So how much disturbance does it take to alter their habit(s)? I know we are not dealing with human habits, but is it somewhat the same in your experience? I know you can take an 80 yr old man/woman that has done the same thing/routine for years, and it will take a lot to change that. Is it the same for deer? Are the younger deer more impressionable(sp) as far as making them change their routines? Are older deer not? I know this may go against the logical thinking of most, but just curious of what you think, what your experience has been. Is danger the only thing that changes the habits of deer. (Eating, sleeping, and making little deer, is not a habit.)
No, it is not the same for deer. If you can eliminate all disturbances to deer, the better off you will be. From my experiences, mature bucks tolerate disturbance the least. For example............ If you disturb a doe and fawns in their bedding area while you are climbing into your stand nearby, they will likely still use the bedding area but be on the look out for you for a time after that until their satisfied that the danger is not present. If you disturb a mature buck in the same manner, chances are that you will not see that buck in that bedding area for possibly the rest of the season. My rule of thumb is to always error on the side of caution.
No, it's deer science.:D I guess the above explains why so many people are so successful and spend so little time trying to kill one. This is the habit. ie., "where" "when" he beds in that spot. Sleeping/bedding is not a habit, it is a necessity. For humans, a habit is maybe, where they lay their keys at night. So what you are saying Greg, is that a Mature buck "habit" of bedding in a certain spot is "all" dependant on danger?
That is what I am getting at Greg. Even though it is not always possible to follow the habits of certain deer, I believe their habits of when, where, and how often is key to "keeping ourselves in the know" about said deer. Say for instance, you blow one out of his "habitual" bedding spot. Will that deer look for a verily similar type bed elsewhere because that is what he likes, or is accustomed to? Or will he just find another random "any old bed will do spot"?
This mostly pertains to just "deer" But I think a lot has to do with the repeatability of the disturbance. If it is random, the deer are more affected by it. If it is constant and the same every time, they ignore it. You see deer movements change when a sudden & random influx of activity occurs, but have a farmer, or people in a park be in the same spots every day & deer won't even turn thier heads.
I already knew this Jeff. Your statement justifies what I have said here precisely. The buck will not bed in "any old spot". He has a habit of bedding in a certain way, certain cover, certain wind, etc. Hell, he probably even has a habit of which side the bed he enters and exits, just like you. Some things are habits, some are instincts for survival, and some are procreation.
And then there are others out there that think the opposite that you can then move in on him in that location and he will come back because he was reaffirmed his spot was good because he was able to escape.
I've bumped bucks from the same bed 2-3 times before they abandoned that spot. If they have a good spot that lets them escape unharmed, they will put up with as much intrusion as they can stand.
...yeah yeah yeah... Deer are just SO predictable... It's SOOO easy... Explain to me then, why 3/4 of you schmucks are so completely inept at actually shooting them?
