them. They would walk off about 50 yards each time and bed down. Deer can be weird. I've literally jumped them and had them blow at me, then 30 mins later circle around and come check the area again. Usually it's over though. In this situation I would have moved on. I think it's mostly the young forky's that cling to a doe this early before the rut or to the ones that have fawns. Just my experience these past few years hunting mule deer.


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[longbowhunter2]

I would have stuck a round, because the big bucks will circle a round. As soon as it thinks the coast is clear. I actually shot at buck once and missed. Thought my day was over. But because I was hunting with group, I stayed put as not to Interfere with their hunt. Then her comes an other buck up the same trail. My 308 hit it's mark that time. It was a Forky.

 

[ilovesprig]

I would not leave the area......It's obviously deer rich and that's for a reason.......My experience is older bucks will push younger bucks and yearlings away from does that are coming into estrous.

No different than fishing......You've got to fish where the fish are......I rarely leave fish, to find fish.

 

[xjon]

Thanks for the reply guys. Lesson learned.
I understand about the fleeing deer comes back and checks out what scared them, but this time was a mass exodus type of evacuation. From top of ridges to almost bottom of wash leaping blowing. I can understand one to 2 ridges affected but the whole side of mountain was alarmed.
I think if I wasn't fatigued from the weeks hunt I would have stayed but I was weakening fast.