Will Deer Avoid a Dead Deer?
Filed under: Ask Grant, Hunting Tactics
Dr. Grant, Will the presence of a dead deer in a hunting area – specifically one used for bow hunting – have an impact on other deer using that area for travel or feeding? A deer that was shot and not recovered during the rifle season was discovered within 100 yards of my stand and I am concerned that it may deter other deer from entering the area. What do you think? Sincerely, Bryan
Bryan,
I had a research project for 11 years in South Carolina. Briefly, we shot as many does as we could and only mature bucks from October 15th through January 1st (legal in South Carolina). We kept detailed records of what was seen, harvested, stand location, etc. About 25% of the mature bucks that were harvested were shot out of the same stand and during the same hunt as when a doe had already been shot and left laying where she died (until the end of that hunt).
Deer die from natural causes all the time. I doubt deer view death as humans do. I doubt deer will avoid another deer’s carcass. In fact, I’ve harvested many deer within close range of a gut pit (where the remains of deer were placed after all meat and samples were removed) at the same project described above. After placing the remains of literally 100’s of deer in that area for scavengers to consume (it was a scary place at night), it remained a good stand to observe and harvest deer for more than a decade.
I’m much more concerned about human scent and disturbance than I am about the disturbance of a deer carcass in a hunting area.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
