I have killed a lot of deer where I drove my Polaris to within a few hundred yards of my stand. However, I am beginning to think that mature bucks (4-5 yr old) may be very hard if not impossible to hunt when you drive near your stand. I am not talking about the rut, just everyday hunting between bedding/feeding travel routes and using the wind properly. Your thoughts?

for sure think the sound (immediately) and scent (for the entire hunt) effects the hunt.

would for sure plan parking around wind if driving a gas vehicle.

I think if people are blowing by them all the time and getting real close to there bedding regular it doesn't help. One thing I have noticed, anytime I have been hunting a new area or maybe the roads have gotten real bad, and I end up having to walk a lot further than I normally would have parked. I usually see way more deer. I am trying to make a habit of it now and my fat a$$ could certainly use the exercise anyway!

It effects them IMO. We went to all electric vehicles at our camp and our sightings went up. Way up actually

I am 100% sure that they spook bucks. They spook does too. I have seen deer get spooked and run or bounce off from the sound of an ATV on a neighboring property or even on the highway a half mile away. After seeing that a few times, it was enough to make me not use one anymore during the season unless I need it to drag a buck out.

This. I use them only for recovery .

Will go a step further than ATV's. On our club we have a lot of gas well roads - so our deer are familiar with trucks being in/out regularly. Yesterday, I was watching a mature buck in a food plot when a guy drove in one ridge over from me. From the time the guy left the gate off the main road, the buck grew more and more tense - and finally bolted out of the plot when the truck was about "equal level" on that ridge to our ridge. Didn't totally bust with blowing and "scramming"... but quickly turned and loped out of the plot.

most of the folks where I hunt drive their UTV or gas-powered golf cart all the way to their stand. Literally parked AT their stand. there are 5 of us hunting this property...you can count the total number of deer seen this year, by everyone combined, on 1 hand.

ymmv

I killed a mature 8 point on Skyline once and my atv was at the base of my tree. It was a year old cut over. It was straight up luck because the only reason I done that was to observe a spot you could see from the tree I was in. Luckily he walked right to me and I shot him at 40 yards.

^^ bingo

Recovery only.

We banned them on our property with the exception of deer recovery. Walk in, truck or electric vehicles on the main spine road only. It does make a difference I promise.

YES YES YES. I have physically watched a buck for 45 minutes beneath my stand. The buck stood up from his bed after a 4 wheeler was cranked 3/4 to a mile away. The buck preened his neck and cocked his head toward the sound. The buck turned around, tucked his tail and headed off in the opposite direction of the 4 wheeler sound. The buck had ignored road sounds and people playing in the distance. There must be something to the pitch of a 4 wheeler that SCARES DEER!!!

Same for me.

I think to some extent it depends on what they are used to, if there are trucks/ATVs running around the property on a regular basis it don't seem to bother them as bad. I also think they are individualistic animals, may spook the daylights out of one deer and another just stand there and watch it drive by.

I also think the mature deer have a lower tolerance level for it. One place I hunt I drive up the backside of a very steep hill and park downwind and below the stand. Have watched small bucks walk right by my truck and not even give it a second glance.

I believe so as well, and no doubt it affects turkeys. I will not hunt turkeys from an atv.

My hunting buddy has a bad boy buggy and we drive right up on a lot of game. I do on my atv too but not nearly as much. electric cart is the way to go. If you have an atv park along way from the hunt and walk. I will get an electric eventually. I just don't like it when they run out of juice!

Yes.

Yep, electric would be great if it weren't for the whole battery deal.......

If you hunt somewhere that is flat, with really good roads, then you'll probably be ok. If you hunt somewhere that has a lot of hills and/or less-than-ideal roads, it'll drain batteries quick.

Snow killed my cart super fast Saturday morning. Glad that's a rarity