[jman21050]

For those that use ATV's to get to their stands:

How far away do you park your ATV from your stand?

 

[3L_Archer]

I usually park mine about 300-400 yards away.

3L

 

[Jeff K in IL]

400yds away, never had a problem!!

 

[Finn]

300 yards and it's never spooked deer....that I know of

 

[Ryan]

I've parked mine as close as 50 yards away. I've watched deer feed within a couple feet of it. I'm convinced that deer can tell the difference between a 4 wheeler and a human.

Me and 3 of my buddies were mowing our clover field a few weeks ago. We were all standing in the middle of the field having a beer, with a 4 wheeler, 3 mowers and a bush hog next to us. Two bucks walked out into the field about 40 yds away. We were talking at a normal level and grunting at the bucks. One of the bucks walked within 20 yards of us. Once he got down wind, he didn't stick around long. :wink:

 

[GR8RALLY]

I own a small parcel of land and try not to use an ATV since I have stands and blinds located through-out the property and rather not chance spooking any deer. Pretty much hoof from the cabin. Have one stand about 75 yards from the cabin and the furthest is about 1 mile, now that's a hike!

 

[Papick]

Here're my logic: WALK, up to 1 mile if I have to, I park my car between 1/2 to 1mile away, why??
Simple,if you drive up to your stand or even 300 yards and theres a wise buck of a life time bedding not too far, chances are he will be in neverland in no time.
Why take a chance?
Doe, no problem, I have constantly driven my old uncle through an alfalfa field where we always chase them and wait for him to get into his makeshift blind, as soon as I drive away, the Does come out and he harvested his does right away.
But a mature buck, forget it.
Comes hunting season, the deer knows that there's abnormal human activity in the woods and now some hunters drive up to their stands!!!
If you walk slow enough, even with the sound of dry leaves and broken twigs under your feet, you can easily sneak up close to deer.
So WALK.... plus it's good for your health.

For those that use ATV's to get to their stands:

How far away do you park your ATV from your stand?

 

[Unkljohn]

I've parked mine as close as 200 yards away. I usually try to park further away than that though.

 

[Skitterz]

Anywhere between 50 yard's and closer there has been a few time's that i have parked it within spitting distance without any problem's

 

[Dub]

On average, about 100 yards.

I always spray the seat and grips down with Scent killer before I head to my stand.


I think the real key is to stop before you get to your hunting area. The distant sound of an ATV doesn't seem to bother our deer. I watched 5 the other evening milling around in a pea patch whlie hunters were driving their atv's close enough for me to hear. The deer didn't flinch at all.

 

[HEAD0001]

4-wheeler

I hide mine behind my blind. We hunt on our own property, and travel year round on our 4-wheelers, on the property. I believe most deer are used to it. I will not argue whether the biggest guy on the block is alarmed or not, he probably is. However I am handicapped and it is the only way I can hunt. I bowhunt mostly during the rut, which I believe helps me out quite a bit. I normally do not start bowhunting until the end of October, or the first of November. I usually take a decent buck every year, maybe not the best buck, but you do what you can. By decent I mean an 8-10 point, with a 14-17 inch inside spread, which is not bad in northern WV. The other reason we do not start til the end of October is that the crappie fishing in Sutton Lake is fantastic in October(not to mention the trout). Tom:wink:

 

[PatriotDually]

My stand sites are between 3/4 mile and 1 mile from my 4 wheeler.

 

[GreggWNY]

There is a local property near me that practices strict QDM. There is a steadfast rule that you may only go to your stands using ATVs, no walking is allowed. Walking spooks the deer and ATVs don't. About 3 weeks ago my wife and I were riding on the ATV and I stopped to glass some white oak trees. Within 1 minute a group of 5 bucks walked by us at about 40 yards. They were totally calm although they kept a sharp eye on us sitting on the ATV while they went by. A friend of mine was in a tree stand watching a group of does when someone drove by in an ATV. He said the does bedded down until the ATV went by and then rose and continued eating acorns. I go by so many deer on my ATV and usually they just stand and watch. If they do run it's only a short distance then they stop and watch me go by.

 

[Meleagris1]

There is a local property near me that practices strict QDM. There is a steadfast rule that you may only go to your stands using ATVs, no walking is allowed. Walking spooks the deer and ATVs don't. About 3 weeks ago my wife and I were riding on the ATV and I stopped to glass some white oak trees. Within 1 minute a group of 5 bucks walked by us at about 40 yards. They were totally calm although they kept a sharp eye on us sitting on the ATV while they went by. A friend of mine was in a tree stand watching a group of does when someone drove by in an ATV. He said the does bedded down until the ATV went by and then rose and continued eating acorns. I go by so many deer on my ATV and usually they just stand and watch. If they do run it's only a short distance then they stop and watch me go by.

Try taking that ATV off the trail even a little bit. Those deer will change their attitudes in a hurry. I have a place I hunt in an urban bowzone where people walk trails all the time. People walking and jogging doesnt bother the deer at all, they just sit there and watch the people walk by. However, you take one step off that trail and every deer in the woods will be gone. Deer are not stupid. They know exactly what people do and when they do it. They also know that when an ATV takes a different path or stops, something is wrong. Same as with the urban bow zone I hunt in, if a runner stops, the deer immediately go on red alert. It isn't the fact its an ATV, it just the fact that the deer have patterned you at least as well as you have patterned them.

 

[GreggWNY]

Meleagris1..good point and probably very true. When I am shooting the bags behind my house deer will often be feeding 75 yards behind the bags. As long as I don't go past the bags to retrieve my arrows they will ignore me...if I step behind the bags even a few feet they take off. They watch me shoot every morning and evening all summer long and they have learned my boundaries. I have been very successfull parking my ATV close to my stands but I never drive it off the main logging roads.

 

[Ohio Bow]

1/2 mile.

 

[siucowboy]

miles away sometimes...

well I don't really hunt from stands anymore....there are no trees in the nebraska hills ;-)....which also means you can see a fourwheeler on a distant ridge for miles...so I usually drive in and over the first hill and leave it at the bottom....out of sight of the road and out of sight of the area I'm going to go glass....after that it's all bootleather.

 

[bcoulter]

this is a pet pieve of mine, keep those thinks out of the woods during season. Nothing like have someone park one 100 yards or less from your stand to ruin a good hunt, i know from experience. WALK in.

 

[scjwvj]

400-600yards on average

 

[satchamo]

There is a local property near me that practices strict QDM. There is a steadfast rule that you may only go to your stands using ATVs, no walking is allowed. Walking spooks the deer and ATVs don't. About 3 weeks ago my wife and I were riding on the ATV and I stopped to glass some white oak trees. Within 1 minute a group of 5 bucks walked by us at about 40 yards. They were totally calm although they kept a sharp eye on us sitting on the ATV while they went by. A friend of mine was in a tree stand watching a group of does when someone drove by in an ATV. He said the does bedded down until the ATV went by and then rose and continued eating acorns. I go by so many deer on my ATV and usually they just stand and watch. If they do run it's only a short distance then they stop and watch me go by.

Our ground is the very same way. Deer are used to traffic from all sorts of vehicles. My dad shot the biggest buck of his life 2 years ago and it walked, no joke, 10 yard from his 4 wheeler to get to him. I have witnessed deer walk this close to mine also, its not rare. The 4 wheelers dont scare them, because they have not been harmed by a 4 wheeler where as a person on foot is percieved as a hunter and a threat. Deer do spook alot of the times from 4 wheelers buttt its not near as bad as it would be on foot, no snorting or anything.