Woodsmanship - Other Animals

[Patriot]

I saw recently on a THP video they were concerned about squirrels alerting the entire forest of their presence. It got me thinking - I get barked at by squirrels all the time, is that a problem?

I was hoping folks could chime in on this thread with the basic Cliff’s Notes version of reading animals of the Forrest. Here are some that I believe are accurate but I know there are way more and I’m hoping more experienced folks chime in:

Turkey - calm turkey near you while set up is a blessing. Deer pay attention to them and if the turkey are calm the deer feel at ease. I’ve heard of hunters using turkey decoys near their set up for this reason.

Little Bucks - if they are edgy and looking back into the thick then there could be a mature buck in there

man, that’s all I know that’s why I need your help!

Squirrels??? What about when crows are barking a lot? Is that bad? Other animals and behaviors to look for?

 

[Jay_Disarray]

Following post

 

[Colek83]

If you can traverse the woods without alerting squirrels you have reached ninja status. Ive never had them pay me much attention when on stand and being still. As a matter of fact, I'm sure others can say as well I've had squirrels all but run down over me in the tree. I don't know that they really alert deer of your presence however.

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[Weldabeast]

I think deer treat squirrels like we treat yappy dogs.....sometimes they seem to pay attention to the squirrel but other times they seem to ignore. I had 5 does under my tree for over an hour in gun season...squirrel were barking off and on from different directions and different distances away and they didnt even look in that direction most of the time...squirrel are paranoid and I think other animals know that

If u have a calm raccoon close by your doing good....I've seen a handful of times a raccoon be doing its thing then just seemingly randomly run off just for either hunter or hogs come by a short time later. They have good senses...the coyote has the best senses IMO

 

[shwacker]

Squirrels bark at anything that alerts them, they will also bark at bucks sometimes. But they bark at hawks, other squirrels, etc. I’d prefer the woods to be calm and not have squirrels going nuts but I don’t believe it’s gonna stop a buck from coming your way if that’s where he was planning to go


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[Treehopper2]

1)squirrels it’s hard to avoid alerting them going into your set up but they usually calm down and go on about their business after a few minutes.
If your on stand and a squirrel spots you most likely he caught your movement which is another problem altogether.

2)Turkeys it may be true they calm deer with their presence but I wouldn’t want them near me long term when I have deer under my setup or working past me because they will detect any movement and blow a shot opportunity.
I would not consider using a turkey decoy to help calm deer the possibility of your scent on them at ground level is a no go.

3)crows are the woods alarm system along with squirrel and your best to not alarm them of your location imo.

4)Best thing to remember is if you don’t move on stand most likely you won’t be visually detected regardless if you use Camo or not.
We spot deer 90% of the time from movement and they also use that to avoid us.


Many things to consider when deer hunting but the #1 thing to work on is scent control.
Some like scent control suits others play the wind or a combo of both but without that it’s a lucky mans game you will loose more than you win.




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[Jtaylor]

I've had squirrels bark at me but have also observed them barking at deer on their way in. It seems like they bark sometimes just to hear themselves bark too. I think deer have their own personalities (deersonalities?) and what holds true on one deer may not be the same on the next. I agree with what @Weldabeast said, if you have coyotes/raccoons coming under your stand on a regular basis, you're doing a lot right or you have an overpopulation of coyotes and raccoons. I'm talking the educated woodland raccoons too, not the suburban trash pandas.

 

[Nutterbuster]

I have found that deer do not like to be around turkeys. Strange, but I can recall numerous times where turkeys caused deer to mosey out of the area. Not to say they don't share the woods, just not same place and same time.

Ornithology is a secondary hobby of mine. I can identify all of our native birds and probably 90% of our migrants. I am usually bird-watching to some extent if I'm in the stand. I can testify that most birds do react to a deer's presence to some degree, but I can't state that deer react to bird's alarm calls with any regularity. Squirrel alarm calls do seem to cause deer to pause for a few seconds maybe half the time.

Really, I think it very much depends on the individual deer how they react to stimuli. Some deer are curious. Some are nonchalant. Some (most, in my experience) are convinced the world is out to get them and flinch at acorns hitting the ground.

 

[SNIPERBBB]

Please... woodland coon are as dumb as a box of rocks. I get paid to catch the things and town coon or suburban coon I have to assume they've been caught and "relocated" a few times. Because they likely have, which is illegal in most states.

 

[dalton916]

My recommendation to the OP would be to watch the other animals when you in the woods and try to figure out what they’re reacting to.

Squirrels have multiple sounds they make. Watch them and try to associate the sound with what is alarming them. It keeps you much more vigilant on stand and I can guarantee you that sooner rather than later you’ll spot a deer you had no idea was there while looking for the source of the squirrels agitation.

Every animal that vocalizes does so for a reason. You’re already out there in their world when you’re hunting so use that time to learn as much of it as you can.

 

[Jtaylor]

Please... woodland coon are as dumb as a box of rocks. I get paid to catch the things and town coon or suburban coon I have to assume they've been caught and "relocated" a few times. Because they likely have, which is illegal in most states.

