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Hunting Myth Buster: Never gut a deer near your treestand
Cal Sportsman ^ | 10/20/2016 | C Cocoles

Posted on 10/20/2016 5:53:43 AM PDT by w1n1

You've heard it before: you should never gut a deer near your treestand. At least, that is a popular theory. As the saying goes, if you gut a deer near your stand, it will scare all the deer that frequent the area away. However, are there any facts to back up this claim, or debunks it?

Well, yes. Here's what was found.

After quite a bit of research into this topic, I was able to find this study done by Dr. James C. Kroll, who replicated gut piles all over the woods and placed trail cams right on top of the piles. Two kinds of animals were always the first to show up to the pile within hours of its placement: shockingly, deer and crows. Some deer even licked the gut piles, but at the very least, they were heavily investigated. Deer did not respond negatively at all.

Watch the video to see this exact evidence. Deer and crows are right there to check it out. See it here.


TOPICS: Hobbies; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: deerhunting; fielddressing; gutting
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1 posted on 10/20/2016 5:53:43 AM PDT by w1n1
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To: w1n1

Just like possum, deer will come check out what happened to their buddy. Seen it many times.


2 posted on 10/20/2016 6:08:41 AM PDT by wrench
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To: wrench

This was my families experience over several decades. Deer are not spooked by gut piles.

We also found they are not deterred by smoke from small fires.


3 posted on 10/20/2016 6:11:18 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: w1n1

I wish I had a gut pile to try this with.


4 posted on 10/20/2016 6:12:11 AM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: marktwain

Ever go back and try to find a gut pile the next day?


5 posted on 10/20/2016 6:23:42 AM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: w1n1

Happiness is a large gut pile! :-)


6 posted on 10/20/2016 6:47:36 AM PDT by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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To: w1n1

I’ve been a deer hunter for over 30 years. My observations are right in line with what is stated in the article.


7 posted on 10/20/2016 7:10:06 AM PDT by Augie
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To: wastoute

As a matter of fact I did go back, I thought I was lost!


8 posted on 10/20/2016 7:11:01 AM PDT by Toadman (To anger a Conservative, tell a lie. To anger a liberal, tell the truth.)
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To: w1n1

Note: Bears can climb trees


9 posted on 10/20/2016 7:13:45 AM PDT by AppyPappy (If you really want to irritate someone, point out something obvious they are trying hard to ignore.)
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To: w1n1

Anecdotal, but I’ve shot a deer out of a stand, gutted it, had a hunting buddy climb up and shoot another one within 5 yards of the gut pile. I’ve also seen a deer shot and laying dead, with a live deer standing right next to it as if it were alive.


10 posted on 10/20/2016 7:17:58 AM PDT by NittanyLion
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To: Toadman

I have gone back a number of times and not a trace.


11 posted on 10/20/2016 7:23:03 AM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: wastoute

Field dressed my elk within ear-shot of camp a few years ago just to see for myself what you asked...

Just before dark we heard the coyotes at the gut pile, and the competition for the scraps went on for quite some time...

Next morning went over to investigate...Nothing but a few bloody shreds left...Nature wastes nothing...


12 posted on 10/20/2016 7:46:19 AM PDT by elteemike (Light travels faster than sound...That's why so many people appear bright until you hear them speak)
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To: AppyPappy

Bears repeating?


13 posted on 10/20/2016 8:34:20 AM PDT by Libloather (Embrace the suck.)
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To: elteemike

“Next morning went over to investigate...Nothing but a few bloody shreds left.”

I shot a ground squirrel near my garden about a week ago. I was also very busy making tomato sauce, so I decided I’d grab a shovel and dispose of its body a little bit later. I went out to move it just before dark and it was already gone! Either a coyote, a fox, or maybe even a skunk found it in just the few hours it had been laying there, and hauled it off for dinner. Nature certainly doesn’t waste much.


14 posted on 10/20/2016 8:46:58 AM PDT by Carthego delenda est
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To: Carthego delenda est

Shot a squirrel that was raiding the bird feeders (chewing them up). Put the carcass out in the field for the resident hawk & the vultures found it first. In about 2 hours, the only things left were a skull picked clean ... so clean, it looked like it had been boiled to get the meat off, the tail, and the two large hind leg bones. Everything else was gone. I am still somewhat in a state of disbelief at how clean that tiny skull was - how in the heck do they do that with their beaks (?).


15 posted on 10/20/2016 11:25:33 AM PDT by Qiviut (In Islam you have to die for. The God I worship died for mewww.freerepublic.com/f. [Franklin Graham])
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To: elteemike

The hunt club I used to hunt with leased about 6,000 acres in a county that was shotgun only due to mostly thick undergrowth. We used dogs to run the deer and hunters had to draw “stands” along cleared paths and stands 100 yds apart with clear safety rules, no shooting down the stand lines. So every deer we shot was on the stand line or near it and the gut piles were left there for the most part. We frequently used the same trails the next day and I NEVER saw a gut pile still there the next day. There was not even blood on the ground. You literally could not find any evidence at all.


16 posted on 10/20/2016 12:04:43 PM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: Qiviut

“...the vultures found it first.”

It’s amazing how quickly and cleanly they can tear apart a whole animal or what’s left of it. I have a place where I move such squirrels or other formerly alive nuisances, and in the warmer months, when the vultures are around, they seem to always get there first. I’ll dump the remains and there won’t be a vulture in sight, but then very shortly there’ll be a few of them there picking it clean. They must have excellent eyesight and perhaps an incredible sense of smell.


17 posted on 10/20/2016 5:06:42 PM PDT by Carthego delenda est
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To: wrench
"Just like possum, deer will come check out what happened to their buddy. Seen it many times."

Crows will do the same if the hunter is well camouflaged.

18 posted on 10/20/2016 9:42:34 PM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias; "Barack": Allah's current ally; "Comey": Barack's current toadie...)
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To: Iowa Granny; Ladysmith; Diana in Wisconsin; JLO; sergeantdave; damncat; phantomworker; joesnuffy; ..
Outdoors/Rural/wildlife/hunting/hiking/backpacking/National Parks/animals list please FR mail me to be on or off . And ping me is you see articles of interest.
19 posted on 10/24/2016 7:44:53 PM PDT by SJackson (The Pilgrims—Doing the jobs Native Americans wouldn’t do !)
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To: w1n1

True story. Watched a doe come along, stop and stare at the gut pile. Didn’t bother her in the least. As far as gut piles disappearing overnight, I’ve seen that many times.


20 posted on 10/24/2016 7:52:59 PM PDT by From The Deer Stand
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