Hurricanespg

I have a friend in MI who puts dirty clothes in all of his treestands every couple of days throughout the year. He says that the deer become accustomed to the scent so he does not have to worry about showering after work. He takes quite a few deer every year.
Personally....don't think I will ever do it, but I guess you can't really argue with his success.

M.R. Bucks

When I was young I hunted my grandpas farm (that was when nobody hunted with a bow) I would go right from the barn and hunt I missed a lot of deer and saw some big ones. Man how times have changed

jackflap

Whitetailed deer, with the exception of the coyote, may be the most adaptable wild animal in North America.

If you live in a suburban area where deer are already used to lots of human interaction, I would assume that they would be a lot more tolerant to your idea. Chances are it will be hard for them to move to another area that will be any less prevelant with human activity.

However, in more rural areas where human interaction is less frequent, your idea (IMO)will only cause the deer to become nocturnal, especially the older deer, almost overnight. Too much pressure and they are likely to move to adjoining properties that has less human interaction.

My preferred early season hunting spot is a transition area between bedding and an alfala field. Every year I will usually see somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-25 deer the first night. The tree I am in has good cover and I seldom if ever get busted.

But I still have to come and go each time I hunt it. The deer sightings drop substantially each time I hunt it, even being as careful coming and going and wearing rubber boots and only hunting it every 3-5 days. They don't leave, but become nocturnal.Quickly.

I would not do what you suggested except for a suburban area and I still think it would do more harm than good. FWIW

MeanV2

IMHO No!

Dan

GMMAT

Jack:

I watched a QDM show a year or so ago.....that said whitetail does appear to become MORE "active" as they're pressured. Meaning....they'll stay on their feet more as they're pressured, more.

What they also said was.....this new, added movement would be due to them taking differing routes (and the extra time associated with doing so)than normal....to AVOID the area they're being pressured in.

I absolutely believe this.

MichiganWhitetails74

I think they would get alerted to your patterns...My opinion is that....face to face interaction with feeding and conditioned situtations are the only way to keep whitetails relaxed...I guess what this means is that....if you hung out in your woods with a handful of shelled corn every day......it might work....kind of like what people do with deer that come into their backyards...

If you're in their home...under their terms...I think they would develop patterns around you....Deer hear the sounds of our trucks and even the gentle closing of a truck door before we even entire our stands...they know our every move.....if we're careless....

superstrutter

Not unless they were in a 50 x 50 pen and were hand fed every day. I wouldn't try it.

GMMAT

Mich...what you're describing is patterning. And....IMO.....it's them patterning us, though (which happens a lot more than the other way around).

My friend MOTOWN says (paraphrased) that hunting whitetails is a game of cat and mouse....in which we are seldom the cat.

I think your post reinforces his statement.

bawanajim

Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of man....................................

jackflap

Surely you are not suggesting that pressured deer will move more during daylight hours than non pressured deer. Do they move more in the dark because they have been re-routed after being pressured? Maybe so.

But I have trail camera pictures that document the same basic number of deer and individuals come through the same route or at least entrance to the field ( I am set up about 75 yards from the wooded corner of the field closest to their primary bedding area), but the TIME they come through changes quickly and drastically once human intrusion begins.

I would note also that my specific situation would be considered LIGHTLY pressured as I am the only bowhunter in the area and I spread my hunts out so as to not overhunt, and enter/exit as expeditously and least intrusive as possible.