I pee in the woods all the time. The potential health risks of holding it for too long way outweigh any deer that I might scare away. Holding it too long can cause/increase your risk of bladder damage (mainly to the nerves), urinary tract infections, pyelonephritis, and other kidney problems. Those are just reasons I pee in the woods when I need to based only on my knowledge from med school.


As far as scaring deer away, I pee right next to where I sit and I've had deer walk within 20 yards and not flinch. The biggest buck I ever got, 130" 13 pt, I shot within a minute of peeing. I was standing up and peeing when the doe i got last year walked in, finished the job and shot her.
My dad used to smoke while hunting (he quit after he had a heart attack at age 52 reason enough for anyone to quit!) and he always saw as many deer as I did and shot them more often, but he also hunts in a more urban area than I have been the past 3 years.

Pee away!