You've probably heard someone tell you to never gut a deer near your treestand.
As the saying goes, if you gut a deer near your stand, it will scare away all the deer that frequent the area. However, are there any facts to back up this claim, or debunk it?
As deer hunters, can we glean anything?
Well, yes. Here's what we found.
After quite a bite 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 this video below to see this exact evidence.
So, what do you think? The next time you're deer hunting, will you stop dragging it a half mile away from your stand?
For a guy like me, who doesn't always get great chances at mature bucks while bowhunting, that sounds like a winner of an idea, especially if it has no impact on the hunting area at all.
Whitetail deer are an interesting breed, and whether you're hunting during the early season, in the middle of the rut, from a treestand, or in a ground blind, with an outfitter or on your own, on public land or private; there are always extra things to consider.
I'd hate to do something that's so easy to avoid if it could negatively impact my chances. If gutting a deer somewhere else was worth it, I'd do it.
But I'm about putting venison on the ground, first and foremost, and field dressing is something I hold in high importance. It's good to know I can take care of it right then and there, without too many repercussions to worry about.
As the big-game hunting seasons move forward, it's worth gathering all the hunting tips you can. On top of that, it's worth finding out when common thoughts are debunked, too!
NEXT: THE CARHARTT HUNTING PACK IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SHOULD BE
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