Hey guys, until recently I've only hunted public land and using my atv hasn't been an option. If I use my 4-wheeler to get to my stand, how far away should I park and continue on foot? I'm sure there are many different answers for different circumstances, I'm just looking for a general concensus. Thanks

I always parked no closer than 300-400 yards.

i've killed deer when i could see my atv from my stand. i drive in way before daylight and the deer don't come by till 7 am and don't walk by the atv. they have no clue it's there.

I've killed deer with my truck, headlights on and horn blowing, but I still ain't getting to my stand that way.
When I need to use the 4 wheeler, I try to pick a route that keeps me downwind and below the ridgetops.
Sound carries from ridgetops, and that 4 wheeler smells like gas, oil and exhaust fumes.
There ain't no way to make it scent free or silent.

If at all possible, I leave the 4 wheeler in the truck and walk in. I only get it off the truck to retrieve a dead deer. There is a couple of places at our club that are easier accessed with the atv. But I still walk in from several hundred yards from the atv. The way I see it, the less I disturb the area from the way it is when there aint no hunters in there, the better chance I stand to see a good buck in the area. Just use common sense. Good Luck!

Electric golf cart.

I parachute in and if I get a deer, I call for the helo to come in for an aerial recovery. This way you leave zero scent in the area. Give it a try! ;-)

I usually push my atv in to my hunting location if its not over 437 yards to my stand

IMO ATVs have a very limited place in deer hunting, other than retreving game, or as work vehicles prior to hunting season. I've hunted alot of different clubs and leases and without a doubt those that limit all vehicle traffic produce greater numbers of deer sightings. Arguably, some tracts of land are not accessible very easily by any other means, so notice I said limited and not entirely forbidden. However, it will always be my preference to not have any vehicle parked anywhere near the area I'm hunting.

need to douce it with chlorox then pee on it

That is a good point...and good advice for hunting.

LMBO!!!!!!! That is hilarious!!!

Be careful with that Clorox-- a buddy of mine did that and the deer left the stumps and ate the tires right off the machine-- he was only gone a couple of hours .

On a serious note-- ones of the best stands I ever had was backstanding a road on the adjacent property. I would walk in real early on a Saturday morning and be up a tree before shooting light. The neighbors drove in on 4-wheelers-- when I could hear those motors, I went on full alert to catch their deer sneaking under the fence. No doubt in my mind they learn to associate the sound with trouble.

We use them at our club and we see and kill plenty of deer. They get used to it just like they get used to farm equipment.

Just make sure you have the right set-up for the job:

Thanks for the reply's guys.

If you use them to fill your feeders, the deer will follow them to the feeder.... No kidding, I've filled a feeder, took the four wheeler to another one, went back to pick up a dropped camera and the deer were already there. Also have trail cam pics right after filling a feeder and departing. I also have seen/have pics of deer within an hour of discing/planting food plots using the 4 wheeler. One of the largest bucks I've shot walked within 20 yds of my parked 4 wheeler wayyy up the fence line from my stand. BTW, even though it is legal, I don't hunt the feeders and I try not to take the 4 wheeler within about 3-400 yds of my stand and it has a "silencer" which does nothing for engine noise. But we have shot many deer using the 4 wheeler to get within walking distance using slow speeds for the ride. We shot two bucks this year one within an hour and one within 20 minutes of getting to our stands after parking the 4 wheeler about 200 yds away. I've also seen them run like the dickens when they hear a 4 wheeler. Does that help??

Here's what I believe to be the long and short of it: deer can hear ATV's. Whether they associate that with being fed, or with a day filled with gunshots, or just with some stinky human busting up in their living room - it all depends on what they experience when an atv encroaches on them.

My 85 year old grandfather rides an ATV on portions of my hunting land 12 months out of the year - feeding cows, checking fences, etc. I've been on stand and watched deer when he came through within hearing distance. From what I've seen, they pay attention, but it's not like they bolt for the next county.

That being said, I KNOW the deer can hear it and know that they associate it with some form of human prescence. Therefore, I minimize my ATV usage during hunting and drive as little as possible through my hunting areas during the season.

Last week, I parked in a clearing probably 1/2 mile from my stand during the pre-dawn hours. When I returned around noon, I eased up to the clearing and 2 does were feeding within about 40 yards of my atv. Obviously, the 4 wheeler itself didn't scare them.

Agreed! Hate ATV's in the woods! Can drive right up on em with lectric.