like louddrummer said, i have heard that they will be wary of it because of preditors, but i have personally seen deer come around gut piles, and other dead carcuses. they might take a different route though, i had a gutpile behind my stand once and a buck came circling around to my left (hunted there for 3 years, seen 24 deer and all have come from the right) he was smelling and just kept circling, didnt make any sense, he shoulda smelt me, but guess he was to locked in on the gut pile smell, never will if he was going to go up to the gut pile or not cause now he is on my wall!!!