ORIGINAL: buckeyebuckhntr
ORIGINAL: huntingson
ORIGINAL: buckeyebuckhntr
I would rather see no deer than a bunch and spookjust one, even fawns and yearlings...... They will be grown up one day as well, no need to start the education early on.
Honeslty, you are giving deer too much credit here. I also feel that a lot of what you are referring to is the exact reason to have multiple set-ups. If I get sighted in the tree from a stand, then I won't hunt it for a couple of weeks. I will just hunt one of my other stands in the same general area. This isn't rocket science, and if you spook a doe your season isn't over.
On a related note, over hunting a stand can be damaging even if you are not seen in the tree. The scentsyou leave behind, etc will allow a deer to figure out where you are.
To much credit? If my belief is correct that it is a culmination of pressure over time that educates deer, how is not wanting to spook them as fawns and yearlings giving them to much credit?
I am sure you have heard a hundred times and understand that yearlings in high pressure areas are more cautious than mature deer in lightly pressured areas.... (areas like down south, PA, parts of NY etc etc). So... How is not wanting to start a "culmination" of mistakes on a young deer wrong?
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It is my opinion that it is better to give deer more credit than they deserve than not enough. I take great pains to avoid being detected by deer. In a perfect world, no deer would ever know of my presemce.
As far as "How long can a deer remember an occurance" goes, it depends on how severe and life threatening the occurance was. If you take a shot at a deerand miss,you won't see that deer close enough for a shot for the rest of the season (experienced this twice) from this stand. If the deer barely detects something amiss, you may see it again in a week or two if the wind is perfect for the encounter.
All being said...... Your chances of sucess are best if the deer never know that you are there.
That's gospel.