What busts more hunters?

[fairchaser]

There is a tremendous amount of discussion on scent and beating a deer's nose. But, I bet as many hunters get busted on stand from movement. I know I can hardly sit still and move my head continuously. I think deer may smell something first and then see your head moving. What do you think?

 

[Urban_Hunter]

I know a lot of people get busted trying to get into position for the shot... especially in bow season. It is hard to get them in there within 35 yards or so and then worst case have to grab your bow, stand up, get turned, range it, draw, and release without something going wrong. Usually I get busted by having too many deer around at once... so one is always looking around.

 

[infoman jr.]

In a lot of situations, a deer can smell a lot farther than it can see. I'm going with scent. You can always quit moving; you can't suddenly stop emitting odor.

 

[barkscaler]

In a lot of situations, a deer can smell a lot farther than it can see. I'm going with scent. You can always quit moving; you can't suddenly stop emitting odor.

x2

 

[oldmanelrod]

Scent. How many deer scent us and we never see them.

 

[Dbllunger]

A deer's nose reigns supreme. It can't be beat if the deer is downwind of you. You can easily fool a deer's vision. Complex camo isn't required, just sit still.

 

[deerhunter10]

scent gets most people. then its movement but its because a lot of hunters don't think ahead when they put tree stands up. when they put it up in the summer the canopy is thick then its gone when they hunt it and they put stands right on field edges and just don't pick a good tree with enough cover to cover them. I think that's the second biggest thing that gets people busted.

 

[BHC]

I think when it comes to deer smelling you it's how many do u not see, as opposed to how many you do. Generally I don't have deer spot me until they're within bow range. So to me scent is a bigger player. It's what gets them close enough, and once they are hopefully I'm being still and I'm ready...

 

[KENBOB10]

Scent. How many deer scent us and we never see them.

Yep. Sometimes they will start blowing and run off and you will never see them. And run everything else off within hearing.

 

[RUGER]

Yep scent is the number one killer of hunts.

 

[WRbowhunter]

Agree Scent is number 1 and you try to minimize it but its aways there. But taking Scent out the question it is tough sometimes not getting busted bowhunting. I'm not sure why but I get busted more in early bow season with the leaves on the trees than I do in the winter when I'm pretty much up a tree with no cover. And I bow hunt the entire year. Just odd. Sometimes I'm sitting with no intention of moving or shooting. They spot me in a tree and then they bust out. But you just have to learn to draw back when their head is behind a tree or looking away.And if they do spot you never ever fall for the lowering the head down like they are going to feed trick. they are good at that head bob.

 

[bowriter]

Scent by far. For many deer it takes confirmation of two senses. But with scent,no confirmation is needed. However, when hunting urban or suburban deer, movement is the big killer,.

 

[TNReb]

I've seen more deer bust me for movement. However.. I probably don't see the ones that catch my scent and just avoid me.

When I see a deer coming my way from 50 yards out... it's not a problem to stand up, grab the bow, and be ready. But when one suddenly appears 20 yards away, it's tough.

 

[woodsman87]

I would say scent by far, then sight, then noise.

But I give a story on their sight and how I think it is overlooked. Opening day of Muzzle a few years ago I was in my stand. A doe ran past me on the hardwood ridge that I was on, and I immediately prepped for a buck to follow. I was glassing the woods when probably, 100 yards through hardwoods a nice buck was staring right into my binoculars eyes. I was about two thirds of the way up the ridge and 20-25 foot up in the tree with wind in my favor. The buck didn't run away, he just looked at me for a few seconds through the binoculars and turned and went the other way.
After that happened I realized I needed to be more still. I wasn't up there with just "chronic moveness" either. I was simply scanning the woods with my eyes and binoculars, moving my head in that direction, and gettin the gun ready to shoot the buck that I knew was following that doe.

Just a story on their eye sight. Nose is still number 1 though.

 

[catman529]

the #1 reason I get busted is because I shoot an arrow into the deer

I wish

 

[TheLBLman]

Not to take anything away from scent & sight "busting" many hunters, I think many hunters totally overlook the value of being "quiet" and not making unnatural sounds when going & coming from stand locations.

In particular, many hunters fail to recognize just how far sound, particularly unnatural sounds like truck doors clicking, keys jingling, the "beep" of a vehicle remote, etc. ---- typically travels in the still morning air. Not only do many hunters make too much noise, but they park too close to where they plan to take a stand.

What's more, they also greatly reduce the value of subsequent hunts at that same stand location when they make even more noise upon their exits.

In many cases, deer are able to hear much farther than they can either smell or see a hunter. And it may be that unnatural sounds "bust" more hunters than either scent or sight.

 

[plinker22]

I hope smell, sight or hearing are not my downfall this Saturday.

 

[BSK]

In a lot of situations, a deer can smell a lot farther than it can see. I'm going with scent. You can always quit moving; you can't suddenly stop emitting odor.

x2

X3

 

[Mike Belt]

Another vote here for a deer's nose being their number 1 defense, particularly a downwind deer. Movement might run a close second on deer upwind of your position especially if you spend much time peering around the backside of your set up.

My most memorable bow hunt and kill came from killing a doe. I had 18 does and fawns anywhere from touching the base of my tree to 40 yards out and still managed to stand, turn, draw, and shoot a doe in the middle of the group. That was a bunch of eyes, ears, and noses to get past.

