Simp

I think that if the deer are accustomed to hearing them then they don't spook at all. I hunt where some people ride their ATV's and I've seen several deer simply hop off a few yards from the trail until the ATV is gone, then go back feeding or browsing.

superstrutter

Well, I for one am not taking a chance. I walk to all of my stands. Riding an atv in the morning to your stand has to alert some deer. I know some of you say it doesn't bother them, but how many deer are alerted that you don't know about? I believe some deer get accustomed to the sound of an atv while others associate it with danger. Just not worth the risk in my opinion.

MichiganWhitetails74

Where I'm at ATV's spook deer but farming equipment and tractors don't.

.243win

naw they dont spook um i park my 4wheeler under my stand and have had deer with in 5 yards stand there look at it and keep feeding but at this place there is someone there 2-4 times a week checking the cows so there used to vehcles

.243win

TPhunter

ATV's do affect deer movement...We had anew neighbor move in next to a patch of woods onour property about8 years ago...The first fewyears they were there their son rode his 4 wheeler all over their property another neighboring pieceand ours until we caught him...For years before they moved inI had killed bucks in those woods with no problems...The first yearwith that kid tearing around with that 4 wheelerI found absolutely no deer sign in those woods...I sat in my stand the first weekand never saw a deer...the second week of the season I moved my standto the back of our property away from where that kid was ridinghis 4 wheelerand it was like someone had opened a flood gate...there were deer everywhere...infact I killed a dandy 7 point that very weekend...The kid is grown now and no longer rides his 4 wheeler all over the danged place and after 3 yearsthe deer are just now beginning to use those woods again...so yeah ATV's do bother deer.

JagMagMan

I had a stand on an old logging road once, one of the other hunters hunting past me was notoriously late! He would come flying down the trail at almost 8:00 AM. He'd wake me up just in time to see deer from 8:05 to 8:30!
That said, the less traffic you can have the better your chances! So, I don't take the risk of spooking them by needless riding.

Kosherboy

Heck I drive my Atv right to the stand and leave it right below me and killed many deer.
I use a camo cover for it.

stretch56

I farmed for a lot of years we used a dirt bike & tractors to check fences and cows the deeronly seem to spook if youstopped & got off the bike or tractor.

JimPic

I believe they get conditioned to them and alter their routes because of them.When I'm hunting at my cabin,I'll watch deer coming across an oak flat.When they hit a certain spot,they ALWAYS look across the road to where another cabin is across from mine.These guys are always on their atv's.When they see it's ok over there,they'll continue on their way.Two years ago I was talking to them and they said they didn't see any deer(all the while their kids were running 4 wheelers all over the place).I told them I saw 22 buck that season on my property.They couldn't figure it out

buck_hunter_87

i farmed for some time and deer never were bothered by the big equipment and there are some stories of farmers chewing deer up in the head of the combine