More times than not, deer don't even move when a real close shot is sounded.They seem to be more alarmed by movement they haven't seen before. Plus, plenrty of times I've seen deer shot at - watch them scatter - to only return to the same exact spot an hour later.

Unless one is hunting a small parcel, that recreation shot at the end of the day will not be the cause of a ruined hunt for the next few days. If a certain deer runs off after my recreation shot on vast state landand never returns, odds are he was just passing thru my area - enroute to another area - perhaps a mile away. The average deer in Michigan does not travel more than 2-1/2 square miles throughout his lifetime.

Smart hunters hunt near food and water sources - sometimes safe havens for bedding purposes too.Deer are always coming back to those spots. A shot once a day won't scare them off - when odds are, they aren't scared of the shot unless it provides bullet movement that they catch with their sight - like broken branches, dirt/weeds scurring.... etc. You have a less chance at a harvest hunting where pieces of snow are falling from tree-tops (or) the wind is creating movement-noise in the woods.