Deer and ATV's

[walleyeking19]

Do you think deer travel routes get affected by driving an ATV past them? There is an ATV trail that goes from one end of our property to the other and it goes right past one of our stands. Opening weekend I drove the wheeler to the back of the property and my dad sat in the stand right by the ATV trail and he never saw anything all weekend.

Than this last weekend, my brother walked to the back of the property instead of driving and i sat in the stand on the trail and I saw 6 deer in the first hour cutting back and forth on the 4 wheeler trail.

Is it just a coincidence that I saw deer when we didnt have the 4 wheeler? Or do the smells from the 4 wheeler have something to do with it? Our land is north of Hinckley, and the deer don't really get any human interaction for the most part.

[smsmith]

If the deer aren't used to the ATV being run on the trail..then absolutely yes... they'll be negatively impacted by using an ATV during season.

I look at situations like this...if some type of disturbance is unusual in my home..it is also unusual to the critters. Somebody drives an atv through my living room once a year and my response is going to be quite different than if it happens daily at about the same time.

[Bear55]

Yep if they aren't use to traffic they might be nervous, same goes of your driving your atv to the area of your stands. I still think it could be a coincidence, you can't say for sure the deer were even in the area the one weekend they didn't cross.

Where we hunt the entire area gets pretty steady atv traffic so the deer are use to it, they walk over our tracks and sometimes use the same trails.

[nofishfisherman]

I agree with the others. In my area there are numerous ATV trails through the public land that get a fair bit of use year round so I haven't noticed it impacting deer too much.

This year with the snow on the ground I spent several days after opener walking the ATV trails and most had a good amount of deer tracks. The deer use them as much as we do to make travel easier. I doubt the deer scatter too far off the trail if an ATV comes by.

If your trail gets ATV use only during the deer season then I'm guessing they'll scatter a little more.

[O.T.C.]

Welcome to HSO ! I think the effect would be greatest on spooking a mature buck into deeper cover making him more nocturnal with ATV use and sure deer will be on your trails and ATV tracks but are those tracks made during legal shooting time and or are you seeing these deer on these tracks during shooting hours ? I feel very strongly that there is a huge difference between 1.5 and 2.5 year old bucks vs. the 3.5's and up, they've forced immature bucks to set up shop where the giants don't want to be and that's in some places not on ATV easy route trails unless it's night. I thank my neighbor in 2005, he fired up his ATV 15 minutes b4 the end of light with a 10 pointer headed right at him, I nearly was plugging my ears cuz I knew this deer is toast, he's 50 yards from trouble when the ATV fired up, turning that buck around and sending him my way, he stopped b4 crossing the creek and good fortune, my tag ended up on his rack.The 2 neighbors, I've never heard a gunshot on the days they drive ATV's to their stands, but like many have said if they're used to them etc. but I'm not rolling the dice on an ATV as touchy as the deer seem to be "where" I hunt. My thinking is only the 3.5 year olds or older buck wise, the rest idk. I don't think an ATV would help my odds so I hoof it.

[ESSGuy]

We hunt Nemadji forest area. I watched 4 does walk up to within 10 ft of my wheeler this year and just look at it for a minute and walk away. Deer in a state forest hear atv's all year round along with trains,planes, trucks, loggers and unless they hear a wheeler and then get a 150gr shot passed their head I don't believe it bothers them much IMO.

[smsmith]

We hunt Nemadji forest area. I watched 4 does walk up to within 10 ft of my wheeler this year and just look at it for a minute and walk away. Deer in a state forest hear atv's all year round along with trains,planes, trucks, loggers and unless they hear a wheeler and then get a 150gr shot passed their head I don't believe it bothers them much IMO.

Yup, I've heard similar stories from others over the years. One thing I haven't heard from others (doesn't mean it hasn't happened...I've just not heard it) is for a mature buck to walk within a close distance to an ATV or for one to stay bedded as an ATV passes nearby. I have heard guys say that does and fawns will just stand there and watch them ride by on an ATV...but haven't heard of a mature buck doing that. Mature bucks avoid human interaction to the best of their ability, pretty much year round. If ATV's are being ridden in an area, and there's another area nearby where they aren't....that's where I'll be looking for a mature buck.

[sticknstring]

Hey Stu-

How about this one?

[smsmith]

Hey Stu-

How about this one?

There ya go...

Got another pic of the buck hauling a$$ after the atv went thru?

[paceman]

Cool Picture!