We have several elevated hunting blinds/shooting houses over food plots, clear cuts, and in the woods. Great to use since many of us bring kids and grandchildren with us to hunt. Lets them stay dry, warm and get away with a lot of movement. Problem is when hunting in the evening there are often deer still in sight of and around the hunting blinds. Short of waiting hours, which is not a good option, till the deer leave is there a way to vacate a stand and not “educate” deer? Had thought about trying to use a deer snort call but not sure if that would work.

This was posted yesterday here fyi...

Yep....see my "dumb question" thread......had the same question

Thanks. I missed the thread. Will check it out for answers and ideas.

We have used limbs and logging debris to pile up and line a trail to the back of the house.

I walk a fenceline to my shooting house and cross the fence right at it. Corn field blocking me from where the deer usually are when I leave. In years past I have just gone hunting there regardless of the wind and got busted alot. This year I am trying to play the wind game more so as not to pressure them into coming out after dark, which I do believe happened last year. My answer is come out after dark and hunt the wind. I dont worry about the wind while im in the shooting house, it dont matter. But I have got busted countless times as soon as I step out.

They can absolutely smell you in a shooting house.

Put a smoke bomb in your shooting house and see if any smoke leaks out. You can ruin a property hunting from any type of stand with the wrong wind.

bark really loud, fart like a mule, and climb down the tree head-first. you'll sound like a dog, smell like a jack-ass, & drive the female squirrels wild ... it's best to pummel all of the deer's senses when vacating the area - sound, smell, and sight - and its a wicked fun way to end a hunt

I will say again, my son and I have sat in our shooting house and heated up hot chocolate and vienna sausages and ate them with deer 25ft away from us. Maybe they smell us but it is little enough that they dont worry about it. As soon as we open a window or door they wind us. Seen it happen a hundred times. So maybe they do smell us maybe they dont but as long as we have the windows and doors closed they stay in the field.

We use tennis court wind screen to help cover ingress and egress when there's no cover. We zip tie it to the bottom of shooting houses. We've had it up for years and it has not deteriorated. I'll be putting some more up tomorrow.

wind screen

The best thing, is not set up directly on the plot. Back off a ways, at least 50 yards when possible. If you have to be right on top of the plot and a screen is also not an option, have someone drive up to the plot after dark and pick you up. It will run the deer off the plot, and they wont see you coming down out of the shooting house.

I just leave as quietly as I can sometimes they spook and sometimes not. To me it’s no different than bumping one coming in deer are curious animals and most likely come back after you’re gone.