Impact of other animals, birds while in stand???

[HoosierG5]

The stuffed squirrel got my attention, but only because I have thought of this idea myself!

Making a squirrel decoy that moves his tail up and down when a deer is nearby and on alert. I always thought I could attach it close to my setup and it would help...but you wanna talk about Pixie Dust! Ha! It sounded better before I typed it up!

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[Bigb]

Also the old timers used to say when you hear a lone hoot owl , that usually means the owl has spotted an animal moving like a deer or even a human . So what it meant to them were that game were on the move when you hear a lone hoot owl .

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My neighbor swears by this as well. He said that when you hear that first owl hoot be prepared for the deer to start moving. Now whenever I hear that first owl I really make sure I'm on full alert.

[bigwoodsmn]

This buck from a few years ago is dead because red squirrels gave him away.

He was moving just inside a treeline. It happened really fast. I had to shoot left handed.

I never would have seen him if they hadn't alerted me to that buck.

(That camo pattern looks better when I'm up in a tree...)

[Dewey]

Also the old timers used to say when you hear a lone hoot owl , that usually means the owl has spotted an animal moving like a deer or even a human . So what it meant to them were that game were on the move when you hear a lone hoot owl .

[ Post made via iPhone ]

My neighbor swears by this as well. He said that when you hear that first owl hoot be prepared for the deer to start moving. Now whenever I hear that first owl I really make sure I'm on full alert.

I have noticed this as well.

Another think I use to tip me off is ducks in flooded timber of marsh habitat. As deer move thru I can watch their progress by watching the ducks bust out ahead of them.

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[Kidd]

I'm a little late on this thread but I have often thought about taking my turkey decoys and calls with me deer hunting. I have had deer walk out to my decoy setup numerous times without a slight bit of nervousness. Last spring while sitting in my blind 20 yards inside of the woods calling turkeys 4 deer came out into the field to feed. The mature doe came to the edge of the woods and sniffed a ladder of a stand and looked up, sniffed and looked up, and did this a few times before spotting my decoys. She walked into the woods and circled them as she licked them and then spotted my blind. She turned and walked straight towards me. Well, I could have reached out and touched her as I thought one more step and she was going to put her head right inside the blind. Im not sure how she didn't catch my scent on the decoys or my trail to the blind or as we sat there starting into each other's eyes but it was an interesting experience. These encounters lead me to believe deer are more relaxed when in the presence of turkeys as if everything is OK.

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[mheichelbech]

The stuffed squirrel got my attention, but only because I have thought of this idea myself!

Making a squirrel decoy that moves his tail up and down when a deer is nearby and on alert. I always thought I could attach it close to my setup and it would help...but you wanna talk about Pixie Dust! Ha! It sounded better before I typed it up!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

The squirrel is actually kind of special. I shot him about 60 foot out of tree floating down a creek in a moving boat on our way to a deer hunting spot....with my bow. I do have a witness!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[mheichelbech]

The stuffed squirrel got my attention, but only because I have thought of this idea myself!

Making a squirrel decoy that moves his tail up and down when a deer is nearby and on alert. I always thought I could attach it close to my setup and it would help...but you wanna talk about Pixie Dust! Ha! It sounded better before I typed it up!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

The squirrel is actually kind of special. I shot him about 60 foot out of tree floating down a creek in a moving boat on our way to a deer hunting spot....with my bow. I do have a witness!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Twenty Up]

I was watching one of those Alaskan Bush People shows (this one is realistic), anyways the younger son and his wife were hunting blacktail on a remote island in Alaska. The son was having a rough time finding a deer and when he came to an opening he spotted a Raven hovering above him. He then said that a bunch of old timers would follow Ravens while hunting because it would point them to deer and other mammals. The Ravens would feed on the gut piles after the hunters had left, so it seemed reasonable.

Well he sees the Raven and it immediately took a hard right, just over this ridge. Turns out there was a very large and mature Blacktail buck standing on the mountain a couple hundred yards away. He ends up shooting the deer and if I remember correctly the Raven came down to feed on the gut pile as he was leaving.

Ravens are extremely intelligent animals so I wouldn't put it past them to do something like this. So if Ravens have adapted to hunters and gut piles then I would assume that deer, squirrels, chipmunks and birds have an understanding with each other.

[Tennhunter3]

If the squirrels run in the trees it tips me off something's near .I have seen deer and turkey's and deer and fox next to one another before. I don't think animals have much of a impact unless it's a coyote in the area. But squirrels know when a deer is close they go in tree for all animals it seems . I hate birds on branches you can only listen to a woodpecker on tree next to you so long.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[tim]

A few years back my dad was getting ready to draw on a buck and before he got the chance a group of turkeys got noisy and the deer blinded and trotted off a ways.more than once I've seen squirells run up the tree turn upside down with there tails hanging over there heads and start almost barking and here comes a deer.

[ Post made via Android ]

[tim]

Didn't write blinded lol

[ Post made via Android ]

[Rutnstrut]

Not totally what you are asking, but related. A hunter I know that has killed many mature bucks both public and private land told me this once. He said when scouting a new area to pay attention to the other critters like squirrels, turkeys, etc... He said if they seem jumpy/jittery, the area most likely sees significant pressure, maybe not always from deer hunters, but pressure none the less.

[Dewey]

Not totally what you are asking, but related. A hunter I know that has killed many mature bucks both public and private land told me this once. He said when scouting a new area to pay attention to the other critters like squirrels, turkeys, etc... He said if they seem jumpy/jittery, the area most likely sees significant pressure, maybe not always from deer hunters, but pressure none the less.

I agree with that. I have a very remote cattail island I hunt and the squirrels are practically tame. Almost like they never seen a person before and are very curious. They actually come down to the base of the tree and watch me walk past. Every deer I see there is also very relaxed due to zero pressure. Now If I could get a big buck to do the same.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[kurt]

I would never under any circumstances put a mounted squirrel on my tree stand or near me. A guy got shot from a flapping strap. The shooter thought it was a squirrel, and yes it was a trespasser on private. We have a good number of people that like to squirrel hunt and I'm not going to get in to that topic. Lets just say I've heard enough .22 zing around to not do it.


I do agree with a lot of what people are saying. But I can't say I've noticed a ton of negative effects. turkeys in general don't spook that bad for me even if they think they see me I just don't move they make some noise but normal just move off. I get more worried about busting them hard walking in . Most often I do see deer stare in the direction of a distress call. It just seems most of the forest floor grows to almost accept you the longer you are on stand and go on business as usual after awhile. I find myself more distracted than anything watching the squirrels and different birds.

Interesting stuff though