I trap a little too. I'm usually able to walk up on raccoons in town before they jet down the storm drain (I'm assuming due to them being used to people). They're definitely more skittish in the woods. The ease of trapping for you in the woods (making them seem dumber and easier to trap) vs. an urban environment may be due to the abundance of food sources in the urban environment?

 

[Weldabeast]

Please... woodland coon are as dumb as a box of rocks. I get paid to catch the things and town coon or suburban coon I have to assume they've been caught and "relocated" a few times. Because they likely have, which is illegal in most states.

Pretty sure there are books written about coons intelligence and cunning. Maybe u got dumb 1s where u live

 

[OspreyZB]

I've seen red winged black birds harass deer. They're extremely territorial. Particularly during their nesting season in the summer, but I saw a lone male red winged black bird dive bombing a nice buck in tall marsh grass last October. I don't think I would have seen the buck if I didn't look to see what the bird was messing with.

A couple years ago I was walking back to my truck on the main hiking trail after a late October morning hunt and heard a bunch of bluejays going nuts in a tree up ahead. I was walking at a brisk pace, looking up at the blue jays. When I got under the tree they were in I looked down and was face to face with a giant buck (for my area) standing there with a doe, about 20 yards broadside. He stood there staring at me like a dummy while I fumbled around trying to knock an arrow until the doe bolted, taking him with her. Now I ALWAYS pay attention when I hear bluejays harassing something.

 

[dalton916]

Yyyyyyup.

 

[SNIPERBBB]

I trap a little too. I'm usually able to walk up on raccoons in town before they jet down the storm drain (I'm assuming due to them being used to people). They're definitely more skittish in the woods. The ease of trapping for you in the woods (making them seem dumber and easier to trap) vs. an urban environment may be due to the abundance of food sources in the urban environment?

Urbanite critters have little fear of man as most people in town aren't harassing them and some nuts feed em by hand. Then when they get in the wrong persons trash, they get packed up and dropped off a few miles away in the first place that has trees. They do come back if they don't get smacked on the road. "Wild" coon don't have that experience. They just get shot as most in the country usually own and can discharge a gun.

All coon play games if they want. Released coon play new ones. Unfortunately for them I win those games more than they do

 

[Patriot]

What about a coyote or two trotting around the area? I had a great field in the middle of the woods I was hunting last year and every hunt I saw a lot of deer except the morning that two coyotes trotted through the field. Was that just a coincidence or do coyotes kill your hunt?

 

[dalton916]

Coincidence. Coyotes are no danger to a healthy deer old enough for it to be hunting season.

 

[Jtaylor]

What about a coyote or two trotting around the area? I had a great field in the middle of the woods I was hunting last year and every hunt I saw a lot of deer except the morning that two coyotes trotted through the field. Was that just a coincidence or do coyotes kill your hunt?

I remember one instance on a cut bean field a coyote came out near a small group of adult does feeding. The does picked up their head, acknowledged there was a coyote there and went back to feeding. It might be a different scenario with an adult doe/fawn pair and the fawn birthed late. They could still perceive a coyote as a threat.

 

[Kurt]

You can hear birds,( blue jays and crows) scolding and razzing birds of prey and other predators. Grey squirrels aren't so bad but I've had red squirrels harass me for hours. If I can get in undetected by red squirrels all the better. If one is in my direct vicinity I will not move for fear of detection. I'm sure deer are tuned in to those sorts of things but don't know for sure if they always go on alert or not, or if it's just something they take notice of. I do know it's dang annoying and disruptive to my listening to have one tearing up the woods all morning.

 

[Nutterbuster]

What about a coyote or two trotting around the area? I had a great field in the middle of the woods I was hunting last year and every hunt I saw a lot of deer except the morning that two coyotes trotted through the field. Was that just a coincidence or do coyotes kill your hunt?

I have a clearcut that is full of rabbits, coyotes, deer, quail, and turkey. It is not uncommon to see each species show up on a hunt. I watched a nice little buck for my area trot right by me maybe 30 minutes after 2 coyotes had come down the same trail. Never could get a shot on him.

Like most everything else, "it depends." I don't think the coyotes in this area bother deer at all due to the abundance of smaller, more suitable prey. And during deer season in particular, most coyotes are living fat off of hunter's gut piles. I don't think deer have much to fear from them, and therefore don't necessarily negatively react to their presence. Maybe if you had deer yarded up and starving in a white winter somewhere, and coyotes were actively picking them off, it would be different?

That being said, our deer don't like hanging out with other species. Never have seen a deer occupy the same place at the same time as a coyote, turkey, or hog.

Back to the topic of alarm calls. Each species has lots of different calls for lots of different scenarios. Squirrels in particular are supposed to have different scolding calls for aerial and terrestial predators, in addition to ones for rival squirrels and dastardly Elmer Fudd types. The trick is, research also indicates regional differences and individual differences in these patterns. As an avid squirrel hunter, I am always "tuned in" to squirrel calls, but I don't know that I believe it's possible to reliably translate those calls into "that's a hawk," or "that's a deer." I think some of that Ole Man of the Woods stuff is smoke blowed up your tailpipe. I'd rather devote my time to getting a firm grasp of bedding areas, preferred food sources, and flow areas than trying to figure out what squirreleze is for "big buck." Heck, I can barely keep up with english.