Last fall I was hunting a stand that sits in a pretty good funnel. At about 8am I had a good buck work through but ended up getting down wind. He stood broadside rubbing a tree for about 10 minutes at 20 yards. I at first came to full draw when he came in but as he got closer I couldnt believe how young the buck looked. From my best guess, I thought the deer was a 150 class three and half year old. After much debate I decided not to shoot. All I could think about is that if hes this good this year, think what a difference a year will make. Anyway, when the buck finished rubbing he started to approach my tree even closer, straight down wind the whole time. When he got to the base he started to make a scrape. When he went to lift his head, his nose physically touched my treestep. He took a couple of long snorts of it and blew. He then darted back about thirty yards and just sat there looking around. Eventually he took off. Obviously, he got some of my scent from the step. After a year wait, and not seeing the buck again, I think I seen the same buck tonight. Hes a quarter mile from the stand and hes alot bigger. So, heres the question: Will he remember what happened from last year? My gut instinct is that he wasnt spooked enough to make a major impact. If somebody has a thought or has experienced a similar event, lets hear it.
Liv4Rut
Active Member
Yeah I think he will remember you, you mines well be a pal and let muddy hunt there, he probably wouldn't recognize muddy's scent until its too late
I honestly dont think a deer would remember that far back, if that buck is still alive im sure he encountered many humans that probably spooked him alot more. I would hunt it
I honestly dont think a deer would remember that far back, if that buck is still alive im sure he encountered many humans that probably spooked him alot more. I would hunt it
ironwood
Active Member
I think I'd move my stand just slightly. We have all heard the stories of deer looking up to check stand occupation. Last year in one of the prominent magazines a story was told of a large deer avoiding a tree stand but still frequented a near by alfalfa field as the hunter looked on. If I am remembering correctly this hunter put a dummy up in the tree and killed the deer from behind a round bail. I can't remember the details but that deer was checking for the hunters pressence to decide how to approach the feild. Smart deer, smarter hunter. If you can I'd move your location slightly. Can't hurt; keep in mind also the number of big deer killed from a location that never had a stand located there before.