billygoat Posted July 3, 2005 Report Share Posted July 3, 2005 Well, last night, and all of last week I have been "cutting" in 4 wheeler trails on the lease property that I have. As I said earlier it is 140 acres, and almost all timber with some swamp ground and some crop ground. Any ways... the good news is I was swimming in deer! I managed to see 5 does (no fawns guessing they had them bedded down somewhere) and a sweet buck (well outside his ears and tall... he also looked plenty heavy!!! ) So the question is... This early in the year, will ATV activity disturb or "educate" the deer, and does it hamper my likelyhood for success? It seems like the deer were more curious to the ATV than scared... I had 3 doe stand about 50 yards off, watch me climb off of the 4-wheeler, start the chainsaw, cut a tree, then get back on and drive away! They never moved??? And the buck I watched for a good 5 minutes as he fed in the bean field (about 200 yards away)? He was still feeding when I left! Let me know what you all think, but I guess I don't see it affecting deer movement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted July 3, 2005 Report Share Posted July 3, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? Don't know about your area, but vehicles like farm machinery, autos, and ATV's are just part of a deer's normal activity, and some ATV traffic this early won't bother them a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christsavedme Posted July 3, 2005 Report Share Posted July 3, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? I wouldn't think it would bother them this early....I know our herd is pretty much immune to them....they just stand there and look unless you get really close! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MossySNPR Posted July 3, 2005 Report Share Posted July 3, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? Like both Tom and CSM said, you will find steadily that deer become used to certain things like smell and noises. I once heard one of our hunting guru's say "The deer don't give a @$#! about anything but what makes them nervous, and they get nervous about human scents". Smoking on stand, going straight to the stand from the machinery you work at, riding around in trucks and 4 wheelers, using chainsaws, they don't generally care as long as there is common use of these things in a deer population. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
total disaster Posted July 3, 2005 Report Share Posted July 3, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? the more they hear your wheeler and you don't really scare them rather then just drivin around it could make your success better as they will get used to you ......gramp always got me to walk around the woods about a month before the season and drive the wheeler alot to the tree so they would get used to my scent and nosie of the wheeler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? [ QUOTE ] Don't know about your area, but vehicles like farm machinery, autos, and ATV's are just part of a deer's normal activity, and some ATV traffic this early won't bother them a bit. [/ QUOTE ] Probably the same around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTbowman Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? Ditto Tominators reply. I feel a steady activity of you in your woods, working, chain saw, ATV, etc. only can make deer more comfortable to these activities. Now walk in there quiet and stealthy and they will blow outa there like crazy.. They seem to know when you mean them harm and when your just going about your own business working in the woods.... A few summers ago I had 3 doe watching me drill out holes on a metal framed box stand one summer. Pick up truck parked right there too and my kid running around like crazy. They just fed on threw the field the box stand was in, not more then 60 yards away, and never paid us any mind. Until my kid went screaming to me about all the deer standing right there.. 3 months later I could not scratch my nose while being perfectly silent and still inside the blind without deer 100 yards away going nuts.. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddhunter Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? I've found that they pay alot less attention to vehicles than if you were walking. I started driving my truck down to check my camera and feeder instead of walking. If I saw deer when walking they would blow and scatter like a covey of quail. When driving in they would just walk off just into the timber and return after I'd left. I guess it's because they can hear you/it leave and know right where you/it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? Bet the does might have had fawns nearby if they just watched you and did not at least casually wander off. The deer around here dont seem to mind the 4 wheeler and tractor too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? They'll get use to it over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? As long as you or anyone else don't chase the deer with the ATV's. I have been riding right past deer on my trails. They have become like crows feeding on roadkill on the side of the road. The know the cars won't veer of the road. The deer know the ATV's are'nt coming off the trails. Turkey are different. They spook with the slightest sounds. In my exp. Oh yeah....Stay out of the bedding areas too! Keep those as sancturaries until the last hunts of the seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimT Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? Atvs are part of the norm in the deer woods here. I am sure they are used to them, and are not effected in the least bit. They may run off when one stops near them, but they do not go far usually... