How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

...after Opening Day.

I know this answer depends somewhat on where you hunt and how much hunting pressure there is. I am also referring to M/L/rifle/shotgun only, not bow

Where I hunt in New England (Maine/NH) it seems the deer have gotten the message after the 2nd day of the hunting season. After Opening Day and the following day, the deer seem to be much more on alert when I see them from my treestand. I would also say there is moderate to lighthunting pressure where I hunt. Of course the deer sighting seem to decrease and the hunting days increase.

Have you found this to be true in your area?

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart"?
 

in IL gun season i think it has alot to do with each particular deer, meaning the ones shot at, vs. not.

sometimes i'll see a steep decline in activity, and other times i'll see some of the most pecular movement. i guess that is what makes it fun.


not trying to brag, but in the last few years my gun seasons haven't even made it a full day, so i don't think about it that much

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

Before opening day the woods are void of people.
After opening day theres more people getting in the woods and the deer know it.

It seems like that here in NC to.

As deer season progress the deer start coming out at night more.



These Deer are really smart LoL

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

I declare them "smart" the first time one spots me in the tree or winds me.[&:]

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

About 2 hours into the opener.

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

Just a few days at the beginning of the season, but when the does start in estrus they get a little bit dumber......:)

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

Only a couple hours into opening day, on opening day all you hear is shot after shot duing gun season. SO it doesnt take long.

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

They can become edumecated pretty quick when WW 3 starts up. However, at the first sign of any wising up to my operations, deer can quickly succumb to a good dose of .....
................................................. LEAD POISIONING!

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

Well in FL. the archery season opens first, so the deer are off thier normal
routine by the time ML starts and then the General Season starts. So the
hunters in Modern GunSeason don't really have much on pre-season scouting.
All they hope to find is fresh tracks on the sides of the road showing in what
direction they are going and where they have entered. I usally start looking
for tracks 2 days before Modern Season opens in the area I am going to hunt.

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

Even in archery I think the deer get smart almost instantly after being pressured. One day of alot of guys running around the woods is typically enough for deer to find greener pastures in my neck of the woods.

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

Deer wise up pretty fast. Stroll across a bucks bedding are and he won't use it again for a long time. Let him spot or sniff you on stand and you can forget about that spot for a week or two. But some deer are more forgiving than others, farmland deer in particular are used to people. Some of them will only be spooked for a day while others will go on with what they were doing just moments after you leave.
Now those truelly smart deer that grow big and live long only do so after about 4 seasons. I've seen the same young deer year after year get away with stupid acts only because I wanted to give him another year to grow a bettter set of antlers. At 4 or 5 years when he's got a decent rack on him, bam, he's a ghost. The most I'll see of him after that is a quick distant glance at a great deer as he quietly gets away without giving me a shot. I can think of 2 specific deer like that but one in particular. As a spike he was a comedian, for two years after that he was reckless, by his 4th he was good but by his 5th year this deer was an expert at evasion.

RE: How long does it take for your deer to "get smart....."?
 

Im told that alot of those old monster bucks have been wise...How do you think they got to be old???? Some old big boys dont even participate in the rut..Thats what I said ...they sit it out .. They know what is going to happen. Youre apt to find a bruiser far away from the does and looking for that all important food source.bedding in the deepest , thickest stuff you can find or right behind you house, near the highway. near an old abandoned farm outbuilding ."".backyard deer ""