Curious about hunters opinion, with enough exposure can deer make the connection between the specific odor of a given human? Can they smell the difference between people?
Yes they can. That's how they distinguish one another, as well. The deer's nose was described to be as being "more powerful than you could ever imagine." My belief is that when humans are hunting and they see a deer and get that adrenaline rush, the deer can smell hormones being released by the human body and they sense the danger. My reasoning behind this is because if I'm in the woods scouting during the off season and I come across a deer, they are much more curious and will even sometimes come closer. That never happens when you're trying to shoot one. Humans emit pheromones and I imagine when humans are intending to kill or get that adrenaline rush, a similar chemical is released that the deer pick up on. ...based on my findings, way out of left field. I promise I don't believe aliens are coming to take over.
I think deer are much calmer when I have a camera in my hands versus a gun or bow. Scent or whatever I think deer and other animals are able to tap into an ability to sense danger.
Many of us that hit the woods yearly begin to feel something along this line must be true....whether it is the release of "predatory" pheromones or what not....or they have a heightened 6th sense like telepathy, but bottom line is they seem to sense you as threat or non-threat with ease when mature seemingly before they ever see or hear you.
Yes they can and I have proof. Several years ago I had orphan fawn hanging around my yard, his mother got hit by a car. He got used to me, and all summer and fall he'd follow me around the yard when I did yard work. Long story short, for several years when I'd walk in the woods he'd approach me and follow me around. He would even come up into my yard and hang out with me. When I asked neighbors, hikers, hunters ect. if they ever been approached by a tame buck in the area, none had ever seen him! When he was 4 years old and a 130 class 8 point, he disappeared in Nov., and I never saw him again. And no, I didn't kill him! So yes, they can definitely tell the difference between people.
Human women can identify their babies and husbands by smell, so it's no stretch to think that an animal with a good sniffer like a deer could not only tell humans apart but which one ate at taco bell yesterday.
While I think that yes their nose is technically good enough to detect a difference between two humans... I don't think the animals apply this (outside of instances such as the pet deer above). They don't smell a track and go "thank god, its only steve" vs another track and hightail it out of there because it is Rob's scent. Human scent in general equals fear. For an easier analogy.... I can smell the difference between chicken **** and cow ****... regardless, I don't hang around to take in the smells in either instance.
In most cases, yes... but I think if Steve walked through the forest enough and wasn't a threat, the deer would get used to his scent but still freak if Rob showed up. I noticed this when I was trapping. At first the deer would run from me like they would anyone else but by day 20 of trap checking, they don't even get out of their beds. However, when I brought another person to help check traps... they were out of there.
I disagree. I have properties with feeders and trail cams and mineral sites that I freshen up and pour corn over. I've had the landlord walking around the property before and the trail cam pics generally stop having any deer on them for several hours. I can go into the property and do chores and have deer walk into the mineral sites on camera within 30 minutes, sometimes literally like two minutes after I leave. I think they associate my smell with fresh food/mineral/filled feeders and realize the difference between me and other people on the property.
