ATV ? and how close to your stand?

[Sea Buck]

What ATV do you use and how close to your deer stand do you park?
I am getting an ATV for this year and would be interesting to know.
I have friends that drive to within 20 yds and others that say never within 100 yds.

[T. O'Heir]

Depends on how many other hunters are driving to their stand. Bambi will get used to anything new, but until they do farther is better. Even 100 yards may not be enough. Mostly about the smell though.
We have great, big, deer living close(about 2 or 3 klicks from City Hall but still well within city limits.) to downtown London that ignore what we laughingly call rush hour traffic that's maybe 100 meters away.

[Rmart30]

I like to park 200 yards or more away with a ATV. The exhaust sound from them carries so much farther than a vehicles.
Deer around here are spooky. When I was watching some deer in a field a car came by 400 yards away out of sight the deer perked up and looked that way. Little while later they perked up and I could hear nothing. Bout the time I could hear it they took off. It was a 4 wheeler on the same road the car had went by on 10 minutes earlier. The 4 wheeler spooked them, the car didnt.

[Blindstitch]

Where I hunt you can bait deer and as long as you're in and out every few days the deer don't even care. I use to believe you have to park 200 yards away and then I started hunting with my dad again who parks it right next to his blind.

It all depends on your property and how often you drive to that location.

I hunted at a farm in northern Wisconsin and my friend recently had his knee replaced and was having trouble getting around. The farmer lent him his tractor which the deer hear and see everyday and things were perfectly fine.

[Snyper]

If you hunt remote areas where they never hear vehicles, stay far away.

If you hunt within half a mile of a highway or homes, they will pay no attention to the sound nor smells.

Deer in farm country see, hear and smell vehicles all the time and don't panic.

I've ridden down paths around here, shut off the ATV and just sat there and shot deer within 5 minutes.

I see lots of them when I'm on my tractor and they often won't run off unless I stop or drive too close to them.

[FrankenMauser]

Like most hunting answers, "It depends..."

I hunt public land out west, so there really isn't consideration for a fixed stand. But there are areas and specific spots that I revisit regularly.

Here, anywhere that I can legally park an ATV is on or right adjacent to a road where other hunters will be riding ATVs and road-hunting with trucks. (And making illegal excursions into areas closed to motor vehicles.)

But different species react differently. Under the right circumstances, you can ride right through a herd of Muleys and they don't really care.
Often, they'll feed around a parked ATV (or herd of ATVs), and not be easily spooked.
Moose don't give a rat's behind. You can run right into them, and they'll just kick you in the face if they even acknowledge your existance.
But Elk... Elk hate the smell, the sound, and the sight. They keep their distance during the day and will skedaddle if you get too close (not so much at night, as they've learned that they're safe).


For Mule deer, one can pretty much just park the ATV and sit on it, without decreasing the odds of filling a tag. I don't put much thought into where I park.
Elk... time to beat feet and get away from the sounds and smells of man. Thinking back, I'd say I usually park 300-500 yards from where I intend to start hunting for Elk.


As for Florida...
I do have some experience there with the little Coastal Whitetails.
But I don't have a single answer for them, either.

In some areas, they didn't have a care in the world about humans and vehicles, except when crossing highways.

Yet, in other areas, they were skiddish as all get-out, when it came to cars, trucks, ATVs, boats, and other 'sounds of man'. If they heard something, they went on alert. If it appeared to be moving their direction, they high-tailed it to safety and didn't come back any time soon (often before the vehicle came within 150-200+ yards).

Most hunters that I saw hunting with an ATV parked just 50-75 yards from their stand. But, those hunters usually only filled their tag(s) when other vehicles pushed deer back through the area.



What do I use? A '93 Honda Four-Trax 300FW(C). Nothing special, other than full-time 4WD and a lot of booger welds and fabri-cobbled fixes. (It spent 20+ years on an Eastern Idaho ranch.)

[FITASC]

As for Florida...
I do have some experience there with the little Coastal Whitetails.
But I don't have a single answer for them, either.

In some areas, they didn't have a care in the world about humans and vehicles, except when crossing highways.

Was shooting sporting clays with whitetails about 50 yards away and almost in the line of fire - so they probably got peppered - but just didn't seem to care.

I hunt public land out west, so there really isn't consideration for a fixed stand.

As did I - where I hunted there were no trees, and blinds, using dogs, baiting, salt licks, food plots or camping by a water source would get you arrested, truck and gun confiscated, fine and possibly jail time.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Right underneath my stand its parked for my least physical exertion when I'm returning to my deer camp for breakfast or after dark.
Deer are use to the neighbors farm implements cutting hay on my fields late in the summer into Fall. Chain saws timber skidders and the occasional sneaky me driving around on a UTV checking for storm blow downs late in the Fall that need clearing off my trails. (All of the above doesn't seem to disturb em.)

If the deer on my property weren't use to machinery noise.
I would quietly park a ATV a city block away. Then Still Hunt my way into my deer stand and leave the same way.

[buck460XVR]

I have a friend that feeds deer on his property using a ATV. The deer come running whenever they hear it.

Years ago I bow hunted a field a half mile back on an old dugway road. Used to park my truck at the other end of the field thinking it would scare them to my end. After watching deer feed quietly and unalarmed right next to my truck, 300 yards away from me, I realized the sight of me walking was more of a threat to them, than the sight or sound of the truck. Thus, there was no reason to walk the extra difference and give them more chance of seeing me walking.

