Thread: Deer Behaviour

What are peoples thoughts on the behaviour of deer that live/graze around farms etc where there is always noise, human scent etc? Do they become somewhat immune to spooking based on scent alone? Surely they would be bloody nervous wrecks if human scent bothered them and they were living in an area near farming activity?
We have a few deer about the place here and see them every now and then whilst out on the farm, I have actively hunted them and found them every bit as challenging as any other back of nowhere deer, in fact bloody frustrating as I get onto good sign and have had several instances that end up with a white bum dissapearing with a crash at a great rate of knots, have never been much of a bush hunter and im hunting scrubby fringe country between pasture and the riverbed where spot and stalk doesnt work as you cant see past 50 yards in most instances. This evening I went for a fish and as I came back up through the farm I got a glimpse of a deer with its head down grazing so I stopped my ute and walked back a few meters to see if it was still there, sure enough its still there oblivious to me, head down grazing probably only 100yds away. I could hear one of the boys a few hundred yards away coming down the farm on the quad to a paddock beside the scrub to move the cows and the deer seemed totally not bothered by that sound, the wind was blowing directly from that direction also and by this time I realised there was actually three deer there, a hind and two big velvetys, all seemed to be not bothered by any sound or scent coming from the farm. I walked back to my truck to grab my phone to try take a photo of them and thought surely theyre gonna get onto me and spook any second (i was surprised they didnt even seem to notice me drive past the first time)
Sure enough theyre all still there browsing and I got one on video, I ended up whistling at it and it lifted its head and stared at me but still didnt spook, after about 30 seconds or so it turned and bounded off with the other two.
I thought this was quite an interesting encounter as they seemed so un bothered by what was going on around them yet I have actively hunted them in the same area and they seem so savvy, to the point of frustrating the hell out of me, and when they spook they spook like any other deer and are gone like a shot! They also have a tonne of pressure put on them by idiots driving the riverbed tracks at night trying their luck trying to spotlight them and stalk them during the day so its not like theyre dumb deer by any measure.
Are they just so smart they knew I didnt have a rifle with me?
Interested in peoples opinions on how deer behave differently depending on their living situation

I reckon they don't really give a rats ass about how humans smell and instead they're petrified by the smell of gun oil.

Nothing like the smell of a freshly oiled barrel to get a deer running for cover.

I've got a few Fallow and by no means tame.
Walk near 60m+ and they scarper every time.
Work in the garden kneeling and they will come up to the fence 20m away.
Hop on the ride on mower, quad or tractor and drive around the paddock and they will come within 10m.

All I know is they don't seem to like 2 legged things when they are standing!?

Originally Posted by planenutz

I reckon they don't really give a rats ass about how humans smell and instead they're petrified by the smell of gun oil.

Nothing like the smell of a freshly oiled barrel to get a deer running for cover.

Another reason to not clean your gun, he he.

On a couple of farms you can ride around on quads all day and the deer aren’t to worried unless you run into them 20m on the track. But if there’s a dog barking within 2km, they will gap it up the hill into the big native. They don’t mind the regular every sounds like tools, chainsaws, nail guns etc and movements of vehicles at normal speeds they’re fine but slow moving or slowing down or unfamiliar shape or sound they look at whats going on.

Yep some private land I hunt is exactly the same it poses different challenges we all no deer aren't stupid so watching a deer that has heard or seen you isn't being silly by staying put its just most of the time in all likely hood farmers/workers don't see them and carry on , il never forget a few years back I took my bro inlaw out to a private block , over the years the farm has been more & more developed so the deer get really really good at playing possum in scrub or long grass especially the fallow , bikes , barking dogs or people they sit tight so I spotted this fallow buck all we could see was about 6 inches of his antlers sticking above the long grass in the bottom of a gully 150m away I got the bro to lie down and get ready for the shot we waited & waited for him to stand up in the end I started making noises , OI OI YOU didn't make any difference he wasn't moving in the end I said to the bro just quietly head down the fence line behind the scrub you mite be able to see him , so I sat still and couldn't believe my eyes when the buck stood up after the bro had moved out of sight , the buck even crept along trying to watch the bro be stealthy with its neck stretched out .

The rabbits at work almost totally ignore quad bikes, tractors and utes, but try walking and they scarper asap. They just aren't used to people walking around, so it rings the warning bells. Same with the ducks on the ponds.

Deer are always quieter with the approach of darkness, being hungry and instinctively aware the dark brings safety. The coming morning means danger and the need to move to cover quickly. With the days of drizzly rain we have just had there is always a period when all wild animals are 'out' and quiet. You may have struck that very time.

I find that they are aware of bikes etc but when you turn of the bike they run. I can be mustering a paddock and they will run in to a small patch off scrub or bush and sit tight. Once you start shooting them from bikes i reckon they start getting more aware.

Years ago I heard a story of guys cutting a track near Tongariro National Park, they had deer come up towards them while they were using chainsaws etc. They went back after work to try and get them, but the were too spooky. They told their boss, who went back the next night with his rifle and chainsaw. He got several of them.

Was out weedeating a track through some private property, wind up my arse and talking with a mate, pop out onto a clearing and there two whitetail, bolted as soon as they saw us so no time for my mate to get the rifle ready. Was doing everything wrong that I could hunting, noise / wind up arse / hi vis helmet and jacket.... Thy were worried till they could see us

I had similar Wed night with a fallow in a heavily hunted DOC area in Te Puke. Spooked from about 10m and not even really spooked, just trotted off into the scrub with a short look back. I could have nailed it but I like to ID sex etc first.
In this case it heard me as the wind was in my face but the location of the deer had me thinking it was quite clever as one could not approach it without it hearing or seeing you.
I also get the feeling that they learn to use intensity of scent to determine distance of risk. It makes sense that a full feral that smells a human once bolts vs a deer used to human scent starts to work out how great the risk is over time.

Have always wondered how far deer move from you and what they do to check on you.
CNI bush hunting experiences.
Reckon the ones you get have slipped up but the ones you spook don't act randomly.
You see some moving away but the ones that just seem to disappear interested to know how far they go and what they do to keep tabs on you.

At times i can ride within 50m on the farm (sheep beef)but you know when they have been shot at they are the one running over the ridge 500m away.
I was hunting a doc block riding up a creek on a quad dropped of my mate as they was a over grown terrace above us, came back in twenty minutes later to find he climb up the bank twenty meters a hind hoped up so he shot it.

Get on a horse and you'll ride right up to them. I know a few peeps that do treking and they always come across deer that don't spook, just raise their heads and watch the horse and rider. Different story if you dismount, then they exit stage right.