I don't know what everyone else has to say about this, but I never ride my four wheelers through the area I plan on hunting unless I'm hauling in a stand or hauling out a deer.
Rule #1 in the Deer Hunting Bible don't ride ATV's where you hunt. Ok, so I made all that up. I don't think I'd be riding in that area.
If you want to make trails, do it now with no worries. The deer will be right back in there to check out your new trails. I just mowed a lot of my trails last week and was in there until nearly 10:00 at night mowing with a tractor. I had a buddy putting up trail cameras on the freshly mowed trails and I guarantee you there will be photos of deer on some cameras within an hour or two after I left. You dont want to be riding an ATV in there on a regular basis, but you definitely wont chase your deer off for good by occasionally bumping them. The only place I seldom ever go is in the sanctuary. No trails there. If the deer are there, its because they want to be and like the area. Trust me, after an occasional bump, they will be back.
I used to ride with regularity through some of my best areas when I was younger. Now, I rarely if ever ride, and if I do, I stay on our main farm roads for the most part unless it's post-season or mid summer.
Better yet. How about riding your atv on the neighbors land then you won't bump any deer on your land. Just a kiddin' ya.
ya I hate the sound of atv's in the fall unless i'm using it to get a deer out! we do the same thing like fletch stated before, we mow our trails down as well, it's alittle flooded right now, but it won't hurt as long as you do it before season.
I have about 4 miles of trails on my property. I don't ride them much during season unless I'm taking stuff in or out of the woods. The deer use the trails all the time. Don't worry about it so much.
I think there more intrusive things you could do. If deer see atv's on a regular basis, they can get used to them. They aren't ever going to tolerate fast riding and surprises, but putting around isn't the worst thing you could do. I had a doe watching my plow my plot with my wheeler last weekend, whenever I got down to her end of the plot, she'd move off a bit and then come back to the water hole when I was heading back to the other end of the plot. (100 yds) In short, make your trails, don't ride them like a motocross circuit, and cool it a few weeks before the season and you likely aren't going to mess much up.
x2 and x3 let your neighbor kids ride some 2 stroke atv's like wild word of sports, the last hour of light every night of bow season right on my property line and see how many deer you have left, I have living this for five years, the big deer have moved off and never are seen during daylight. we used to have turkeys but not anymore. I think if you drive slow and steady and during the midday like a farmer would checking his crops or cattle i think it would be fine,but i would do it well in advance of the season. on my other ground some 20 miles from my place the neighbors do quite well gun hunting from a 50 year old tractor pulling a hay wagon, slow steady speed and it never slows or stops until they get a deer,they shoot and pick it up and keep driving around the fields, seems like when a deer see you walking they dont go into panic until you stop and become a threat. so slow and steady
Fletch is right on. This time of year no problem. i use them to set stands and run my cameras. By the end of August / first of Sept I limit my use in areas I have decent pics and sightings. Then of course the fun part hopefully loading a bruiser come November!!
How big of area are you talking? If its 15 acres, there probably wont be many places for the deer to avoid you . If its a couple hundred, a trail or two probably wont empty the place out as long as you leave em some space.
