I agree, not sure if i would call it a smart gene but, the ones that have been with a group that had been fired on learn, when and where this is happening. Even the yearlings and they begin to pattern hunters, just as we pattern them. As they learn our hunting spots, stands scents, whatever they begin to avoid those area's at those times and that trains the young to do so.

Then this creates their new pattern on being in early and coming out late and avoiding certain spots at the daylight hours. Just keeps getting added to and passed down from year to year from doe to fawn. most will adhere to a pattern taught to them by their mother.

There used to be so much poaching in my area, that now a days, you will hardly ever see a deer standing in any field within sight of a road. If you get back to the corners or spots you can not see from a car, you have a good spot. I have yet to have deer pattern me in one of my stands in the middle of some acorns, that or they like the acorns more than their life.

That stand has produced 2 booners and 4 P&Y bucks. I do not shoot doe from this stand but man are they everywhere. I only hunt it when the wind is right and when i go, I am there from 1hour before to about an hour after dark. I try to make sure most have moved to the fields before coming out.