Urban deer more wary/spooky?

[mheichelbech]

Does anyone else find deer that reside in woods in urban areas or next to neighborhoods to be more wary? On the face of it you would think they would be more accustomed to human activity and therefore less wary to odors and movement but my experience is they are just the opposite...much more wary as far as I can tell.

However I also know of neighborhoods where deer have to practically be ran off the front porch or driveway bit these are areas where no hunting exists or is allowed.

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[Zona]

I don't know if they are more spooky, more educated without a doubt. They know where all the tree huggers live.

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[wickedbruiser]

I hunt the suburban in MA. The deer are a different breed. If you are interested in a good read, check out The Urban Deer Complex. Sums up this kind of hunting.

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[<DK>]

I bumped a really nice buck multiple times in one week and he did not change his trails or timing

[bowhunter15]

When I did the metro hunt, some of the younger deer were dumber than a box of rocks, but the older ones were more careful.

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[Tufrthnails]

We have deer in our neighborhood and as long as I don't look at them I can walk all over the property and they will just watch me and feed. I got pics of them in the backyard from 20 ft away. I also have pics of them smelling my ladder stand in the tree out back that I use for archery practice. If I think about it I'll post some of the pics in the morning. you guys will get a trip out of our Fl deer!

[mheichelbech]

A guy I work with has a pic of a certain booner eating acorns in the middle of the street as he drove around him. Go figure.

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[Motivated]

I think the right answer is that it depends. So really maybe less wary or maybe more wary.

I believe Zap recently posted a news story recently about a liberal Oregon city being "terrorized" by urban deer who were not afraid of people. Funny clip.

I'm not afraid of liberals either.

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[tmarbut]

Yes & no imo. I think they know hard & fast when their safety area has been breached. They may be more approachable closer to houses but if you try to approach them in the woods or in their area, forget about it. They will spooked just as fast as non-urban deer. I do think they are likely more forgiving in general when their safety has been mildly compromised possibly.
Just my 2 cents....

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[Ryan]

I've noticed there more wary but there almost always focused on the direction of the neighborhood so I set up with that in mind

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[tmarbut]

I've noticed there more wary but there almost always focused on the direction of the neighborhood so I set up with that in mind

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...interesting. Can you give a little more detail on your set ups in relation to the neighborhoods?
Always like a differing perspective because several of my best spots are off the back of neighborhoods. In fact, one late season bed I found was 30 yards beside a house, in a privet thicket.

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[dan]

Certainly there is something to this... I have seen it where you can walk right up to deer feeding if you stay along the walking trail, but step into the woods and they freak out... Areas that get no hunting pressure at all the deer seem ok with people, but mix urban with hunting and they get real smart real quick.

[cbay]

Areas that get no hunting pressure at all the deer seem ok with people, but mix urban with hunting and they get real smart real quick.

That's what i see where i live. High numbers of does, very visible until season and then by rifle season it's like a ghost town. Hardly ever see a buck anytime unless you find a overlooked spot with lots of escape options. Scouting in the snow after season is very informative.

[mheichelbech]

Certainly there is something to this... I have seen it where you can walk right up to deer feeding if you stay along the walking trail, but step into the woods and they freak out... Areas that get no hunting pressure at all the deer seem ok with people, but mix urban with hunting and they get real smart real quick.

About the closest thing to an always I've ever seen. Tuesday evening was one where I thought ozonics could have helped me. Dead calm, cooling temps, doe underneath me and not liking it. If I go much further back I'll be in someone's back yard!

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[Ryan]

I've noticed there more wary but there almost always focused on the direction of the neighborhood so I set up with that in mind

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...interesting. Can you give a little more detail on your set ups in relation to the neighborhoods?
Always like a differing perspective because several of my best spots are off the back of neighborhoods. In fact, one late season bed I found was 30 yards beside a house, in a privet thicket.

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Here is one setup, red X area I didn't have access to,green are trails where the deer would come in to feed, when the deer would travel in they always had their eyes on the neighborhood area, I got busted before because I set up in that direction, after learning that mistake I set up where the blue x is on the ground and they were never focused on my position it actually allowed me to move more freely since I was ground hunting. So from that point on I never positioned myself between the deer movement and neighborhood but rather adjacent to the neighborhood



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