How much disturbance will deer tolerate before they stop using an area?
Filed under: Hunting Tactics
i have a small piece of property. 15 acres total. This is my first year hunting. I sat last season a number of times just watching the deer and looking at trail camera pictures. I have two young bucks, About 2.5 years old, that don’t show much potential but I want to let them mature anyway. Just tonight, I got in my stand when we finally got a break from rain due to this storm of the coast. It had been raining 72 hours straight prior to this, so I knew I would see deer. Both of my young bucks came out. One circled me and stayed within 20 yards and ate from the plot and not long after he left the other buck came straight in. He looked up and spott s me in my tree, he turned around and slowly made his way away from the plot. I thought my hunt was over but 10 minutes after that an older buck came in that’s I had never seen. Not long after being in the plot he also spotted me, he didn’t run off but slowly turned around and made his way out of the plot. My question is when would it be safe to hunt this plot again? Being such a small piece of land I don’t have many options to move my stand around. Thank you sir!
Johathan,
Wow – that sounds like an enjoyable hunt!
None of the bucks responded in a way that indicates they will avoid the plot. Unless a better food source becomes available within their home range I suspect they will return. I’d wait until the wind direction is favorable for your stand and hunt the plot again. I would use camo on your hands and face. These parts tend to move the most and are often detected by deer. I’d be prepared. These bucks, especially the more mature buck, won’t tolerate too many encounters with humans before he stops using the plot during daylight hours.
Enjoy creation and let me know how your next hunt goes!
grant
