Just missed him/camera check

[BigAl]

Check out this sequence. Went to check a couple of cameras. Checked one on a field first. Then moved 100 yards into the woods to check another. Looks like I bumped some deer. Pics 1,2, and 3 were one minute apart from pic 4, which was me checking the camera.

 

[cbhunter]

Back of his legs are stained up like crazy

 

[TheLBLman]

Al, I'd bet those were bedded near your cam.

 

[RUGER]

Dang.

 

[DeerCamp]

I wonder if he was running from you!?

 

[backyardtndeer]

Have had that happen a time or two before. Think what's worse is when you get pics of a target buck on your camera on a day you had planned on being in a stand where you would have seen him, but for whatever reason something came up that prevented you from being able to go.

 

[BSK]

Have had that happen a time or two before. Think what's worse is when you get pics of a target buck on your camera on a day you had planned on being in a stand where you would have seen him, but for whatever reason something came up that prevented you from being able to go.

Been there, done that, a BUNCH of times!

 

[BSK]

Because I'm using only video these days, I was a tad shocked at how often I've got deer milling about in front of the camera, then all heads come up and they stare off in one direction, and then they quickly move off. Next video is me pulling up on my ATV 4 minutes later! They can hear me coming quite a ways off.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Because I'm using only video these days, I was a tad shocked at how often I've got deer milling about in front of the camera, then all heads come up and they stare off in one direction, and then they quickly move off. Next video is me pulling up on my ATV 4 minutes later! They can hear me coming quite a ways off.

The difference in deer from place to place is interesting. Especially in the afternoons, we will do 4 wheeler pick ups at the stand when we have deer in the field, to avoid cluing them in to our presence at the stand when climbing down. Too many times to count when my wife has come to pick me up, I watch deer watching the headlights from our 4 wheeler as she gets closer and closer. More often than not, they do not leave until they physically see the bike. There is a deep wooded gully between the field or house sits on and the stand we most frequently get stuck in, that has the deer sometimes less than 50 yards away before they leave.

Reminds me of one occasion where I had a young buck bed down about thirty yards in front of me. She rode up within less than 10 yards of him before he trotted off. He was waiting on the field side of a trail that does were using to come into my beans. Think around here deer are not as wary of ATVs so long as they are moving.

 

[TheLBLman]

They can hear me coming quite a ways off.

Much farther than most seem to think, too!

I know your deer are somewhat "conditioned" to your ATV sounds, and not badly spooked, but deer are generally more "alert" to anything out of their daily ordinary than most hunters seem to think.

It's not just their keen sense of smell either!

They a have a very keen ability to distinguish sounds,
as well as very keen ability to pick up on certain movements from great distances.

Many hunters seem to totally overlook deer's abilities to "hear" parking vehicles, the click of door, a human walking, etc. Also, a real cold morning hunt killer: The metallic "pop" of a metal ladder stand.

Sometimes it seems many hunters are so focused on scent control,
they totally overlook sight & sound.

 

[BSK]

The crazy thing is, those deer that run away from the approaching ATV are back "doing their thing" within minutes after I leave. They run away from the ATV as it approaches, then go back to normal right after it leaves.

 

[BigAl]

So maybe I should be thinking all of those recreational ATV riders in our area for conditioning the deer to the sounds of our ATV's?
Nah.

 

[BSK]

So maybe I should be thinking all of those recreational ATV riders in our area for conditioning the deer to the sounds of our ATV's?
Nah.

The interesting thing is deer can tell the difference in sound between different vehicles. I've conditioned the local deer to the sound of my ATV. They run from it but ignore it once it has passed. Yet the UTV we use to get people to their stands is another story. They see that vehicle as a threat because it's almost always associated with human hunters.

 

[BigAl]

The interesting thing is deer can tell the difference in sound between different vehicles. I've conditioned the local deer to the sound of my ATV. They run from it but ignore it once it has passed. Yet the UTV we use to get people to their stands is another story. They see that vehicle as a threat because it's almost always associated with human hunters.

Now if you could just do that with trains.

 

[UCStandSitter]

Trailcams are certainly fun and I have several out but, they usually bring me more heartache than anything. My favorite is sitting in one stand and getting pics from a cam near another. Gotta love disappointment...

 

[BSK]

Now if you could just do that with trains.

NOW I'm conditioned to avoid trains, but it wasn't always that way!

 

[BSK]

Trailcams are certainly fun and I have several out but, they usually bring me more heartache than anything. My favorite is sitting in one stand and getting pics from a cam near another. Gotta love disappointment...

Early part of gun season (Thanksgiving week), hunters on my place weren't seeing much action. Seemed like the rut was totally over. Then I picked up trail-cam videos for that week. Shooter bucks everywhere during daylight! Just comes down to being in the right stand at the right time.

 

[UCStandSitter]

Early part of gun season (Thanksgiving week), hunters on my place weren't seeing much action. Seemed like the rut was totally over. Then I picked up trail-cam videos for that week. Shooter bucks everywhere during daylight! Just comes down to being in the right stand at the right time.

I think it'd be easier not to know!

 

[BSK]

I think it'd be easier not to know!

Certainly less humbling!