RE: Gut piles
 

The largest deer taken off our place last year was shot at our gut pit. Nice 12 point.

RE: Gut piles
 

If it's an area you are going to continue to hunt over, maybe you can pull it a short way in the valley at least out of your main shooting lane if that's a factor.

But with regards to gut piles, where we hunt in the UP of Michigan, gut piles tend to disappear very quickly. Last year a shot a doe around 10 in the morning and gutted her where she laid then dragged her out. When I came back out around 2:30 or so that afternoon I went back to get my arrow that I had left. Between the birds and coyotes everything was basically gone. I did see one coyote come back around 4 or so from my treestand, but still had a spike or forkhorn come in shortly after that. Deer didn't seem to care at all.