kwackkillncrew wrote:with all that smoke smell around you can probably roll into the stand smelling like a dirty hooker and the deer still wont smell ya!
I've thought about that.....what if doing the opposite of what everyone else does, i.e. being a loud, smelly, and very obvious presence at your deer hunting spot is the way to go? Acclimate deer to where they're so used to you they become unafraid and no longer give a shit about you being there so when hunting season rolls around? You're nothing to them.....just the same dude who has been there 4-5 days every week for the last month and been no harm to them. There were three deer bedded on the road right past the gate....like within 20-30 feet....when I went in last time. They definitely like the open areas and human paths....much safer for them from every other critter.
That's the other thing.....I think varmints like wolves, coyotes, foxes, cats, and bears are a lot more afraid of humans than deer are. Think about how easy it is to spot and watch deer compared to the animals that eat deer.
If natural deer predators are more afraid of humans than deer are.....than being present to where deer are acclimated to you will make them safer and might even attract them to you. There's anecdotal signs of that I'm seeing on the trail cams. All I know is that I've been there a ton doing shit and there are more deer on the trail cams....way more than last year. No, nothing for bucks but we're meat hunters anyways. I don't see any reason why there would be a significant increase in deer numbers after an insanely brutal winter but there is a lot more deer on the property compared to this time last year.
I've been chopping out a lot of the stumps....getting pretty efficient at it. The property is starting to really look nice.