Road Hunters/Road-Hunting - does it spook deer? (new hunter)

[EastLake13]

I had a question generally about road hunters/road-hunting and whether it spooks blacktail.

My brother and I hunt 437 and hike in behind locked gates during rainy conditions. We had luck last year, but haven't seen a lot of deer sign in the spot we usually try (could be all the fresh bear scat). We went in another area with open gates on a logging road, and saw hunters in trucks ripping up and down throughout the parcel. We decided to leave on the assumption this would not enhance our prospects of spotting a ghost.

I honestly don't know if the cars affect deer behavior. Should we stick to walk-in areas or is it just as well hunting road hunter racetracks if we get out and head into the bush?

Thanks for any insight. This forum has a lot of useful information--pointed me towards Hunting Black-Tail Deer by Louis Terkla.

[Rainier10]

I haven't hunted in blacktail areas for awhile but when I used to it didn't seem to affect them that much.  Where I hunt mule deer now it doesn't affect them a ton other.  They tend to just hang out a couple hundred yards from the roads and only cross them when they have to.                           

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

My opinion is that it depends on what your after..
.
Plenty of deer hang out near active roads.
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Just the dumb ones get taken out of the gene pool.
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Think about what you hear when your walking a road, and a truck comes driving along.
You can hear them from a long ways off.
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It's unusual traffic that makes them nervous.
New open gates, more traffic before daylight...
These will change behavior patterns.
But the deer are still there.

[Platensek-po]

Not sure about driving, but opening morning I had a stalk ruined by some a$$hat driving around honking at every clear cut. Every 5 min he would get to a new clear cut and start honking again. Ruined the morning for me at least.

[EastLake13]

Thanks for the responses everyone!

[deerlick]

they like the sound of my truck

[Stein]

There are tons of deer hit by trucks every year.  That said, there is a difference between deer species and places, some are just about tame and others never see a road.  In general, roads don't attract deer.  If you have an area that has roads cut through it every 1/4 to 1/2 mile, the habitat will have to be incredibly attractive for them to hang out there and it will be much more likely it's does and very young bucks.

In general, I would say you will see more animals if you get at least a hundred or two yards from a road, but that is a very general rule.

I also agree that roads that have a "normal" amount of traffic are much different than those that have little to none and then all of a sudden 100 trucks the day before opener.

I hunt a field adjacent to the highway and they don't mind the traffic, but, as soon as anyone stops they immediately take note.  If they get out of their truck they will almost always at least put more distance if not outright bolt.

[buckfvr]

Page 87 item number 6 of your 2020 regulations.  It is unlawful to hunt wildlife from a motor vehicle.  Yes, road hunters spook (and never even know it) much more game than they harvest.

[jrebel]

I know guys that are crazy successful road hunters.  Heck they sometimes have killed very nice animals.   The way I figure it.....to each their own.   I’m of the mindset that vehicles scare animals in different ways than foot traffic but both (all) styles of hunting spook animals .

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Page 87 item number 6 of your 2020 regulations.  It is unlawful to hunt wildlife from a motor vehicle.  Yes, road hunters spook (and never even know it) much more game than they harvest.

There are a lot of people with handicapped licenses that can legally shoot from their vehicle.  But even the rule you stated doesn't mean you can't spot an animal from your vehicle and get out and get off the road and shoot.

[Taco280AI]

I've hunted elk and muleys in areas with a lot of quad and dirt bike traffic. If you were riding the deer would stand there and stare at you, had bucks 30-40 yards away a few times. If they saw you on foot, they'd bolt immediately. They were just used to it so didn't care.

[Rookie24]

Page 87 item number 6 of your 2020 regulations.  It is unlawful to hunt wildlife from a motor vehicle.  Yes, road hunters spook (and never even know it) much more game than they harvest.

Your last sentence... can you provide a link to the study and or article regarding this? Would be an interesting read.

[carvermoe]

No diss to the above posts, but I have been confined to a wheelchair for 47yrs.
Being more or less a road hunter the whole time, I have witnessed hundreds of times
Seeing deer ghost away,especially black tail , from vehicles as they approach them.
A lot of deer are taken from roads, but every hunter I know see more animals and
Legal animals further from the roads they can get. The mule deer areas that I hunt steadily decline in sightings with the increase in traffic.sorry to say but people are
Getting way to lazy in their style of hunting.. to each their own, but I would stay behind the gates if I could

[fishnfur]

Turned out to be a good thread.  I don't have a lot of issues with road hunters.  If you don't want them around you, find a remote clearcut or park and get into the woods.  Honking or throwing rocks to try to scare deer is another matter.

From my readings years ago on iFish forum in Oregon, there were many hunters who (were sitting on clearcuts when vehicles arrived) said that the deer just freeze when a vehicle comes into a clearcut.  They're harder than hell to see, so for the most part they are safe if they are standing still.  The deer stay frozen 15 minutes or more, and resume normal activity once the vehicle leaves.  IDK if this is correct, but it sounds reasonable. 

Some other reference from years ago - possibly Iverson (?) said that you have to go at least 400 yards into the bush from a road to get into buck territory/range during the early season.  During or near the rut, a big buck could be anywhere, which is why some people road hunt. 

[RB]

Page 87 item number 6 of your 2020 regulations.  It is unlawful to hunt wildlife from a motor vehicle.  Yes, road hunters spook (and never even know it) much more game than they harvest.

There are a lot of people with handicapped licenses that can legally shoot from their vehicle.  But even the rule you stated doesn't mean you can't spot an animal from your vehicle and get out and get off the road and shoot.

 

Not to mention a guy could spend from before daylight to darn near dark and be driving out back to camp and see a shootable animal, step off the road and shoot it. It happens all the time, or hit the brush before daylight not see what you want to see and be heading to a new spot for an evening hunt and have an animal cross the road in front of you. Not all road hunters are the same