Thoughts?

[wooly]

Few questions to kick some opinions around.....I have formed my own on all of these already but curious what the rest of you believe.

1- Do deer sleep? If so when?

2- Will deer remains ex.(gutpiles, winterkills, unrecovered deer, micellanious parts) left in the woods alter whitetail patterns and behaivior in that area? Basicaly, will it ruin future hunts in close proximity to that area?

3- Do deer associate the sight of human footprints in the snow as being human and thus a threat, or are they just another set of random tracks to them? (barring any obvious threatening scent left behind)

[Doewhacker]

1. Yes, randomly through out the day..like cat naps. (seen it this year)

2. Yes and no..haha maybe for that day but that would most likely be due to human scent being there too.

3. Footprints? Just another set to them, has any one noticed deer tracks in their tracks from the day before?

[ANTLERS]

As for number 3,I've walked out at the end of a day and had a deer print in my print that I left that morning,walking in.

[Geno C]

1 - I think they seldom sleep and when they do its not for too long...

2 - i do not think deer remains or dead deer in the woods alter deer habits and will not ruin furture hunts. ive hunted near gut piles and so on an had deer walk right by. i also killed deer yards from gutpiles...

3 - i do not think deer associate human tracks as a threat but as an easier means for themselves to move throughout the woods. deer are simple creature and use the path of least reistance, they will walk right in your tracks without a problem. i think there would be more cases where they do not care about human tracks then when they do care.

[phade]

When I see a push going on, on a farm I hunt...I'll watch from afar, let them do their thing, and then head into that woodlot about 30 minutes - 1 hour after they left. I specifically look for tracks within the human footprints.

Really shows you how many times deer will circle around, refusing to leave a small woodlot. Also a great way to hunt them...I either set up in a stand I have in that lot, or I slowly make my way to a funnel that they'll eventually pass through as the evening comes on.