This is a pretty good topic and I am sure you will receive alot of different answers. It has been my experience to at least drag them a few yards away from where you hunt before you start to gut, however alot of my friends gut where they lie and said that the deer would walk right over the guts and not stop. The only way I think that it might could hurt would be the fact that gut piles bring in the coyotes or other small critters and that tends to make deer really nervous. Also I am not sure where you are hunting but here in Texas during bow season it is sometimes really hot, it is best to gut as soon as you can. Good luck hunting