deer hunter 21

i was wondering if anyone knows how deer and cows mix. i'm gonna be hunting a farm this year that has cows on it and didn't know if i needed to stay as far away from the cows as i can get or if they really wouldn't bother the deer.

t roy

imo deer dont like to be disrupted by cattle; i always have better luck when hunting the same piece of property if the cattle have been moved off it. this however doesnt mean if there are cattle on the property you are in for a bad day, i would just try to keep a good distance from the cattle.

HAZCON7

Sounds like the beginning stages of a marketable cover scent - cow dung [:'(]

mauser06

i shot a deer last year that just ran through a pasture full of cows and horses.....they live there with them and are used to them i guess.....deer ran straight through the cows and right by me....i took mommy...just got to becareful and make sure its a deer your shooting...a calf can look just like a deer id guess....but this is the bowhunting forum.....im a rifle hunter....and my shots in a pasture are alot farther then yours will be.....but the cows didnt bother the deer....

ShadowAce

I have seen deer "running" through cattle before also. I have never seen them mingling around them. They were always hightailing it through there because something worse than the cattle was behind them. Come to think of it, it was always gun season when I saw them there. IMO they don't like to be around them.

c j

It's not as if they socialize or anything, but neither cows or deer will spook the other, either. Not much attention is paid either way.

Texarkanimal

The only place I have seen were the deer did not seem to be bothered by the cattle was West Texas the place we hunt has sheep and cattle running the property. The deer don't stand right next to them but I have seen them grazing in the same area with out a problem and the doe will feed at the feeders when the sheep are there but the bucks will not come in until the sheep leave the feader.

WV Hunter

Ditto what cj said. I've had to wait for cows to move out of the way, so I could get a shot at deer with my bow.

IMO, I doubt you'd find a mature deer mingling with the cows though. One thing I have noticed: If the cows are in your hunting areas all the time, the deer seem to care less about them, than if they get rotated into and out of areas. Then they seem to avoid them more. I guess it is a big shock to them to all of the sudden have all these cows invade their area.

Also, I ususally personally try to avoid the cows if possible. It can be a pain sometimes.

Hill Hopper

What I find strange around here is that the deer seem to hate and avoid cattle, but will mix in right around horses.

TXhighrack

Around here cattle and deer are so use to each other they dont seem to bother each other. I guess if deer werent use to cattle then they would be spooked, but in areas where the cattle run freely through the pastures, the deer and cows seem to get along.