Why do deer fear human scent so much? We are not a natural year round predator of them.

Do they learn to fear human scent during the hunting season, or are they born with it? Because even button bucks and fawns fear us before their firsthunting season.

What must we smell like to them to get the reaction some deer have to us?

Just a few questions I would like your opinions on.

That's crossed my mind also, I don't know, we smell like carnivore's or just not natural? IDK.

I've wondered this as well. I wonder if it's simply because human odor is a foreign odor in the woods??? I mean, they smell yotes and fox's and such all the time, it's a natural smell in the woods. Maybe it's not that it's human smell, it's just a foreign smell. I wonder if they react similarly to any foreign smell.

I think its just because human scent is so umfamiliar to them. Notnecessarily a fear of humans. IMO

Because they view us as a predator an we are not there year round. It think it would be along the same feeling you would get when you are walking out of the woods with only a bow an theyotes are close to you.

100% agree and you are right ,but im sure some of us hunt the urban deer .i dohunt mostly private lands but i do have this one spot that i could kill a deer 100% anyday its behind a huge housing complex ,personally its so easy i could walk in and the deer actually come so close to me that i could slap them silly (no chalange[:@])i usaully take my friends kids during youth day there and no camo or scent lok needed .the deer are so used to people in these woods .now if i go by my cabin in the deep woods them deer are on their toes, shoot they jump if a fly wizzes by them and since human contact is a lot less there ,you better have your best scent lok and camo if you expect to see one.

We smell like a Meat Eater!!

Dan

Animals do not have a "fear" of humans. Continual fear is deleterious and the process of living would not occur if deer had this state of apprehension. Deer and other prey have an anxiety mechanism...cant think of the word for it...but its been imprinted in their DNA over years of evolution. Whether its the fear of asaber-toothed tiger, ora modern day hunter, when the (wild) animal smells you, it will act upon instinct.Fear can be useful, even when that fear is irrational.

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