I would always get in a twist at this one spot I hunted because target shooters would often fire it up about a mile away (that's not a guess because I know where they shot at). This particular location was on a power line cut and one afternoon my son and I are watching a doe group about 500 yds away on the neighbors property feeding in a small green field. Sure enough someone starts popping off a mile away. The deer never reacted, never even looked in that direction. Kept feeding for 20 more minutes until a helicopter came pretty close. Even then they didn't bolt they just slowly turned and moseyed into the tree line. This was eye opening.

Couple years ago I watched my son shoot a deer in a green field and the other deer (yes it was a spike) never reacted to the shot at all. He was 60 yards away and didn't seem to even know anything had even happened. Kept feeding occasionally looking over at the dead deer. 20 min later 4 does walked into the field, one of which I shot, and they all ran off.

Saturday early afternoon I was covered up with rabbit dogs and at least 2 hunters. They left after awhile and an hour or so later I had does coming in to feed (unfortunately for me I was in the wrong tree).

I've only been hunting for a few years and have plenty to learn but one thing I have learned is that deer don't get nearly as excited about things as hunters do. If you think about it why should they. Think about the deer you jump up just moving in and out of the woods. They don't run to the next county. I've had them run 20 yds and stop. If they don't smell or see me but just hear me they may not leave at all. I've had deer blow at me and then 20 min later decide it was nothing and come on in. There is no animal in the Alabama woods that can run a deer down, save maybe a gang of yotes and I really don't think they could. Deer don't have to get excited about every sound they hear whether it's gun shots or whatever.

Don't sweat it just hunt. And yes I know you're upset about the idea of poachers and not so much the noise but there's really nothing you can do about it unless you catch them in the act so just hunt.