4-Wheelers in the deer woods, good or bad for hunting?

wholelottagobble · 11-04-2004, 12:44 PM

We usually fill our feeders on Sundays, which aren't open to hunting. We drive right to them on our atv. Deer empty the feeders no problem and we still see deer when we hunt, but do you think this could cause us to see less bucks, especially older bucks?

buttonbuckmaster · 11-04-2004, 12:47 PM

Feeders and 4 wheelers....man you are really roughing it.

kevin1 · 11-04-2004, 06:05 PM

The deer that you do see are conditioned to the sounds and smells of the ATV and feeder , when they here them it's like a dinner bell ringing . I don't think spookier bucks will hit a feeder unless they're absolutely certain that there is no threat . Most of the deer that I've seen at feeders have been does and younger bucks .

wholelottagobble · 11-04-2004, 06:49 PM

buttonbuckmaster- i guess your sarcasm is meant to offend me and insult the type of hunting that I do. I live in a place with an awful buck to doe ratio of 10:1 or worse, most hunters in my area shoot every spike or 4 point they see, and i live in the mountains so an atv isn't just an option, it's a necessity. If you believe that feeders and atv's aren't hunting, you may have a beef with 95 % of your fellow deer hunters. Your main problem is that you'd turn your nose up at a fellow hunter's strategies, because they don't match yours, and not support another outdoorsman as you should.

Kevin1-Thanks for a real answer. The feeders we use are homemade from 4 and 6 inch pvc pipe with a 45 degree connector on the bottom, so gravity does all the work not a battery. We hunt most entirely in the woods or field edges along trails and rublines, so our baiting is not meant to pattern the deer to us, rather to just attract them to places they already frequent. The does love our corn so therefore we see some bucks at our feeders as well. I just wanted to know if you thought running a 4 wheeler to our feeders in the middle of the day could cause a big buck to stay away from the area. Thanks!

biggamehunter1990 · 11-04-2004, 07:03 PM

wholelottagobble-MAn i tottaly agree with you 100% buttonbuck sure insulted my type of huntin i always use wheelers to fill my buckets and i really dont have a problem.Well to answer you question (personaly) i do NOt have a problem with 4wheelers and my hunting i fill the feeders and they will come like nuthing was even their and i HAVE killed buck the same day i had put my corn in my bucket and sat that afternoon and shot buck so thats my opinon man so stick with wat you r doing ladda man GODD lUCK WITh YOU AND YOUR HUNTING Stay in touch with me about your situation.

James B · 11-04-2004, 07:04 PM

Wholelot. Sounds like you are the one being offensive. One question, since four wheelers are basically new. How did they hunt before they had them. Necessity? I don't think so. By the way I am not knocking your way of hunting. Just wondering how I have hunted for 48 years and never owned one.?

Deerslayer_37 · 11-04-2004, 07:28 PM

95% of hunters hunt with feeders? mmmk...Considering most of wisconsin is under a baiting ban, ther goes a few hunters..i know thers a few other states too. i think hunting with a feeder isn't hunting at all. its not that im not supporting outdoorsman, but i dont consider it ethical. its right up there with high fence hunting IMO. i agree with james b. four wheelers are a fairly new conception. try walking, it doesnt hurt. yes, i use a four wheeler to go around our properties, but i could live without them. sure, it would be tough. feeders? why do you NEED feeders? am i missing something? whatever happened to going out and patterning the deer and hunting them, not watching them come to a dinner bell?

slayer

wholelottagobble · 11-04-2004, 10:35 PM

man i hate arguing with other hunters because with all the people against us we ought to stick together but people like deerslayer 37 really make me mad..... WHO NEEDS FEEDER's? The guys who aren't blessed enough to live in wisconsin,iowa,illinois,texas,alabama or all the other states with high deer populations, balanced buck to doe ratios, and hunters who let them grow. Don't get me wrong, it's my dream to hunt in those states someday and anyone who does is blessed. I am kind of glad i have only hunted in at home in the mountains of western NC. Some guys i know that have been elsewhere to hunt...like my buddy whos been to illinois don't even look forward to our season. i have killed 5 in the past 2 years..the most deer i have seen in one hunt is 3, and that was on a food plot we planted. i guess if me using a feeder is like ringing a dinner bell, i ought to get a louder bell!!And to compare feeder's to having fences isn't even worth my time. Cocky hunters who say baiting deer isn't hunting are more than welcome to come sit in the stand with me and see see 20-30 deer in a whole season, one maybe 2 shooter bucks and then tell me i'm not hunting. And James B if you've been hunting for 48 years without a four wheeler i think that just great. All the pictures I have seen of north and south dakota look to me like you could get just about anywhere in a pickup anyways and the rolling plains are a little bit easier to walk across than the steep mountains and hollers i deal with. 48 years of walking in my woods and you mighthave decided an atv was more of useful invention thatn a way to be lazy or cheat.

gutpyle · 11-04-2004, 11:34 PM

Theres nothing wrong with using a 4wheeler. why work any harder than you have to ?all I can say is they sure make work much easier and hauling game light work as well.try dragging a 700 LB elk and you will be wishing you had a ATV too. as for feeders, hell if they were legal here, I would have a tree stand next to one.

annieoakley · 11-05-2004, 12:12 AM

What is the differance between a feeder and a food plot? You are still feeding the deer and you are still attracting them. Right? Thats all I have time for I have to go fill up my feeder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!