Deer are like humans. There are dumb ones and smart ones. I’ve seen big bucks that had to wind me, keep coming right in. I’ve seen does where I know they couldn’t smell me or see me, just know something was up and zero in on me from 200 yards. I’ve watched deer wind me or see me and blow and take off, while multiple other deer, including nice bucks watched them do it and continued on with their business like nothing happened. On the other hand, I’ve had instances where I heard one blow and then listened as deer all over the place started blowing and stomping.
I used to get really upset if I got winded or spooked a deer, now I just continue hunting. In areas with a lot of deer, there seem to be nervous nellies who spook at anything, some who will spook but they need to see and smell it themselves, and some who don’t seem to care a bit no matter what happens. When you get in areas where you see twenty or more in a day and you are somewhat selective, you observe a lot of things and see deer with individual personalities and quirks.
