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Deer Memory

RedCloud

Super Moderator
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North Central Ohio
I got to thinking about this again while reading another thread this evening.

A deer's memory.

I have heard years ago that deer think more in a short term memory kind of way and only use their long term memory for the essentials of life such as food, water, travel routes, and safe zones. Something to do with the wiring of the brain to aid in the flight for life response. Made sense to me at the time as there are plenty of times I have seen deer and many other pray animals run from the slightest things only to stop a short distance and look back to try and figure out what the heck they was running from to begin with. I have also seen deer hear a sound like a snapping twig that got their attention and as long as the sound stopped immediately the deer would go right back to what they was doing almost acting as if they forgot about the sound altogether. Wait just a few minutes and you was good to move again.

Long term memory, I would also like to add that some deer have learned to look up and stored that as well. I shot a doe 3 years ago and her fawn watched her mom die in the bean field that evening. The fawn ran a little distance back to the treeline and I didn't know it at the time as I was more focused on the mother but she watched me climb down out of that tree. She also stood there as I walked to her mother and proceeded to the tagging, field dressing, and dragging her out. That young doe learned at an early age to look up into trees and she continues to do this very well to this day. I don't care where you setup in those woods she will pick you off every flippin time. She got me 2 years ago and nailed Dante 2x last year in 2 different setups. It has gotten to the point now that it is going to take a tag team effort of Dante and myself to take her out just so she can't tech anymore of her offspring to do the same.

Just something I got to thinking about again this evening and thought I would toss it out there and see what you guys thought and have seen over your time in the outdoors.
 

woodyw333

Junior Member
596
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Cincinnati Oh
This makes a lot of sense.. My g/f shot a doe this year that had 2 little ones with her, that was about a month ago (hunting in KY) I have sat in that same stand 2 times since then and every time the little ones come close up or down wind they looked right up at me and took off in the other direction.. after reading this and thinking about it I think the next time I see one of them I will go ahead and take them out so I avoid your situtation.. Thanks for the heads up and good info!
 

finelyshedded

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SW Ohio
Good thread Adam!

I'll also add that bucks with some age on them(4.5 and up) are extremely aware of anything amiss. I think they, like an old alpha doe, are much harder to kill cuz they never forget a smell,a sound or a vision.

Like Chad has said a couple times in the past, the older deer do things more deliberate. They scan and look for what doesn't look right or smell right before advancing. Many times on TV hunts you'll see a hunter rattle or grunt at a slob and they just keep walking away. Once in awhile they'll screw up but if you look at the number of hunters after them it's understandable.
 
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bthompson1004

Member
1,238
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NWOhio!
Adam, you need to save a tag for gun season and whack that doe pronto

I had similar thoughts too...Play on the opposites...Use the treestand as a decoy and take her out of a ground blind....but shotgun would be more efficient in getting rid of this tattle tale.....an excellent challenge, she poses to you (in my best Yoda voice)!
 

jagermeister

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Ohio
I do believe that deer possess some sort of memory, and that older deer may "remember" more than younger deer... but honestly I think we're giving the deer a little too much credit here. I mean, they're smart enough to look up into trees but too stupid to not run in front of vehicles? Not calling bullshit here, Adam... but how do you know that fawn from three years ago is the exact same deer that's busting you and Dante? Personally, I've shot plenty of nanny does in front of their fawns, and they haven't seemed to get any harder to kill each year.
 

RedCloud

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North Central Ohio
Why do deer run out in front of cars? Many reasons why they do this. Food sources, changing food sources, bedding areas, fleeing from a number of different dangers on one side of the road to get to the saftey of the other side. Deer have no idea what a road is or that it means they should stay off of it. That would be like telling us we can't walk on hardwood floors in our house because it is a different texture then the carpet. It's part of the new landscape and they use it plan and simple. Makes travel in some areas much easier and less draining on them to get from one place to another.

How do I know that this doe is the same one from the past years? She has very distiguishable jet black marks that line the inside of her ears. All the other does out there have very little to no black on the inside of their ears.
 

bthompson1004

Member
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NWOhio!
in our metropark area...I have seen deer run out of the woods and walk across a road, while younger deer try and jump across the entire road, only after they feel like going to the other side is the only way to escape what they are trying to escape...It's kind of funny to watch a deer run out of the woods and then decide to run parallel to the road for awhile because they just don't know what the road is...you can definitely see the wheels turning in a deers head during moments like this...but I can't say if the deer does this everytime it comes to a road.
 

dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
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Crawford county
I don't care where you setup in those woods she will pick you off every flippin time. She got me 2 years ago and nailed Dante 2x last year in 2 different setups. It has gotten to the point now that it is going to take a tag team effort of Dante and myself to take her out just so she can't tech anymore of her offspring to do the same.


GGGRRRR..... That fuggin doe has to go.:tantrum:
 

DJK Frank 16

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Hardin County
I have a ladder stand that has been in the same tree for almost 10 years. It actually started getting pretty ridiculous the last couple seasons how the deer would walk down, look up, and actually check if anyone was in the damn stand before they walked by.