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? It sure doesn't sound like it bothered them at all. I wouldn't worry about it this far ahead of the season billygoat. You might want to be sneaky when it comes time to hunt though. It just depends on how much hunting pressure there is around the new lease you picked up. You probably won't know that until this fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? [ QUOTE ] It sure doesn't sound like it bothered them at all. I wouldn't worry about it this far ahead of the season billygoat. You might want to be sneaky when it comes time to hunt though. It just depends on how much hunting pressure there is around the new lease you picked up. You probably won't know that until this fall. [/ QUOTE ] Rhino took the words out of my mouth. He's right. I believe deer have two kinds of routes they use. The spring and summer route. Then the fall and winter route. Where I hunt the deer change their patterns a lot. Reasons are pressure or lack of food. I'd say you didn't change their routes. You might have freaked them out a little. But I'm sure they are back to their normal routes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigblueraptor Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? i have a motocross track ay my farm and i have a deer stand that overlooks the same field. never shot anything big from that stand but a lot of does. practice racing all day and go hunting that evening at the same spot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stsi36 Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? i dont think it will do anything i ride my quad to my stand and see plenty of deer every year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowhtr1 Posted July 7, 2005 Report Share Posted July 7, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? Way back when, we had a deer camp in Mississippi. We got to a point where we did not see many deer during the day. Lots of track just moving only at night. That is the time someone came up with something called a 125 3 wheeler. Within the next year all of us had one. We rode everywhere all day and late at night. We would load up the ice chest and head for the creek. you could ride this creek until your ran out of gas. Anyway we rode late into the night. We saw 10 times the deer during the day than before. The ony thing we could think was that they could not eat in the fields during the night so they had to eat sometime. We only had 175 acres that we leased and kill 24 deer that year. We still ride but not as much. We dont have the creek that we can go on anymore. We make sure to stop any riding during the day about an hour before we go to our stands. We see plenty of deer but still have the night time bunch that I just get pictures of. I may have to start riding more at night again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut_Buster Posted July 7, 2005 Report Share Posted July 7, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? I ride a quad.. not exactly to my stand but i leave it out of sight in some brush and walk a ways to my stand. I still see tons of deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MCDillinois Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? Sorry fellas but I am not an advocate of taking an atv in the woods or cutting trails, etc. I don't mean this to become an arguement at all but here goes. Perhaps there are exceptions to the rule but if you are serious about killing big bucks, they will not tollerate it. Not saying they will leave the property forever, but big bucks will know you are there and it will be impregnated in their brain. They will associate you with that atv and when hunting time comes around, if a big buck hears the atv, he will know what is on it. In my club, atv's are only permited in the woods when pulling deer out, pulling stands at the end of the season or using it when planting food plots. We try to keep our deer as stress free as possible, which in turn helps out in our hunting. After food plot work is done, ie, overseeding, spraying and clipping, WE STAY OUT, OUT, OUT!! Do what you will and perhaps you have so many deer you don't know what to do with them. But me personally, I will do everything in my power to try and provide the most stress free, safe environment for the deer on my property. And keep them on my ground as much as possible. I am talking about big, mature deer, not does and immature bucks. Ask Stan Potts, Don Kisky or any other proven trophy hunter if they drive their atv's through their farm this time of year? Somethings on your property you cannot control like tractors, surveryors etc. But this one, you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illinoisbowhunter Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? Welcome to the forums MCD, ive noticed your over at Primos as well... I definitely agree with you in trying to keep the stress to a minimum. I believe most of it has to do with your herd and how often they are/live around the action of ATV's and bikes. Around here in some spots alot of people ride quads and the deer seem to hang around fine like a norm in the deer woods. However, like MCD said a big buck is not going to tollerate ATV's and other bikes to stick around the area, especially when he knows that human is out to get him. I will pull deer out with the four wheeler and thats about all i do when i associate them with hunting. Using a 4 wheeler to get to your spots is not only loud but every time you drive it in your educating the deer on what your going about doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chicks_hunt_to Posted July 14, 2005 Report Share Posted July 14, 2005 Re: Fourwheelers and deer? never did with our deer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.