My personal favorite place (if I have a tag late in gun season) is right up against a farmer's house. Those deer watch people walk to the back of the farm, but few hunt close to the houses. Sneaky, big bucks will hide in the smallest of places, as long as they are safe.
Years ago guys like Dick Idol,Bob McGuire,the Wenzels and Roger Rothaar have mentioned that after a buck reaches a certain age they become a different animal species when survival is brought into the discussion. I really believe that is true but also believe that all deer have different personalities and tolerances to human intrusion. In other words as few as they might be I believe there are some deer that are almost unkillable or have died of old age,by crossing the road or poached.
The old saying, "They don't get old by being dumb" is pretty dang true as with each year they survive all the obstacles that are trying to kill them they grow all the more wiser.
They live through gun season by holding tight and knowing when to cut back. A few years ago I was on a drive and the drivers got a group of big does up. They were going right for the standers but not a shot was fired. We couldn't figure out how this group of deer made it out of this drive as it was basically a big U shape and pretty tight. A buddy and I went back to trace their tracks. We picked them up where he jumped them and followed them down into a small ravine. In the snow you could see where they stood there mulling around in a 10 foot circle. Tracks on-top of tracks in this small area. They stood there listening and looking long enough to figure out where every single person in that drive was located then slipped out the only hole never to be seen. People say deer can't reason. I say those people are stupid.