Are deer spooked of bears/bear bait?

[TJS]

Hello everyone!
I have a question for everybody: Do bears and deer get along? Will deer leave an area that is being baited for bear? I ask these questions because I have a brother who drew a Wisconsin bear tag and is going to bait at an area that I scout/hunt. I don't want to waste my time scouting the area if the deer will leave due to the baiting activity. It sounds like he will be in the area almost every day. Its a bummer there was a 170'' 12pt and a 140-150ish 10pt in there last year. Thanks for the help!!!

[Mike Foss]

I am going to say NO. Deer and Bear deal with each other on a daily basis. I have seen deer standing only yards from bears while they were at a bait station, I have seen deer while on stand walk up to bears out of curiosity, never have I seen any aggressiveness of bears towards deer, although bears in the Spring will search out and kill new born fawns.

Dan can answer your other question about human activity with those big bucks.

[Beast-Mode]

I have been hunting up north just two years and I have only seen them interact once. The bear hightailed it when two yearlings came in

[RED OAK]

My observations are that deer are not spooked by bears necessarily but the baiting activity does have a negative affect on the immediate area due to human scent left behind constantly.

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[P&YBuck1]

I agree with the others that the increased activity for baiting will probably keep the big bucks away.

I do have many pictures at my bait sites of does and fawns but never any bucks.

Not sure if it was just the setup or baiting activity, the reason why I never had a buck on my camera.

[natvbearhntr]

I've had deer activity at my bear bait. While sitting a group of doe walked right past the bait. While baiting a young 6 point buck came charging in and scared the s### out of me. I thought a bear was charging through the woods. He stopped about 10' in front of me and just stared at me.

[Bearman13]

Bear baits won't spook deer. Human activity day after day will drive bucks out. I d seen deer on stand and so have clients. The deer come into the baits because of the smells. All animals are attracted to anise, vanilla, castor, etc.

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[dan]

I see deer by bear baits a lot, especially when using vanilla as an attractant. I don't think the bears have a huge impact on them, but if the bears bed in a buck bedding area where they normally don't because of the nearby bait, thast nmay drive the bucks away.
Human scent is the biggest factor, but, most bear hunters take the same wrought in and out to bait and deer get used to it and adjust.
My bet would be the bucks your after will still be in the immediate area. They may just shift there pattern around the baited area a little.

[Edcyclopedia]

Deer are both curious and defensive creatures...

I have bucks coming to animal (Rabbit, Grouse, Woodcock, Ducks) gut piles and sniff pretty extensively.

The same piles as the Coyote and Bear hit...
Of course not at the same time, but believe under certain circumstances deer may / could be "X" amount of yards apart (comfortable zone) to those predators (excluding fawns)

[Bearman13]

I had a bull moose two years ago runs bears off a bait . As soon as moose left one bear came back and guy shot it.

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[Hodag Hunter]

Have many pictures of deer eating at bait once bear opened it up. One bait was having a smallish bear open it regularly and a nice buck with a deformed half rack come in pretty consistent.

What keeps the bear and deer away more, in my area anyway, is when wolves start hiring the bait.

Had a wolf come in and half circle the bait dowwind scent checking the bait while I was in the tree. Wolf never got close enough to trigger cam that day but its presence would slow the bear and deer activity for a few days.

Dont have to have wolf pictures on camera to have them checking baits. I think they check baits for food themselves, every bait I placed had wolves, and checking for other smaller critters to hunt for food.

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[Bearman13]

Wolves are paranoid of the cameras. They hear them cycle and flash. The Infared ones they key in on the cycle and blinking light. Coyotes also. No doubt them come in with the cameras. I have many pics like that. But if you look close at what you think are accidental pics you will see a wolf or yote in background skirting the bait.
I deal mostly with wolves. We have very few yotes here. We call em brush wolves.

I've had wolves especially a pack run 400 plus pound boars off baits for days. We don't use corn here. For one thing bears don't like it much and they have no idea what it is. And it's a sure way to bring deer in and boom here come wolves.

Had two hunters have wolves pop on baits while they were on sit. I immeaditly moved them next day. I moniterd the baits with cams and they went dead for a few days. Once wolves moved on the bears came back.

Wolves are a terror on bear cubs here. Look at wolf crap in logging roads and it's full of bear cub hair.

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[Schultzy]

Wolves are paranoid of the cameras. They hear them cycle and flash. The Infared ones they key in on the cycle and blinking light. Coyotes also. No doubt them come in with the cameras. I have many pics like that. But if you look close at what you think are accidental pics you will see a wolf or yote in background skirting the bait.
I deal mostly with wolves. We have very few yotes here. We call em brush wolves.

I've had wolves especially a pack run 400 plus pound boars off baits for days. We don't use corn here. For one thing bears don't like it much and they have no idea what it is. And it's a sure way to bring deer in and boom here come wolves.

Had two hunters have wolves pop on baits while they were on sit. I immeaditly moved them next day. I moniterd the baits with cams and they went dead for a few days. Once wolves moved on the bears came back.

Wolves are a terror on bear cubs here. Look at wolf crap in logging roads and it's full of bear cub hair.

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This post is spot on in my opinion. Well said IMO Jim. For me, I never hardly get deer pics at my bait sights. Most likely because we use more meat then anything.

[Bearman13]

I use beaver and beef fat also. But I make certain no k9's are around. And if the bears don't want it or had their fill. We get it out of the pits ASAP. As soon as that tainted smell starts your gonna have k9 trouble.

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[Hodag Hunter]

Double post