Deer don’t seem to mind being around cows. A friend and I have each taken a doe on a small, 200 acre tract that includes good hardwood mast and several travel routes from adjacent properties. Because the tract has cows on it, we don’t use feeders or food plots but have a couple of stands positioned near travel routes that we suspect deer use to reach feeders on neighboring properties. We also do our best limit our hunting on the tract to encourage deer to use it as a safe zone. My friend took his doe this evening less than 15 minutes after cows had ranged past his box stand. I’ve seen some nice bucks on the tract as well.

I’m convinced that cows should not be viewed as an obstacle to successful hunting if you’re willing to choose the right strategy and tactics.

They co exist just fine. I think at times the cows can run them off, but not too often. They don't eat the same thing, so they're not competitors

Every property I have deer hunted has cows. If they move through deer will split but come right back when they leave. Our lease has over 1000 acres for them to roam so I rarely even see them. I have seen nice buck eat corn on road between them. No big deal. Some weekends I never see a cow. They normally hang by where they are fed. Pigs like that.

Spot on. They’ll spook at first until they realize it’s cows. I’ve had deer in the feed pen with cows grazing nearby. They see those cows everyday.

We have cows and goats on our lease. One goat has a bell around her neck. Doesn’t bother the deer in the least. They see/hear livestock everyday.

Cows don't seem to bother them for long. Hogs are another matter.

I very much disagree. I get that you can still see and kill deer when there are cows around, but you are far better off if there are no cows around.

they seem to do alright with each other around our place

Agree if the whole herd is in the area. I am moving blinds then. But a few, usually no big deal. My first deer I ever shot a long time ago though walked through a herd that stood at my blind most of the hunt. They were rubbing on the blind. Very annoying and smelly. Young small buck but he didn't care.

Same at our place. You might as well head back to the house if the cows are hanging out near your stand.

Cows don't like to move off very quickly, and deer like to give them space.
If they show up around your stand area, you are pretty much SOL until they decide to mosey on, or you chase them off.
You have to be extremely careful if you decide to take a shot at a deer when cows are round.
The one you accidently shoot will be the owners prize animal, count on it.

Unless they are bedding, cows usually move as they graze. Even if the deer move off, they'll show up once the cows move on. Unless you are hunting a very large area, cows shouldn't be around you more than 20-30 minutes. We've never NOT had stock on our place in 40 years of hunting, and I do just fine. I've had deer walk through or around sheep, goats, and cattle. They see them every day. Now, if you are sitting on a feeder that they are camped out on, I can see that as a deterrent. I agree with OP it's no big deal, just adjust your strategy.

When my friend shot his doe yesterday, it was heading towards the area where cows were making their way towards another area of the tract. In fact, he said he took extra care to make sure he was seeing a deer rather than a calf.

IMO, the first impulse is to see cows and something that is sure to mess up your hunt. However, if you try to think outside the box, they might actually improve your chances in certain situations. They can take a deer’s attention away from your movements, and provide great cover scent. When they co-exist within a given area, I see no reason why deer would view cows any differently than they would any non-predator animal.

We have cows on our 120 acres we hunt year round. They deer are used to seeing them and aren't bothered by them in the least bit. They like to graze behind my my stand in the afternoons. My son shot his buck this year while the cows were about 20 yards to the east of the blind. The deer was 65 yards in front.

With all the scent cover suggestions these days, someone will suggest stepping in cow pies to cover scent.

It makes complete sense when you think about it. Both deer and cows want to go about their own business of moving and feeding from one area to the next. And when their paths cross as they so often do, they pay each other no more or less attention as they normally do.

I don’t worry about stepping in them on the way to the stand for that very reason.

I have to agree. When we got rid of our cows and started our wildlife management program, the tall grasses came back. Bluestem, switchgrass, Indian grass and grama grass. Our deer population doubled. They love hiding and bedding down in the tall grass.

+1. I'll have deer on camera every morning and night until the heard moves into my area. Once the cows show up, the deer move on someplace else. Three or four cows in your area may not be that big of a deal. A heard of 50 cows in your area will run everything off.

Deer and cattle can and do coexist because one is a grazer and the other is a browser... But if they are such good friends and hang around together why do people put up pens around their feeders? Cause if cattle are at the feeder the deer go elsewhere...At least that is my observation.

We put pens up due to pigs., not to keep cows from scaring deer off but yeah, they won't hang out together but also don't go more than 50 yards and then come right back. We have some with no pens and rarely see cows at them. They can mess up a spinner though with their horns. We have to co-exist so don't have much choice unless we want to pay the grazers fee. In a drought year they can do some damage.

Deer rarely compete with ANYTHING at the feeders. They just don't.

Anyone ever seen the Montana decoys "big red cow"? I'm actually planning on giving it a shot this year during the late bow season in OK.

It only takes one destructive cow to ruin a feeder. I've had cows completely leave them alone, but one year the rancher put some cows in that ended up knocking the feeder over right after I had filled it to the brim.
When I drove up two of them were trying to put their head inside the barrel and bent the barrel into an oval shape. It was anchored with "T" posts and they or it still pushed it over.
I stay away from fencing because I'd hate to be responsible for an injury to one of the ranchers cows since he takes them out just before the season starts.
Could it happen?...It could, so I don't take that chance.
We've hunted the place for the last ten years and it only happened once so I don't worry about it.
If you have cows, you learn to adapt as mentioned on an earlier post.