Gutting Deer

[bpoli2]

Does the gutting of your shot deer in close proximity of your stand have any effect on further deer passing by your stand. In other words should you drag your deer away from your hunting spot prior to gutting??

Thanks

[Froggy4371]

I have found it to have no effect on other deer coming in to my stand. On 11/12 I shot a coyote, on 11/13 I shot a huge doe that come in. On 11/14 I shot a nice 8 point that came in, and on 11/15 I shot another big doe for our party. We had only 4 deer and I got 3 of them and they were all gutted right there by my stand.

Froggy

[89Bronco]

bploi2---I've shot and gutted deer next to my stand and have come back a day or two later and have seen deer tracks in the snow go right over and around the frozen gut piles.

[Stratosman]

I usually gut them where they fall too, guts are usually eaten by coyotes before the next morning anyway.

[hanson]

Last year, I happened to shoot 2 deer on back to back weekends. I pulled the trigger on both of them on the same spot on the trail down the same shooting lane. The first one I dropped dead in its tracks and maybe moved it a couple yards to a little more open area to do the gutting. The 2nd deer was shot within a couple yards of the gutpile. Wasn't much gutpile left after a week though.

[Big-Al]

I shot a doe on Sunday and could have shot a buck standing right over the gut pile on Monday morning.

[iland99]

Saturday morning last weekend I shot a buck at 10 am, then shot a doe within 5 yards of the buck's gut pile at 4:15 pm. The doe was completely oblivious to the gut pile.

[luckey]

On the opening Saturday evening I shot a doe on a deer trail. I gutted the doe on the spot and hung it in a tree. On Sunday morning, I saw a 6pt sniffing the gut pile. I saw no reaction of alarm or concern. After a minute or so, he walked within 1 foot of the hanging doe and never gave it a glance. Yes, I did let him go and hope he is still out there some place.

[SSSTaxidermy]

I wonder what is going through their little brains when they come upon a gut pile. I have also shot deer standing next to piles or watched them check it out. Its crazy when you think about it.

[Tripleplay]

In previous years I've always gutted my deer basically right where they fall (I hunt over a 90+ acre hay field) or maybe at most pull them to the edge. I know this is a different situation than in the woods but this year I made a decision to take all of the deer back to one area where we hang them and gut them there. Why? Last year, the gut piles were targeted by the eagles and I literally watched deer stick there heads out of the woods and spook due to the flapping wings and movement of the eagles. I've also had wolves and coyotes hit the gut piles during the daylight which pretty much means no self-respecting deer will enter the field.

Maybe I'm over-reacting but I figure it is a fairly short season and why risk even one opportunity because I left a gut pile in the field. In the past, I've shot deer very near to gut piles so I also agree that the gut piles don't seem to affect them, but I do think the movement and for sure the predators in the field will impact their willingness to leave the woods.