Gut piles

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CJM
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Gut piles

Unread postby CJM » Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:33 am

Hey guys shooting my doe the other day got me thinking about this, in this case I was only about 100 yards from my front door so i just took her back to the house to dispose of the guts but heres my question.

In your experience have you seen negative effects of gutting a deer where they lay if its on a known travel route or food source, or close to it? Normally if i know of a clearing a short way from from where they drop I'll drag there to make my life easier for gutting.

I've also seen on a few occasions where people set trail cams over gut piles and have monsters on cam right over the guts, but cant help feeling like it may mess it up a bit. Thoughts?

Thanks
Cody


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PK_
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby PK_ » Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:36 am

No, well, except the attracting of coyotes.

Put out a gut pile in fresh snow then check how many deer tracks there are walking up to it the next day. They don't care.
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iowa whitetail
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby iowa whitetail » Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:39 am

A mature buck will freak out and you'll never see him again happened to me once my cousin 2 years ago never seen either deer again

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Bucky
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby Bucky » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:14 am

Deer walk right by other dead deer... gut piles... whatever else nature dishes out. It is not ideal... I gut em where they drop
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oldrank
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby oldrank » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:34 am

I always drag em to some inconspicous spot where people wont get a tip off to my hunting spot

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Crazinamatese
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby Crazinamatese » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:48 am

I've had deer walk in on me during or right after gutting deer few times. Not sure if its a curiosity of some sort? Depending on the predator ratio on your land, I have seen gut piles literally disappear over night with nothing but hair and stomach content left by next morning.
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CJM
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby CJM » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:52 am

Ok, so from what I'm reading it doesnt mess up their movements, so on private land gut em where they drop unless its in known bedding because i would want to spend as little time there as possible, on public take em away from your spots so the goon squad will concentrate on where they think you shot it ;)

I just pulled one of my trail cams from my back yard( about 100 yards from where I dumped the doe) and there is a bloody coyote on it.
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Milk Weed Seed
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby Milk Weed Seed » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:59 am

Bucky wrote:Deer walk right by other dead deer... gut piles... whatever else nature dishes out. It is not ideal... I gut em where they drop

I agree.
The only time I gut at home is in the burbs. The land owners don't want their dogs rolling around in the gut piles....
[glow=red]Happiness is only a gut pile away[/glow]
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Dewey
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby Dewey » Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:26 pm

oldrank wrote:I always drag em to some inconspicous spot where people wont get a tip off to my hunting spot

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That's what I do too.

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HoosierG5
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby HoosierG5 » Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:07 pm

Drawn predators is the biggest concern to deer.

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Sudden Impact
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby Sudden Impact » Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:20 pm

I always gut deer away from my hunting area preferably in the open where predators will not present conflict with my deer movement. The last thing I want is a pack of coyotes continually investigating the odor of a gutting location for three days especially in one of my bedding areas. Also in the open...a field for instance, the ravens, buzzards, and eagles get on it during the day quicker and help it disappear faster imo. Too many coyotes in my areas.......I prefer my lazy neighbors bait them to their favorite hunting spots making my side of the fence/ river feel more secure. Here is what I know for sure........if I gut them away from my hunting area and kill site......I don't have half a dozen sets of coyote tracks in there the next day. Having said that I can also access most of my areas with an atv or short drag to truck. If I was back in the bush on public ground or in a deep ravine with a long drag ahead of me.... the deer is probably getting gutted on the spot. Have witnessed numerous bucks and does investigate dead deer on the ground and other gut piles from other hunters.....most deer do not react negatively to the smell of blood that I have seen. Just my 2 cents.

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Bigb
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby Bigb » Tue Sep 23, 2014 2:19 pm

Never had an issue with deer walking by them, its nature. Plus, I don't think deer know what there insides look like so they can't tell its whats inside them. Deer see dead deer all the time so the smell is something they know.

The only thing I worry about is coyotes. One of the best trail cam pics I have is when I put a boned out doe next to her gut pile and that night had 6 coyotes all on camera tearing it apart at once. All this in the snow. The funny thing is that this what just outside Chicago and no one knew we had coyotes let alone that many coyotes.
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Milk Weed Seed
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby Milk Weed Seed » Tue Sep 23, 2014 2:21 pm

I have gutted several by a small brook and tossed the guts in there, not sure if it did much though.
[glow=red]Happiness is only a gut pile away[/glow]
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Stanley
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby Stanley » Tue Sep 23, 2014 3:38 pm

I have had mature bucks turn inside out when going by a gut pile. The thing is they not only smell the guts but all the human scent left from the gut job. I would recommend if you are big buck hunting and going to hunt the same area gut them elsewhere.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Gut piles

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:54 pm

Bucky wrote:Deer walk right by other dead deer... gut piles... whatever else nature dishes out. It is not ideal...[glow=red]I gut em where they drop[/glow]


Same here. Death is everywhere in the woods. Your scent is more alarming to them.

I always wondered if a deer was capable of acknowledging the exact predator that made the kill. Seems plausible.

On a related note, I also think this is why areas go cold for weeks after a wolf pack moves through. The scent laid down by the wolves leaves the deer on edge for weeks.


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