 

[Boone 58]

Smell! I have watched deer come in and cross my trail and act up, or smell the limb I brushed against and act up, smell!!! I always check the prevailing wind direction and hunt accordingly!!!! do not think you can fool a deers nose, but I fool them by sight all the time. Put your gun or your bow in front of your face when they look at you and you will beat them the largest percent of the time, even used that method to take my first turkey, the bow with the quiver attached will absolutely break your outline and your "eyes".............this is an awesome way to beat them.

 

[TheLBLman]

However, the deer that hear you coming, they don't need to smell you or see you. And the hunter may never know they were there.

 

[280longshot]

The number of deer that hear you start that 4-wheeler in the morning, well we all may be suprised!!!!

The reason I say that::
One morning I arrived in my stand very early, sat down to relax and heard this noise of deer running my way, then all of a sudden I hear this 4-wheeler coming my way.!!
Yep deer hear that sound before you even get to your stand!!

Once you get to your stand, I would say smell>>>>

Where would you go if you were being hunted?? Remember a deer can hear and smell 10x times better.

Heck the odds of seeing a deer are very dim with all those factors.

But with the Rut its a different Story: Hey I know what all you guys would do if you all were in the Rut!! Ha Ha. The same as that deer would do, follow your nose! Well maybe not,at least your eyes>>>>>>

 

[barkscaler]

The number of deer that hear you start that 4-wheeler in the morning, well we all may be suprised!!!!

The reason I say that::
One morning I arrived in my stand very early, sat down to relax and heard this noise of deer running my way, then all of a sudden I hear this 4-wheeler coming my way.!!
Yep deer hear that sound before you even get to your stand!!

Once you get to your stand, I would say smell>>>>

Where would you go if you were being hunted?? Remember a deer can hear and smell 10x times better.

Heck the odds of seeing a deer are very dim with all those factors.

But with the Rut its a different Story: Hey I know what all you guys would do if you all were in the Rut!! Ha Ha. The same as that deer would do, follow your nose! Well maybe not,at least your eyes>>>>>>

If you could find a companion with your nose,I think I'd leave it alone!

 

[BSK]

Remember a deer can hear and smell 10x times better.

Actually, a deer's hearing is only slightly better than ours. However, they are far more attuned to what they are hearing than we are, plus there ability to decipher which way a sound is coming from is much better than ours.


In my opinion, the easiest sense of a deer to fool is hearing. Second is eyesight, and third is their nose (which is almost impossible to fool).

 

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

The number of deer that hear you start that 4-wheeler in the morning, well we all may be suprised!!!!

The reason I say that::
One morning I arrived in my stand very early, sat down to relax and heard this noise of deer running my way, then all of a sudden I hear this 4-wheeler coming my way.!!
Yep deer hear that sound before you even get to your stand!!

I had the same thing happen to me. I got on stand early and right before first light a four-wheeler can along the ridge above me. Deer were bolting all over the place and the rider had no earthly idea.

 

[fairchaser]

In wide open spaces which are previlent in the midwest, deer often use their eyes more than their nose or sense of smell. I had a doe stand on a terrace half a mile away and stomp her foot at me in Iowa. Just like us, they key on movement rather than making out an outline of a human. A blob up in a tree also doesn't look natural to a deer and they will stare at it until they can make it move. Hard to tell if they smell something or not but often they will move down wind if possible to smell whatever is making them curious. Mature bucks on the other hand don't screw around, they are simply gone ususally with a tree between you and them.

 

[Mike Belt]

I don't know if the deer are staring at a blob in the tree or just looking in that direction. It sure looks like they're looking you right in the eyes though.

I've seen deer run in front of ATV's on more than one occasion. By being in your stand before most guys are leaving camp and in particular when there's only 1 road in or out, I've had deer run up under my stand well ahead of them running from the sound of them coming. I did have a great buck that I could just make out the antlers standing dead under me one morning but he just wouldn't stick close enough until legal shooting light.

 

[BSK]

I've worked on some Deep South hunting clubs where hunters drive their ATVs right up to their shooting houses overlooking food plots. Some of these houses even have parking spots for an ATV underneath. I've been watching deer feeding casually in a plot when someone starts up an ATV back at camp more than a mile away. Every deer in the plot bolts.

On the other hand, in areas where hunters do not hunt from ATVs, I've seen deer completely ignore an ATV, even allowing them to drive past fairly close.

It all comes down to what deer learn to associate with danger. If ATVs and being hunted go hand in hand, deer learn to fear ATVs. If ATVs are never associated with being hunted, deer ignore them just like they learn to ignore a farmer's tractor.

 

[deerhunter10]

at our farms we can ride right up to deer on a four wheeler the only time we use them is to drag a few deer out a year and during the summer. so they don't feel it as a threat. on the other hand I have been to farms and hunted with people that literally park the four wheeler against the trees that they are hunting. and their hunting suffers it seems. I like to walk around farms so it doesn't both me to walk it sure is nice to have when pulling on out though.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Not to take anything away from scent & sight "busting" many hunters, I think many hunters totally overlook the value of being "quiet" and not making unnatural sounds when going & coming from stand locations.

In particular, many hunters fail to recognize just how far sound, particularly unnatural sounds like truck doors clicking, keys jingling, the "beep" of a vehicle remote, etc. ---- typically travels in the still morning air. Not only do many hunters make too much noise, but they park too close to where they plan to take a stand.

What's more, they also greatly reduce the value of subsequent hunts at that same stand location when they make even more noise upon their exits.

In many cases, deer are able to hear much farther than they can either smell or see a hunter. And it may be that unnatural sounds "bust" more hunters than either scent or sight.

I agree Wes. I would also add Velcro and also the clinging of a stand. I have changed all my gear around where I will not buy anything with Velcro. Everything is soft and quiet