I hunted the same whitetail in the same ‘gully’ for five years and he didn’t leave because I never got him. Deer live where they’re safe. Every once in awhile one gets picked off and even that doesn’t bother them. Ive watched deer walk right past a gut pile of their buddy the next day.
Hit ‘em hard. They’re not going anywhere.
I wonder what's over that next ridge?
Yeah.. on the deer dont care approach. Seems true.. I went to a spot i always go to but slept in and someone shot a 3pt like 15mins walk from my camp (gun shot woke us all up) .. they were at where I had planned but got there b4 me and when I headed that way to investigate I seen buddy had his deer so I offered a hand with it then he said he had seen a buncha deer there and they trotted off over that way *points* I'm like ok thx... so I walk 10mins up the trail past where buddys gutting his deer and theres the deer! .. standing around eatin something in this little open spot.. being all like "o well . Billy's dead .. but hey guys check out this patch of food here!"..... boom I shot my buck and got a 150lb spiker standing in the patch of grass just a skip away from where the 3pt got shot.... they forget I'm sure.... year after that shot a deer one day... and the next day another buck was standing at the gut pile... shot that one too. We were like whoah why would they come stand on the gut pile?... so we make a habit of always checkin gut piles the next day... I love it when they come back for a funeral.