Feeder scare off buck...?
 

A buddy and I were out hunting last week and my buddy was sitting in one of my stands and he said a 8 point buck came up to the feeder just before the sun started comming up and started eating on some of the corn that was directly underneath the feeder from the previous throw. The sun then tripped the feeder to throw while the buck was directly underneath the feeder, causing the buck to take off running about 150 to 200 yards into an open field. The buck then stopped, looked back at the feeder and continued off into some thicker woods. My buddy said he tried to grunt call at the buck to see if he would respond and come back, but did not.

My question is, will the feeder scare the buck off, potentially for good? I have seen where a deer is somewhat in the area and the feeder goes off, they then come running in to start eating, but since this buck was "spooked" while under the feeder, what are the chances of him coming back within a weeks time?

RE: Feeder scare off buck...?
 

No it wont scare him off.
there is almost always several deer under my feeders in the morning when it goes off.
it always spooks them and they run, and Most of the time they come right back in 5 minutes or less.
Sometimes they dont, but even the ones that dont come right back, will always be back another day.
it just happened that that particular day, you 8point buck just wasnt in the mood to go back.
SPOOKING a Deer, rarely scares them away for ever.

Examples: Shooting at, and missing a Deer... just to have that same deer come back 1 hour later to give you a second shot.
i have had this happen a few times.
Or.. when there is 5 or 6 deer out there, and you shoot and kill 1.. and the others go crashing through the brush.
Most of the time, all those same deer are back under that same feeder within 24 eating, like nothing ever happened.
of course this may change by LATE SEASON if this happens "several" times.
usually they keep coming back, they just stare in your direction longer and act a more skiddish.

RE: Feeder scare off buck...?
 

Agreed, he'll be back.They'll sell their souls for corn.

RE: Feeder scare off buck...?
 

I figured that there shouldn't be a problem...but there was that small little thought in the back of my mind haunting me:)....

RE: Feeder scare off buck...?
 

That happened to a freind of mine last year....i wouldnt worry about it

RE: Feeder scare off buck...?
 

Agreed, feeder won't scare them off permanantely. He is a slave to his stomach and will be back. Same goes for flash type trail cameras at feed sites, they get used to it after a while. It never fails that every week whenI pull the pics from the camera at my feed site, there are severalpics of the deer looking up at the feeder 20 ft above them. They know the deal. After a while, the sound of the feeder going off will be a dinner bell and they'll come in like clockwork. Pavlov's theory in proof.

RE: Feeder scare off buck...?
 

more than likely he was "new" to the area. i think if the deer have never heard or seen the feeder in action before, they will be spooked. however, once they see what is happening, the noise of the feeder will be like a dinner bell.

RE: Feeder scare off buck...?
 

ya he wont be scared off for long matter of fact deer wait for the feeder to go off

RE: Feeder scare off buck...?
 

WOW.. finally a post where We ALL AGREE !!!! :)