I have been wondering about a deers psyche. I missed one with the bow last week...and am wondering how long they can remember things, or how tuned their memory is. I looked on the net and couldn't find any sites about it.

Links to scientific studies or testimonials of deer...and their memory, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help.

Bump...

Is there nothing? Or...just no replies...lol...

I missed a doe opening day and she was back in 30-ish minutes. I think it all depends on the severity of the memory. If they feel a woosh and hear a thump behind them it might spook them less than getting their briscut shaved by a broadhead. The latter may cause them to stay away longer.

I'm no expert though... [8D]

I read somewhere that they forget what scared them after like 30 seconds. By the time they stop running and turn around and look, they already forgot why they were running. I was huntin with my cousin last weekend, and he shot at a doe and it missed over top of her, and she took off, ran about 70 yards and turned around and started walking back towards him, he got another shot at her, and killed her, after about 150 yard run.

IMO it depends on how bad they were spooked. I think their memories are better than we tend to give them credit for. If they hear a noise that jumps them, but aren't sure what it was, then they aren't going to react to it the same way as they would a near death experience. The latter likely sticks in their memories for life, while the former is likely forgotten within a short time. If you hear a loud noise near your home, but find no threat afterwards, are you going to think much of it? On the other hand, if you hear a loud noise, and then get hurt and start bleeding..........

If a deer smells a human, it is not considered a threat until a deer has learned to recognize it as such. Usually the doe will teach the fawn which smells represent danger, and therefore the necessary skills for survival are passed on. In an area where humans represent no threat, the deer will not associate human odor with danger.

FroMan - You say you missed one with the bow. There are so many factors involved that it's impossible to determine, but if it was a clean miss and the deer wasn't a particularly old and educated buck, my guess is you have a good chance on seeing it again.

Just my humble opinion!

They may not remember what, but they darn sure remember a bad expirience, where it happened and where it came from.

They can't count though.

from what i have read the only reason a deer will come back your way after shooting at it is because they dont know what it was that scared them there curious.I have read they have a photographic memory as in they know there home very well and getting spooked they keep in mind from 24 to 48 hours from what i have read.I suppose it just depends on how bad they were spooked if they winded you or saw you.

Like me i hope they all have C.R.S. (Can't Remember Sh$T)[8D]

haha right on

Deer like any animal, learns from experiences they go through. They began to associate danger with certain smells, sounds and sightings. Obviously every deer on the earth has different experiences and thus has associated different stimuli with danger.

A deer that associates being shot at by a bow with great danger will definatley remember where he encountered that danger and probably steer clear until he feels comfortable again. On the other hand if the deer you shot and missed has little to no experience with being shot at and hasn't associated it with immediate and life threatening danger, they may return soon.

Good Luck,

Troy