Hunting in vicinity of fresh gut pile?
11-27-2009, 07:42 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Horse Country, VA
Posts: 937
Hunting in vicinity of fresh gut pile?
Thursday I had the pleasure of harvesting a large doe, to lighten the load ( almost 3/4 mile ) drag I field dressed her there at the spot of the kill. I plan on returning to the same spot in the morning, would it most likely be eaten up, or would it deter any other deer in the area?
11-27-2009, 08:06 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,304
The actual gut pile will be a curiosity as well as alarming to deer because they encounter similar events in their line of travels; just may not be a deer. What will alarm them is your odor, the sounds and other disturbances you left behind after the event. Most gut piles around here don't last more than 48 hours and if they do, it's because it's in thicker brush where it's location is out of view from ravens, crows, vultures and eagles. Once your predators like fisher, bobcat, fox, coyote and timberwolves find it, then carcass will be dragged from the location until it starts getting pulled apart section by section.
I've shot several deer like you have and done the same thing, except my haul wasn't as long and have killed deer within 75 yards of the gut pile or where it was... all within 24 to 72 hours later.
The mature bucks are a different story. LOL! They don't tolerate near as much as does will, so hopefully if one encounters that spot, it won't be scared off far enough where he won't be killed at that location.
The big thing I don't like about gut piles that are hidden from view of the feathered creatures, is that the carcass lasts longer until the coyotes find them... then you have coyotes in the area and you don't want any more than there already are in that spot. They'll spook deer from that spot until the carcass is gone, but coyotes and fox have a tendency to come back and visit that spots for up to several months later if there's enough lingering odors and bits of scraps left somewhere near.
Oh, I'm also tired right now. I re-read what I just typed above and realized I was also thinking of the carcass, rather than just a plain gut pile. LOL! Sorry my bad, but you get what you paid for. LOL!
If you plan to hunt an area again, but want to gut it there, it's best to gut it in the open so the feathered predators find it faster.
iSnipe
I've shot several deer like you have and done the same thing, except my haul wasn't as long and have killed deer within 75 yards of the gut pile or where it was... all within 24 to 72 hours later.
The mature bucks are a different story. LOL! They don't tolerate near as much as does will, so hopefully if one encounters that spot, it won't be scared off far enough where he won't be killed at that location.
The big thing I don't like about gut piles that are hidden from view of the feathered creatures, is that the carcass lasts longer until the coyotes find them... then you have coyotes in the area and you don't want any more than there already are in that spot. They'll spook deer from that spot until the carcass is gone, but coyotes and fox have a tendency to come back and visit that spots for up to several months later if there's enough lingering odors and bits of scraps left somewhere near.
Oh, I'm also tired right now. I re-read what I just typed above and realized I was also thinking of the carcass, rather than just a plain gut pile. LOL! Sorry my bad, but you get what you paid for. LOL!
If you plan to hunt an area again, but want to gut it there, it's best to gut it in the open so the feathered predators find it faster.
iSnipe
11-27-2009, 10:40 PM
#3
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,605
I never found it to matter. I have had deer walk up to a gut pile, sniff it then continue along their feeding routine. A carcass will attract predators though and that often keeps deer away.
Last edited by Champlain Islander; 11-27-2009 at 10:43 PM.
11-28-2009, 03:07 AM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 103
11-28-2009, 04:58 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,304
The actual gut pile will be a curiosity as well as alarming to deer because they encounter similar events in their line of travels; just may not be a deer. What will alarm them is your odor, the sounds and other disturbances you left behind after the event. Most gut piles around here don't last more than 48 hours and if they do, it's because it's in thicker brush where it's location is out of view from ravens, crows, vultures and eagles. Once your predators like fisher, bobcat, fox, coyote and timberwolves find it, then carcass will be dragged from the location until it starts getting pulled apart section by section.
I've shot several deer like you have and done the same thing, except my haul wasn't as long and have killed deer within 75 yards of the gut pile or where it was... all within 24 to 72 hours later.
The mature bucks are a different story. LOL! They don't tolerate near as much as does will, so hopefully if one encounters that spot, it won't be scared off far enough where he won't be killed at that location.
The big thing I don't like about gut piles that are hidden from view of the feathered creatures, is that the carcass lasts longer until the coyotes find them... then you have coyotes in the area and you don't want any more than there already are in that spot. They'll spook deer from that spot until the carcass is gone, but coyotes and fox have a tendency to come back and visit that spots for up to several months later if there's enough lingering odors and bits of scraps left somewhere near.
Oh, I'm also tired right now. I re-read what I just typed above and realized I was also thinking of the carcass, rather than just a plain gut pile. LOL! Sorry my bad, but you get what you paid for. LOL!
If you plan to hunt an area again, but want to gut it there, it's best to gut it in the open so the feathered predators find it faster.
iSnipe
I've shot several deer like you have and done the same thing, except my haul wasn't as long and have killed deer within 75 yards of the gut pile or where it was... all within 24 to 72 hours later.
The mature bucks are a different story. LOL! They don't tolerate near as much as does will, so hopefully if one encounters that spot, it won't be scared off far enough where he won't be killed at that location.
The big thing I don't like about gut piles that are hidden from view of the feathered creatures, is that the carcass lasts longer until the coyotes find them... then you have coyotes in the area and you don't want any more than there already are in that spot. They'll spook deer from that spot until the carcass is gone, but coyotes and fox have a tendency to come back and visit that spots for up to several months later if there's enough lingering odors and bits of scraps left somewhere near.
Oh, I'm also tired right now. I re-read what I just typed above and realized I was also thinking of the carcass, rather than just a plain gut pile. LOL! Sorry my bad, but you get what you paid for. LOL!
If you plan to hunt an area again, but want to gut it there, it's best to gut it in the open so the feathered predators find it faster.
iSnipe
11-28-2009, 07:40 AM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 155
I have found that deer will spook from a gut pile for up too a week after the kill .. i usually drag my deer a long ways from my stand before i dress him out ... my buds think im over cautious... but i kill more deer than them ..
11-28-2009, 11:30 AM
#9
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio (Buckeye= Big Bucks)
Posts: 333
Here in Ohio I have found that other deer are curious more than anything. I have realized that that they are curious, they will smell it and then continue on with whatever they had originally planned on doing without alarm. I have seen them smell it, then look a bit cautious, but then keep walking. They realize that at one point there was another deer there, the one you killed, but don't understand what the gut pile is from. So they then continue doing what they are doing. But everywhere you hunt you might see something different or get different reactions.