Germ

Deer become smarter(learn)for one reason.

Bubba hunter who sends arrows or bullets over their backs

They learn to be more cautions as they get shot at a few times[8D]

If your neighbor uses Tinks 69 and a nice 2.5 smells it for the first and goes to check it out. Your neighbor sends one over his back giving him a shave job. Does anyone think that deer is going to come in to tinks 69 again?

Caution is a learn trait when dealing with us(IMO), and some of us do a great job in teaching the deer what to look for

HuntinGUS

Experience= increased caution. Like GERM said I think a mature buck will have more lessons to have learned form as he gets older. A 4.5 year old has had 4 hunting seasons of lessons. Luck getting through the first 2 are a big part IMO.

tsoc

Not much to contribute beyond what has already been said.The amount of exposure or pressure the animals get will also dictate how freely they move.Even within that there are some questions.I hunt certain area's or walk them often enough that I think(know) the doe groups are used to me.They either know I will not bother them or can't hit them.They provide me a lot of slack and there have been a number of bucks I have taken because of it.
Deer with aggressive personalities don't live very long.Unless where their range is is so desolate they don't run into folks like us.

Dubbya

I'm going with about 90% learned and 10% instinct. The reason for this is that if you take a fawn from it's mother at a very yong age at first it will be heistant to associate with you, but in short order when it understands that you aren't a threat it will be very different. If you take a 3 year old deer and do the same thing, the results will be nowhere near the same, while the only difference is that one has "learned" to be cautious through everyday activities and watching other deer...

Germ

Here is the question we have to ask ourselves, and I bet we all have ask it.

When we are watching a hunting show on one of "those" ranches and we see the hunter/shooter(for you Atlas) do something and we say "If I would have done _____? The deer would have been gone". It might not even be a buck.

I watch guy on a ranch in Nebraska drop his quiver with a 160 class 15 yds away. The buck look right up at him and kept coming. The dude missed, LOL

Instinct would tell the deer, "Hey quivers fallingand a large dude in a tree is bad thing".
In MI the quiver would have made it half way down, and the deer would be half way to OH[8D]

NY Bowhunter

I do. Matter of fact my buddy shot over a 3.5 year old bucks back that came into tinks 69. The next morning he was back and didn't make out so well on the second time around. Beautiful 3.5 year old 8 pointer.

Germ

You use Tinks 69

NY Bowhunter

I do............. think a buck will come back to tinks 69 [:-]Is that better for ya?

greenboy

bucks like humans learn and adapt they arent bred with caution they learn it

Germ

Consistently I would say no, anything can happen in the woods. How is that