For the most part, deer do not recognize vehicles as danger. This is why poachers shoot from the truck window and you can canoe right up to a deer on a riverbank. ATVs can smell like a chain saw and chain saws are a dinner bell to deer.

[Gunplummer]

"For the most part, deer do not recognize vehicles as danger." That is the whole story right there. In some areas if you stop a truck the deer will take off. Sometimes they take off when you slow down. This is in crop damage areas and where poachers have been shooting at them. If there are a lot of guys using a four wheeler in your area the first day, I am betting they will soon associate the two. Kind of like spotlighting. It is legal in PA to drive around and watch deer at night. One night we put the light on a field with a woods behind at about 150 yards. There was a group of deer and as soon as the light hit a big buck, he whipped around and went for the woods. He knocked down a deer that was right behind him. Apparently he had been through the learning curve already.

[Wyosmith]

"Stand?'

"ATV"?

[FITASC]

"Stand?'

"ATV"?

Stand - what Western Hunters do after sitting and glassing for a few hours

ATV - Eastern speak for "horse"...............

[FrankenMauser]

Years ago I bow hunted a field a half mile back on an old dugway road. Used to park my truck at the other end of the field thinking it would scare them to my end. After watching deer feed quietly and unalarmed right next to my truck, 300 yards away from me, I realized the sight of me walking was more of a threat to them, than the sight or sound of the truck. Thus, there was no reason to walk the extra difference and give them more chance of seeing me walking.

For the most part, deer do not recognize vehicles as danger. This is why poachers shoot from the truck window and you can canoe right up to a deer on a riverbank. ATVs can smell like a chain saw and chain saws are a dinner bell to deer.

That's a good point.
My family and friends don't hunt from ATVs, but we don't pass up chances to fill a tag if we run across deer while riding from one area to another, either.
Standard operating procedure in those instances is:
The rider with 'dibs' signals the group, rides ahead a short distance (whenever possible), parks the ATV out of sight, leaves it running, and tries to get into shooting position.
All other ATVs try to keep moving - if possible. Even if everyone must come to a stop, engines stay running and riders remain seated.

Deer seem to assume that a running engine is a vehicle that's still moving, and not a threat.

Same deal with trucks, but the big vehicles can also be used as cover and allow a careful driver/passenger to slip out the far side.

[muleman11]

I have seen more deer with a running chainsaw in my hands than a rifle.

[Rembrandt]

Have done it far and close.....didn't affect deer either way.

[Mobuck]

A few years back, I had a handicapped permit to hunt with my X-bow but still wasn't very mobile. I drove my ATV within 20' of the stand and ascended the 12' ladder. An hour later, a spike buck walked past too close to the ATV for me to attempt a shot.
Still, I wouldn't generally park within 200-250 yards of my deer stand. Why foul the area or cause any other reason for the animals to be alerted?

[Gunplummer]

I did logging for a while. Near the end of the day we would see deer waiting for us to leave. The chainsaws are like a dinner bell. They browse the tops of the tree that we dropped. BUT, we never shot at them either.

[Berserker]

One year I drove to my stand and past it and back around, past where I expected the deer. My theory was less scent and they are used to them, to a degree. I didn't get anything that year. But it was after a bad winter, down all over.


For bear hunting, people will have their buddy drop them off. Would probably work for deer too.

But I suppose if the wind is right, you could park darn near anywhere.

[Berserker]

When bringing baiting one year, I had a big doe, stomp her foot and would not leave. This went on for what seemed like a minute or more. I backed up and left.


Another time, I was pulled over on side of road taking a leak, and deer walked less than 20 feet behind my truck. I was cutting crass last night, and one was staring at me 30 yards away, I backed up.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

The less I walk the better. Has little to do with my physical condition and more to do with my aroma and warm layers of clothing I typically need to wear. Less walking means less sweating and/or human scent I leave permeating in and around my hunting area.

Although carbon monoxide exhaust bothers deer less. Human aroma on the other hand is very alarming to the deer senses.
Consider: all American deer species have 297 million olfactory scent receptors. Humans only have 5 million. My porch pooch has 220 million. So.

I'm a cautious Big game hunter. From the muzzle of my rifle to my hammer toed feet I'm all about leaving absolutely little to no human scent release in my hunting grounds.

[Berserker]

As for east vs west. Hard to see 45 yards.

Don't hunt from ATVs, but use them for transportation. I doubt you guys are walking miles from your house. You are taking a truck or riding something.

[Art Eatman]

One of our Olde Phart hunters at our deer lease didn't show up for lunch, so a couple of us went to his usual sitttin'-and-lookin' spot.

There he was, sitting in his car sound asleep and snoring as loudly as ever.

Didn't seem to bother the half-dozen turkey hens on the roof of his car, nor the dozen or so on the ground around it.

[Berserker]

Since you are a mod edited it. A 3rd time.


Ya those turkeys were on his car. Maybe in Texas.

[Berserker]

6 turkeys sitting on his car. Midwest turkeys don't climb on man made stuff.

But Ya in Texas they might. Different part of country.

[FrankenMauser]

Turkeys climb on what ever they want.

Generally speaking, for this part of the country, I have seen more wild turkeys screwing around in, on, or near more houses, barns, sheds, trucks, tractors, and ATVs than 'out in the wild' away from "man made stuff".


Almost 10 years ago, now, we had to kick a turkey off of a folding table in the 'kitchen' on an Elk hunt. It was tearing into some one's left-over instant grits from breakfast.