This question is more of a follow-up to my first question about when most of you see the most deer, in morning or afternoon, posted here: http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/u..._or#Post4715124

Anyways, Well, I have another question for you guys. On Saturday afternoon I shot an old large doe around 5:45pm. When I shot her, she took off running, and I thought I missed her, buddy texted said stay in stand that deer would still come through. Its my 1st year on this place and he has been here going on 8 years, so I stayed, waited about an hour, and checked where I shot at her, turned out I hit her, and ended up having to track her in the dark thru the brush, hit her in lungs with 170 grain 30-30 round at about 100 yards, and bullet went straight through and exited other side. She never hit the ground, just jumped about 2 feet up, and took off, so I really thought I missed.
Question is two part I guess. Do you you think that deer would have still came through, and do you think that us tracking her and trampling all around through the trails would keep them from coming through for awhile? The reason I ask is that next morning, it was like a ghost town, I didnt even see a rabbit, so I am wondering of the commotion the previous day had any effect on that.

Ive seen it both ways. Some places I hunt the deer will not move after a shot and another place you won't see them for 3-5 days after a shot. As far as trumping thru the woods I think has a lot to do with you going into there bedding area. If your in a random area and not disturbing there bedding area I'd say it has little effect. Me personally I rarely ever hunt the same stand after I've taken a deer for a few days. Too much pressure and you'll run them off for sure.

That is going to depend on the deer on that ranch. You can shoot deer on some ranches in the Hill Country with deer standing there and keep shooting. Other places one shot and they all would leave. A single rifle shot will not spook the other deer that are going to drift in later IMO. Now all the noise and scent from tracking could effect the next hunt though on some ranches and on other ranches it would have no effect.

On ours the shoots do affect them a lot but driving the trucks or fourwheelers dont really they just stand there an look and go back to whatever they was doing.

Whats funny, is I actually took a 2nd shot at her as she was running off, and about 10 minutes later my buddy texted me to tell me that he had just taken a doe at 50 yards with his bow while walking back to his truck for water. He was hunting about 300 yards to my rear left. he said that he jumped 3 does, and they just stood there. he had time to raise, aim and release. WOW

We have a 300 yard rifle range on our hunting lease with two covered benches.

I have a 1/2 acre food plot 100 yards behind the back end of the range. 100 yards of thick pines between the range and plot.

I've sat in my stand on that plot and watched deer feeding in the plot while guys were blasting away on the range. They didn't even raise their heads at the shots.

I think a lot of it is what the deer are accustomed to hearing and/or seeing. Saturday afternoon I could hear a car alarm off in the distance and one of our neighbors' kids hollering. I know the deer at my feeder could hear it too but they never even looked up.

X2

Ours are spooky as all get out this year. I think having no cows and less traffic by the rancher has had a negative affect.