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Daily Ponder- Human scent- Why do Whitetails fear it?

IowaBowHunter1983

IowaBowHunter1983

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Was having this discussion. What do you all think?

Do whitetails fear the scent of a person because it is a natural instinct? Or is this learned somehow and passed down?

If it is passed down, how do they correlate the smell with someone trying to kill them?

Hypothetically, if there was zero people killing deer, would deer still fear the smell of a person?

I tend to lean towards it being a learned trait because I have seen deer walk down sidewalks constantly in Ann Arbor, MI with zero fear.... year round.

Thoughts?

Go.
 
Instinct, that can be overcome by familiarity, is my vote. Newborn fawns are afraid of people, but with enough exposure they get over it. Deer & elk that live in areas where they virtually never see (or smell) people are alarmed by the scent. The ones who live in suburban environments become accustomed to our stench and are alarmed much less by it.
 
Its funny how you can see a coyote scurry across a field or through the timber and deer will be on alert, just looking etc, but not throw up the flag and run to the next county like they do if they see a person.

I agree with Horse Doctor, some urban areas the deer are practically tame. Every winter shed hunting in some urban areas deer will trot and stand and stare as you walk by 30 yards away. A couple miles outside of the town if I deer sees you walking they run a mile away as fast as they can.
 
I think it's any foreign scent, for the specific location they are in, that sets them off. Urban deer are used to human smells all around them, but the minute they smell it in their bedroom it's high alert time.
I don't know if I'd give deer enough credit to be able to correlate the smell of a human with danger though, just because all humans smell somewhat different.
 
Roll to a stop to look at dear in a field less then 100 yards out in daylight-gone, do it at dark- delayed movement and much slower retreat??? Fly by them in daylight- again delayed slow retreat if they move at all.
 
Genesis 9:2

"A fear of you and a terror of you will continue upon every living creature of the heavens, upon everything that moves on the ground and upon all the fish of the sea..."

It's an instinct
 
Boonervilleusa said:
Genesis 9:2

"A fear of you and a terror of you will continue upon every living creature of the heavens, upon everything that moves on the ground and upon all the fish of the sea..."

It's an instinct
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I would very much agree with that.

Things changed when the forbidden fruit was ate.
This got me thinking what did the predators eat before that took place? IDK guess I’m getting off the topic.
 
Lots of factors go into this. How accustom to the scent in that specific area, time of year, time of day, our behavior in the woods

During turkey season and shed season I get a heck of alot closer to them then during deer season, I believe that it is because that time of year they feel safer for some reason, like they are generally not harassed by humans.

Use to hunt some urban areas where you would swear the deer would be tame. Get that human scent in the woods where they are not accustom to it and see ya later. No easier killing those deer than killing one in the middle of no mans land.
 
Good ?!!!!
Bobcats, coyotes and people spook em. To what degree it changes..... not as bad if I’m on tractor or they see coyote from 200 yards away or it’s leaving.
It’s gotta be hundreds of years of being killed by people & those predators.
Yet- it’s a bit more complex (if instinct) that if u raise a fawn- won’t be scared by human. So- something has to be learned quickly at young age.
I’d just guess that vast vast majority know people = death and those that don’t are usually dead.
Fawns with no mom is maybe a good example.... those lil things are pretty dumb without mom around. Older they get- more “wise” to human scent as well. So- a lot has to be learned. Hmmmm. Brain scrambled on this one.
 
I'm leaning learned solely based on button bucks are dumb while doe fawns are learning from their mother. And I'm more likely to get away with a buck downwind of me than I am a doe

What I don't get is how deer haven't learned that they have predators from the sky. I mean, they keep getting hunted from treestands so why aren't they looking up?
 
arm said:
I'm leaning learned solely based on button bucks are dumb while doe fawns are learning from their mother. And I'm more likely to get away with a buck downwind of me than I am a doe

What I don't get is how deer haven't learned that they have predators from the sky. I mean, they keep getting hunted from treestands so why aren't they looking up?
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You've never had a deer look up at you? I sure have!

I believe it's a "getting used to it" type of deal. They fear what they don't know. I read one time a good analogy from our everyday life, you smell someone smoking a cigarette out in public, you smell it but don't really give it a second thought you are used to it/know what it is and no harm. You go to your home stand in your driveway, smell cigarette smoke or see a butt laying there, you start asking questions and maybe get a little worried, now you walk into your bedroom and the room stinks like the smoke and you are on high alert and looking for the source/leaving the area.

Now say you are the smoker or are used to being arou d it all the time, none of those things I mentioned bothers you a bit, you feel safe.

I believe a deers instincts work like this if that made any sense. All animals (including humans) have an instinct to fear the unfamiliar. Deer and many wild animals instincts tell them to flee rather than figure out what it is.


Sorry for the ramble... Hopefully it makes a little sense
 
arm said:
I'm leaning learned solely based on button bucks are dumb while doe fawns are learning from their mother. And I'm more likely to get away with a buck downwind of me than I am a doe

What I don't get is how deer haven't learned that they have predators from the sky. I mean, they keep getting hunted from treestands so why aren't they looking up?
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They walk around looking up in the trees where I came from!
 
Use to hunt some urban areas where you would swear the deer would be tame. Get that human scent in the woods where they are not accustom to it and see ya later. No easier killing those deer than killing one in the middle of no mans land.
This is a good point! They started doing urban hunts in my town back in 93'. As a kid we ran those deer from all over the country side (in town) and we could have shot with a bow several on a daily basis. Once that hunt started in the fall of 93 we killed lots. Over the next couple years they got educated quick! They started looking up in trees much more than "wild" deer ever have. I would have to believe much is genetic as well as learned! Much has to be part of what that particular herd deals with on a daily/weekly basis, especially in urban areas and much has to do with pressure we as hunters put on them in the wild.
 
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Ishi said:
I would very much agree with that.

Things changed when the forbidden fruit was ate.
This got me thinking what did the predators eat before that took place? IDK guess I’m getting off the topic.
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Well not to derail the OP...but predatory animals were created/designed to eat meat. after a look in the mouth of a lion it's hard to argue that was designed to pulverize plant material. Not to mention the way their digestive tracts are designed to handle raw protein vs the chambered stomach of a plant muncher.Unlike humans, animals were not created with the idea they would live indefinitely. The food chain was established by the creator. That's why there is also a distinction between wild animals and domestic. that "fear" is not nearly as pronounced in domestic animals. The ability to eat meat was a gift from God to his people. Domestic animals were created to be just that...food. Certain animals were intended to be "farmed" so that obtaining food from them is easier than from the wild critters.
 
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