So me and my buddy went and hung up a stand today on some public...needless to say we ran into some issues, and with it being 80 degrees sweated a bunch, season opens in 6 days...should it be good by then, deer back to there norm through the area. We didnt jump any deer up or anything , or at least that we know.
A lot of people, including myself, will set stands or ground blinds on a light rainy day or a day that it is going to storm. Keep that in mind down the road. I just left work for an extra 40 minutes after lunch to set up a ground blind today. I was planning on setting it up this weekend, but when I heard rain was on the way - I decided to get it done today. It started raining on my way back to work (it worked out perfectly).
I would have done it earlier, but today is the only day i have till season...Im way behind on getting ready, i didnt even plan on hunting in Missouri till a couple weeks ago
On public ground I wouldn't worry that much about it. The deer are used to human activity most of the time and they still seem to live there. Good luck to you. Blessings. ..........Pastorjim
I'm not any kind of scientist but let me say this...I have coon hunted with hounds for about 40 years and while I dont have much education I can see whats in front of me. That being said dry conditions are the toughest to pick up a scent trail. If its real dry hounds will run a hour old track like its dead cold. A bit of humidity or a sprinkle of rain and it gets easier for the dogs to smell. A steady or hard rain can shut them down completely. Wind also has a affect on how and where the hounds will run a track. I have been in the woods and close to a few deer and I would say that a good coonhound can smell one heck of a lot better than a deer. I think so because of the number of times I had seen a dog fall treed without a track compared to the number of times I have had deer right under me while I was in a stand. If I had a hound I thought could get within 20-30 foot of a coon in any conditions and not open on it that hound would be looking for a new home. Mattdog I doubt a real serious coonhound could even smell yall at all after 6 days much less a deer. I would say after a few hours no matter what the conditions you would be ok, and even if you wasnt...like pastorjim said it might not make no difference. A deer is a curious animal and unless its feeling skittish is just as likely to investigate a unfamilliar smell as to spook from it. One of my brothers has shot quite a few deer over a lure made from a rag and vanilla extract.
It will be fine. I don't believe people when they say that deer won't visit an area for a few days after a human has done something in that area. I hung a stand a few weeks ago and was cutting lanes and talking with my buddy and had deer on my cam that same night.
Not to argue with your experience but a deer has on average, 297 million scent receptors compared to a hound's 220 million. In theory a deer has the better nose, the difference is they're often curious of a smell. OP- go hunt your stand! It will be fine!
