Originally Posted by
bigcountry
Sure, its a forum, but I never asked you anything. I know what I know. You know what you know.
I just never understand folks like you. I am sure not hurt. We are not curing cancer here. Just you gave me the chance to address a common problem among hunters. I appoligize to use you as the example. One hunter will ask a question, and get many opinions. There's always others who "appear" insecure and need to attack others positions.
Let me explain. I have 2 leases and land behind my house. One, the freakin deer are about to jump out of thier skin at a moment notice. Is mostly big woods surrounded by other big woods. I have shot thru a deer and had an arrow in the ground. The deer ran 100 yards and expired. Another doe came and smelled that arrow with blood on it and freaked out.
On the other lease, I could throw stones at the deer. It doesn't matter to them. Another example. I turkey hunt on a cattle farm. The deer avoid the bone yard at all cost. Turkey don't. Even when there is not an actively rotting cow there, deer still avoid it like the plague.
This is common sense stuff. The answer is "it depends". Like I said, common sense stuff.
I for one don't take a chance. I don't put human pee in scrapes, I don't make mock scrapes. I don't leave gut piles. I play to win and keep things as natural as possible.
Is it possible that the deer which sniffed at your arrow and freaked out, was freaking out at your scent that was on the arrow?
To the original question. I don't gut at a stand that I want or plan to hunt again soon. I have had several deer come up on me while gutting a deer and it did not bother them but I feel better dragging them somewhere else. IMO it is probably more of the human scent that is spread around during the gutting process than the guts themselves.