Riding ATV to deer stand?

[motley man]

Who rides ATV to deer stand, and does it scare the deer out of area?

[cavalierowner]

I don't use an ATV any more, but I used to. It actually never crossed my mind to drive right up to my stand. I always parked it a good 200 to 300 yards from my stand on a "main" trail and walked the rest of the way. I have no idea whether it would bother the deer, but I didn't want to chance it.

[6arrows]

Here is my thought big old buck smell gas and oil in a area he been in all fall sniff around says thats not right alarm ringing in his head He sneaks back other way got out of Danger awwwwwww i made it he says. Human in these woods i gotta lay low now.

[Bear55]

I think it depends on the area, if the deer are use to ATV traffic they probably watch you drive by no harm done. If you only drive in for deer season you are likely giving the smarte/older deer a big warning that a hunter is on the way. I use one to get to a few spots but I park a distance from my stand.

[nofishfisherman]

I hunt in an area with several well used ATV trails so to some extent the deer are use to them driving around but I'd rather them not know that someone is around at all.

Last year we left the ATV on the trailer the entire time and walked in to all of our stand sites. Some are back a mile or more but its worth the walk to hopefully go unnoticed. For us the ATV is only there to assist in retrieving deer, of course last year the only deer we shot were only a short drag away so we didn't bother with the ATV.

[CodyDawg]

2 thoughts on this one.

First, an ATV can have 1 of 3 effects on a deer. It can scare them, it can have a neutral or no effect on them or it can attract them. I think it is safe to say it doesnt attract them. Thus the best you can hope for is that it will have no effect. but as stated, most likely the older deer bail out.

Second thought, how about that parked ATV? Someone will have a story about a deer running by one, but I have the opposite. I had parked my ATV about 400 yards away in an open area that my dad could see from a long ways off. Here came a big buck and when he saw the ATV, he stopped and stared at it and then flag up, bolted way around it. The ATV had been sitting there for about 4 hours at that time.

I park farther and farther away every year.

[Musky Buck]

All I know is the guys who rod by me never seem to fire a shell later. It's not a pleasant sound to hear in the early AM I've never fired a round either when he drives by, every deer in our area is on red alert,just makes them bed down before 1st light or leave our area altogether. So I go hunt elsewhere.

[monstermoose78]

I park my wheeler under my stand so does everyone else in my party and we shoot a lot of big bucks. I have had small bucks walk up and smell my wheeler then look up at me. We drive are wheelers around on the property all year long so they are not scared of the noise they make. I am sure there might be a big ole buck out there that i have never seen because of this but I have mine buck on the wall so I am ok with that. My uncle has 3 big bucks on his wall and his wheeler is a bright red honda and it sits 4 feet below him all season. I am letting my cousin use my wheeler and my stand this year, because I am not able to take the week off from college to go hunting with my family. Good Luck to all you Rifle and Shotgun guys this weekend.

[Phunnyfarm]

Golf cart! That's the best way to get to the stand...no gas smell, only the sound of the leaves and sticks under the tires, and easy to cover up with a camo net!

[Born2Fish]

We drive in every year to our stands. Granted if we COULD walk in to our stands we probably would, but making the mile or so hike isn't all that fun in the mornings. Specially with the very large hill we have to go down and up to start the mile trek. We normally drop one person off at their location, drive to about 3-400 yards of the final stand and park it right off the trail. Last year we we filled our tags before 5pm opening day.

[IceHawk]

Our group of 14 all driveto our stands with wheelers and we have also had great success with some dandy bucks shot every yr.

[IceHawk]

Our group of 14 all driveto our stands with wheelers and we have also had great success with some dandy bucks shot every yr.

[nitro640]

we hunt on a farm, four wheelers are used all the time, I sit on an 80 acre hay field, I have driven by them in the morning and if I don't stop they will stand there and let me drive by, I park at my stand. I think if they are used to it it doesn't bother them.

[CodyDawg]

1 mile and a hill? I just got back from elk hunting in Idaho. Every morning and evening we had 2-3+ hour hikes in and out in the dark. Elevation change of 1,500- 2,000 feet. So it can be done and 1 mile really is a piece of cake, especially on a trail. Give it a try!

[laker1]

1 mile and a hill? I just got back from elk hunting in Idaho. Every morning and evening we had 2-3+ hour hikes in and out in the dark. Elevation change of 1,500- 2,000 feet. So it can be done and 1 mile really is a piece of cake, especially on a trail. Give it a try!

Agree

[Kdog10]

Completely agree, if hearing a 4-wheeler is common place then it will not spook them.

We were out working on stands a couple weeks ago. Drove out on the 4-wheeler pulling a trailer. We arrived, started unloading, and about 2 mins later a little buck erupted about 40 yards away. We drove right past him and he stayed put until we started making a bunch of noise.

[InTheNorthwoods]

I've been driving my bait in on the ATV all fall, so I assume the ATV will be like a dinner bell when I show up opening morning...

[bigbucks]

Well there you go...

I never take a 4 wheeler to my deer stand. I don't have one...

That said although they're common in our area, it's not common for them to be in the woods before daylight. I try to get to my stand before the guys in our group that use wheelers head for their's. I can definitely tell right where they are.

I normally park my truck within a 1/2 mile. At my folks place we just leave them in the yard, none of the stands are more than 400 yards away.

[NoWiser]

If I only had a mile walk to my stand on a trail, I could sleep an hour later every morning!!

I don't think wheelers bother deer too much if they are used to them, but I don't think they can help your odds either. I haven't used a wheeler in over 10 years for deer hunting and have never enjoyed it more. There is no way I'm walking to my stand twice in one day, so it keeps me from coming back and building a fire at camp to warm up. It forces me to stay in the stand or woods every last minute of shooting time, and is definitely making me a more successful hunter. Barring some unforeseeable event in my future, I don't see myself using an ATV for a very, very long time, if ever.

[Musky Buck]

Since I'm after the oldest buck I can maybe get, I'm not going to rod along on a 4 wheeler in the dark on a calm morning thinking that's going to happen. I can hear my neighbor fire his up then here he comes, then he shuts her down, and I have yet to see even a fawn from my stand when he drives it out and I have yet to hear him shoot and he's plowing anything, the deer just seem to bed down quick then in the AM and they wait for him to leave in the PM which is after hours from my observations. Young deer who knows, they haven't had as many life experiences as the older goats so it depends also on where you hunt and where your deer tend to come from and if you get there before the deer so they know nothing is a miss, don't expect them to come flocking to the smell of gas and oil and exhaust.