If I have to explain, I guess it was a sorry attempt at humor. You said I was sending you flowers and I was talking of the stalkers that can't take no for an answer and creeply stalk that person. As in I have a thing for you, nevermind.

Not the killing kind of stalking.

Semi for You I'll Try and Change My Ways:evil:
(BP)

Yeah, my mind went to hunting stalking. I was lost trying to figure it out.

Just got your flowers. Thanks.

The Deer have gotten smarter, I used to be able to siut in my stand in the afternoon and see many deer come out early into the corn and soy bean foelds, I could take my pick. Now they wait untill agter dark or after legal shooting time and are back in way befor daylight. The days of getting to your stand a hour befor daylight and catching the deer comming in to bed are gone, at least where I hunt and live. And no need to tell me what I may be doing wrong, Im a deer hunter through and through, I live to hunt deer. I know all about scent's, scent free, the wind directions, deer patterns and anything to do with deer. We hunt some properties that receive very minimal hunting pressure by us, and the surrounding properties the same. The deer just know after opening day that it's time to hide, if not after the start of bow season. Dont get me wrong in our hunting party, about 6 of us, we all got at least 3 deer each this season. But we worked our butts off for them, I know it's not suppos-to be easy and I dont expect it to be. But years ago we would pass on a hundred deer in a season, now if we pass on one or two were wishing we never did. Plus were finding the big old 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 year old Bucks have become total nocturnal and unkillable, and the adult does are the same way.
On the shooting a big old doe thing, I will take one if she's past her prime, or alone with no fawns. And it's not like I'll shot one the first time I see her alone with no fawns, it's because I have seen her many times alone, but also I love to eat venesion.
(BP)

Not trying to be a wiseguy, but trying to understand.

How do you work your butt off from a stand?

If they didn't learn, remember and pattern us humans. Everyone would have a large set of antlers on the wall, instead I have read only about 1% of hunters will kill a deer larger than 160".

I hear guys all the time say, we just don't have deer that big here. All I can say is just cause you do not see them, doesn't mean they aren't there. They have out patterned you and know where you are.

Yes, the rut changes things but, that is with all males. throw it in front of us and we loose all thought and reason.

We have plenty of deer over 160" here, I have been fortunate to get a few of them. We see them at night and hope there going to be somewhere close in the mornign but bu then there either where they cant be hunted or in the Red Brush, the red brush is so thick and covers many acres that even if you try and drive them out they'll just run circles around you in that stuff, they know not to come out of it because if they do there in for it. So insted of messing with them we wait em out, and wait and wait, they never show. They live and die of old age. Sure a few are taken every year around here by lucky hunters, but 99% of them are only pictures on trail cams. That's why I love to hunt them, if it was easy then it would be no fun. I respect them big old bucks, but dang even in our early archery seasons they go nocturnal and only breed at night. Im still convinced that they have gotten smarter over the years, there is a smart gene and there passing it on, think of it the smart ones live and the unlucky ones or dumb ones die. They do have a memory reguardless of what others think. You take a Deer in a corn field filled with deer, then after that the deer know that it's not safe to be there, then they no longer come to that place again, if they do it's after dark. Smarter yes.
(BP)

I don't see deer doing anything they weren't doing in the 50's. They've never been stupid.

Now, about my question?

Work my butt off in a tree stand.......sitting in a tree stand from 6:30 am untill 5pm is work, ny butt will tell you so. And I dont know how many Whitetails you have where you hunt, im sure there's some, but Mule Deer are Stupid. I've watched many a hunting show to see a hunter stalk a Mule Deer and see them just stand up, look and be shot. A Whitetail Deer would be long gone befor you ever get close enough for a shot at a bedded whitetail. And them Mule Deer bound away like there Nancys, they Bounce, a Whitetail will run away so fast that it will make your head smoke like the Forum is now working for you, Love Ya Muley:party0005:
(BP)

I guess numb butt can be hard. I only get one when I take a dump.

Must be Old Age, I get on and get off, the Venesion helps make it faster I think, the mule deer meat must slow it down as there slow.....just kidding Muley, I appreciate your comments, there all in good humor.
(BP)

A bouncing deer is harder to hit, than one running flat. I can nail a WT just about everytime on a flat run. depending on distance and led, i have somersaulted a few in my day. if I have a clean open shot.

