Urban deer hunting discussion

[adelle26]

In short: if you get visually busted by an urban deer, have you seen them use that trail again afterwards? Does their constant exposure to humans make them more tolerable to human intrusion than a deer in ag or big woods areas? If you have time, please read my story from this morning's hunt.

I have permission to bowhunt a thin strip of woods behind a line of businesses, adjacent to several parking lots that see constant human activity. At the top of this woods up on the hill there is open woods bordering a housing development. The portion that I hunt is right on the edge of a thicket not far from the lot. The hill up top is very steep, so deer like to travel the flat trails next to thicket. From historical observation, most of the time deer will travel on the very edge of the parking lot or just inside the woods bordering the lot, on the outside of the thicket, so they can easily retreat to the cover if something spooks them.

This morning I was tucked into some brush with a tree to my back to hide my outline..with the parking lot behind me, watching the thicket trails. I spotted movement in front of me at 40 yards and was expecting them to walk into the corner of the lot and step into my shooting lane in front or to the left of me. Instead they snuck up on me and came in to my right, where I couldn't get a shot without moving. I tried to swivel my seat as the doe was looking away from me, yet I got busted at 5 yards. Their peripheral vision is better than I thought. I don't want to hunt that spot on the ground again, but there is a good tree overlooking that same trail. Would you hunt the tree the next time so the deer don't expect danger from that same spot on the ground?

[dan]

If I hunted it again and a tree was an option, yes I would hunt it. The actual deer you saw will likely be real cautious if it comes back thru that spot at all... All deer, urban, farm, swamp, big woods, hill country, etc. all tolerate some human invasion, and don't tolerate other human invasion. There are certain areas where people seldom go that deer freak out on human scent, and every deer is different. I think the biggest difference between back yard deer and big woods deer (using the two most opposite terrains) is the distance from there "safe zone" and the size of there safe zone... So in other words, the "city" deer might tolerate you 50 yards from there bedding area where people walk all the time, and the deer that sees humans once a year might tolerate you 200 yards from there bedding, but neither will tolerate you in there bedding, with a few rare exceptions.

[justdirtyfun]

I have hunted in places like you described. It was not easy or should I say not as easy as I expected it to be.

Being close to the same place but in a tree should work.

[Boogieman1]

When I get busted I move the stand downwind of original if I plan to hunt it again. Might be over kill but it makes me feel better. I have seen quite afew deer look 4 me in a old tree I'm sure they do it when I'm not there to see it and any deer with them will do the same thing.

[G.Tubbs]

I would agree with all of the comments made so far. I also hunt an urban area between houses, driveways and roads. Deer are always cautious no matter the area. I would absolutely throw a change up on your next sit at that property. Move from the ground to a tree for sure. If you don't kill the deer before it busts you, it will be looking for you next time in the same spot. I can say that I have had this happen before. They come in looking for you. I know on my small property I am very limited on places to put my stand. I do not hunt it multiple times in a week and I will only hunt when the wind is right. Do everything in your power to not burn out that spot. When I make a kill the spot does not get hunted for a week or more to let it cool back down.

[adelle26]

Thank you for all your input!
I'll let the area cool down and hunt that one tree the next time I go. In the mean time, I'll check out some of the public spots I scouted.