How to avoid deer ruining turkey hunt?

[wgeorge]

It seems if I get setup early in the mornings where a roosted bird is, at some point before fly down a deer or two is coming by me. Then the stomping and circling games begin. Very frustrating. Anyone found a way to limit this problem? If a bird is out of sight I have just stood up and ran them off.

Thanks!

[Lucky Goose]

Deer can be a problem for sure. 

I have a spot that has so many deer on it that I have to turkey hunt it based on the wind so I don't have deer blow out..

So my advice, is strategize around the wind.  Some days you may have to hunt somewhere else or on the fringes of where you'd really want to be.

[Mossberg90MN]

No way to combat it except hope your not in the wind direction of them and don't move.

It's part of the game, the deer is the turkeys friend and alerts him to danger, just as a turkeys putts would alert a deer.

It's part of the battle in my opinion.


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[guesswho]

I never worry about it.   They hear them daily.   If anything I would let the deer see me move, this will usually cause them to move on.

[GunRunner]

I have been using the scent elimination sprays and scent free soaps, deodorant, and laundry detergent during turkey season for years, same as I do during deer season. Last year I had a doe walk within 40 yards of me on a turkey set up and did not detect me.

I think it is worth the effort and expense. You may want to give it a try.

[mikejd]

Never had a deer scare any birds off. I just ignore them and let them move on.

[Hobbes]

I think Guesswho is spot on.

I don't think there's any way around it besides just staying at home.  You have to set up to kill the turkey.  If a deer blows it up, he blows it up.  I never saw the benefits of scent elimination when I was at nose level with a whitetail.
Maybe I just stink.   If it's downwind, it's going to pick you up.  However, I'm not up on the latest scent elimination products. 

I can only recall one time that a deer blew up a turkey hunt and only then because the doe that almost stepped on me turned and almost ran the gobbler over.  If I'd have had enough sense, I could have waited a half hour and still probably called that bird in.  On most occasions, I never had a bird do anything more than maybe go quiet for a short while due to a deer.

I have had coyotes screw everything up enough that I couldn't get the bird back on track.

[PALongspur]

I have been using the scent elimination sprays and scent free soaps, deodorant, and laundry detergent during turkey season for years, same as I do during deer season. Last year I had a doe walk within 40 yards of me on a turkey set up and did not detect me.

I think it is worth the effort and expense. You may want to give it a try.

[Tom007]

Never had a deer scare any birds off. I just ignore them and let them move on.

X2 here, I have had deer "blow out" around me, the gobbler kept coming. I think turkeys and deer are use to each other, not to say that an alarm snort can't ruin a hunt. Could go either way I guess....

[Happy]

I personally will do everything I can to get them moving on as discreetly as possible. Then wait a bit for things to calm down and get back to the task at hands. Works on Jakes and hens as well, just try to steer the hens away from the gobblers if possible.

[turkey_slayer]

Never had blowing spook a bird. Have witnessed coyotes coming thru a setup with bird in view and birds ignore them. But bear in my experience will make one tight lipped rest of the day which I find odd

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[Jim K]

Hunt PA state land. No worries with deer there. In all seriousness, since our deer herd has dropped I rarely have a problem with deer anymore.

[Sixes]

Depends on the situation.  If the deer are just walking by, I just sit still, if they appear to be feeding or going to get down wind, I will make myself known and run the deer off. I don't jump up but will move enough to get the deer uncomfortable.


Where I hunt, the deer aren't that spooky and tend to just trot off without raising too much heck.


Coyotes have ruined more hunts for me than deer.

[gergg]

The public land I hunt has so few deer I can't remember the last time I even saw one while turkey hunting. But, when I have hunted property with plenty of deer around, I just sit tight and things quiet down quickly enough to not mess up a hunt very often.

[WV Flopper]

 I am the opposite of one of the above posts. I run Deep woods off liberally on my hat and do my best not to wash my turkey hunting uniforms.
I want a deer to smell me a mile away, if one is up wind in 40 mile an hour winds I wave at it like a friend I haven't seen in ten years.
I try not to let them get to close, that's when they seem to blow. May not bother the turkeys but it bothers me!