Looks to me like if deer had the ability to get smarter, wouldn't they wise up and stay out of the roadways or stop eating from bait piles?

Cant Hunt over bait piles here, if so it would be easy to get a deer, as for deer in the road ways, our deer are smart here, they actually look both ways befor crossing the roads.
(BP)

Not supposed to bait here either but people still do it.

Really?


State Farm Insurance estimates that each year more than 63,000 deer are hit and killed in New York, more than 28,000 in New Jersey and 10,000 in Connecticut, said Victoria Hodson, a company spokeswoman.

Those are deer from the city, there not as smart as the ones from the country part of nys. Even though they look, it's the underestimating the speed of the vehicles comming at them that takes em out.
(BP)

Think of a human 3 year old, that has to cross the road for food or shelter. Do you really think we would do much better at that age? Even 4-5, how much older is a deer supposed to act for their age?

If deer had a mother that was 20 years old to teach them right from wrong as we do. Do you really think as many would be hit?

Oh you guys think they should be smarter than us. I am a firm beleiver that many are and if they had guns hunting us back. they would have a higher success rate.

How many accidents between cars, where one misjudges distance and speed? And we are supposed to be superior?

I know we are smarter than deer but, for someone to think they are stupid critters, is just fooling themselves.

I dodge deer every single day. I don't know if whitetails are any smarter, but mule deer are the stupidest animal I know.

They wait on the side of the road watching you approach. At the last minute they run across the road. The locals are aware of this, and we all slow down when we see deer. The un-locals have no clue, and hit them. Same with elk.

Do muleys or elk respond to a blast of the car horn?

I believe this is due to their eyesight and the bright head lights, confusing them.

I have witnessed deer,sneaking like a coyote,running between trees and looking up and
all around.Wild guess would say someone took a shot at him,missed,and shot some more.
This was in area far from any place that someone lived.The area I hunt is very near homes and small farms.Lot of people smell. Twenty years ago,if you got too close to a deer in this area,they would"blow"at you.I haven't heard a deer 'blow'at any one in my area for at least 12 years.I walked up on one near my feeder last year as I raised my rifle,she looked up and
simply ran away.years ago she would have "blown" for a quarter mile after she saw me.
They do act different than they once did.

i know the easiest way to spook all the deer (and hogs) within hundreds of yards: Just shut off the truck and open the door with the keys in the ignition. A friend of mine does that when hes not reminded. We never see anything after that Ford warning beeper screams for a few seconds. Driving to the stand with the seatbelt unfastened will do it too.

Don't know about that. When we're close is when they decide to run in the street. They can see pretty good at that distance, and i'm talking during daylight.

Funny you should mention that Falcon, and I do drive a FORD Truck.....I had one Buck I was hunting a bunch of years ago that lived just down the road fom my house. I'd drive my truck and park it to go bow hunting. As I shut off my truck the Buck was always bedded in a Golden Rod Field near the dirt road where I parked. When he heard me shut off the truck he'd stand up, I'd see him and then he'd walk away and I'd never see him again untill the next time I came to hunt, then he did the same thing. He knew I was there by the sound of my truck.
This may sound dumb but I also have a Black Lab, he's one smart suker, if I pull into the driveway and come in the house he just lays there knowing it's me, must be because he knows the sound of my truck. If anyone else pulls into the driveway he gets right up and barks.
I also hunt a Corn Field, we park at the end of a dead end road about 200yds from the corn field. Im 1000% cnvinced that the deer can hear me drive in, shut off the truck and get out. They know Im there and wont come out untill they hear the sound of my truck leaving. Hw do I believe this, one day I thought of this of what I just said, so I had a buddy of mine get in and drive my truck away so the deer would think I left. I sneeked back to the corn field and got in stand and the deer came out to feed with in 15 minutes. It did'nt last for long though as they caught on quick, but it did work. Yes the deer are smarter than you think. Im now convinced that anywhere you hunt if it's a quiet morning or evening and the deer can hear you drive in and shut the doors, there on alert and ready.
(BP)