Shooting Deer In FoodPlots...Can They Smell It???

[WildBoose]

What do you think? When you shoot a deer in a food plot, can the other deer smell the blood on the ground? Does it effect them? How long will the scent last? I am going to have to do some population control this year on doe's and the question popped up in my head.

 

[Yoder]

I don't know for sure but I've had deer come in and walk right past a gut pile.

 

[Randle]

I shot a buck one year that was passing back and forth passed a gut pile in the big timber. So i would say it doesnt bother them

 

[kpk]

Chalk up a 3rd for having them walk passed a gut pile unaffected.

 

[Fordguy]

I've seen deer eat undigested corn from a gut pile, and I've seen bucks sniff does that have been shot/killed and attempt to get them on their feet (presumably to breed). I've not seen deer act concerned when they crossed a blood trail. There's a lot of death in nature and some of that death is very bloody. I don't think deer are terribly concerned about it.

 

[Shady oaks]

Zero effect on them. I don't leave gut piles in the field due to coyotes, not because of other deer. Otherwise, like everyone else, they walk right next to it.

 

[Djacker]

I've shot 2 deer in food plots this year. Field dressed both in the same food plot they were shot. Within hours I had deer walking within 10 yards of the kill site, including mature bucks. Didn't seem to bother them at all.

 

[Joebe]

I've killed deer right on a corn pile (it's legal where I go) and have other deer feed around the deer for an hour.

 

[dtrkyman]

They absolutely can smell it, does it bother them?

 

[Yoder]

Yesterday morning my dad shot a doe with his rifle. Seniors could use a rifle for doe this last week. There was a buck with her. He never even ran. After she was dead he walked up to her and started pawing at her. He sniffed around her for a while then went back to eating acorns.

 

[Texasbuckeye]

They wont care. I have seen a buck sniff at a spot my xbow bolt was lying after it passed thru a pig, but didnt bother them one bit.
My son shot said buck the next weekend at that same exact spot.

I do not gut deer in my plots at all, i have far too many vultures and they would over run the area until the gut pile was gone, so i always take the deer and gut them elsewhere and dump the remains in a certain section of my place. Having said that, for a gut pile to last longer than a day would be something with all the carrion eaters at my place.

 

[Jumpman]

In own experience it may catch their attention depending on how recent the kill is. However, this could be good as I’ve noticed sometimes the smell of urine has (maybe?) attracted a few deer in on a windy day.

 

[fwafwow]

No clue if they can smell blood (I expect so), but not only do they not seem to care about blood, +1 for not always caring about a rifle shot. I shot a doe and she bang flopped in the food plot. Her buddy went into the woods but came back out in less than 5 min and started feeding next to the dead doe.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

Absolutely not. The other night I shot a doe at 5:15. She ran off about 40 yards and crashed on the right side of a transition trail. I was giving her 30 min as it was a heart shot/pass through. In those 30 min another doe with a spike trailing her walked past ole doe in the trail into the food plot and I ended up having to wait for them to move out so I wasnt educating them. I havent had it happen like that before, but Ive seen deer come into a plot the same night after I arrowed another deer many times.

I think the deer are going to trust their noses as far as human scent. Thats my experience anyway.

 

[Bearwhisky]

I shot a doe the other night and it ran off about 40 yds and tipped over dead. The other doe with her (bigger so I assume more mature) ran off and kept going. I watched it tip over so I climbed down out of my stand after about 5 minutes. Spent 5 min or so looking over the shot site, inspecting my arrow, etc. then walked the 40 yds to where she died. I came over a small rise and the bigger doe had come back and was feeding within 5 yds of the dead doe. The one on the ground was high double lung shot. Almost no blood trail and all of it came out of her at the final kill site. There was blood EVERYWHERE and the old doe was just feeding away. This was not a “food plot” just an overgrown field that has not been bush hogged this year. Some clover and other grass/browse sporadic but not a lush food source. If it were a super lush food plot, I imagine it would matter even less. Hunt on brother!


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[Pickettpuncher]

I shot 2 bucks within feet of each on consecutive days 2 years ago. It don’t bother them

 

[KenLee]

Very fresh deer blood (I'd say 12 hours) will spook a mature buck if the rut isn't on.
Saw it happen more than once.
This was while sitting with young kids. I'm pickier with their shots, as I would have already shot before the bucks reached the blood.

 

[sasquatch]

Chances are they probably smelling YOU from when you went to retrieve the deer filling blood


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[*zap*]

a deer can smell one corn kernel under 3' of snow.......

 

[Timwinjr]

Like others have said, I’ve had deer many times come in and smell the deer laying there dead. I’ve never had a mature buck do this though so can’t speak to that. I don’t think blood bothers them, deer are a curious animal in my experience.