Deer don't move in the...

John Y Cannuck

John Y Cannuck

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Over the decades I've heard guys proclaim they are not going out because the deer don't move in
The wind
The rain
The cold
those are the primary ones.

Well, 'taint so.

Deer do move in the wind, my trail cameras prove that, as well as the cold, and the rain.

I think part of the wind theory, is that guys are nervous about being out there when it's windy. Deer are definitely more nervous in wind, but, they still eat, and rut. Are fewer deer shot on windy days? sure! But only because there are fewer hunters out there. Same for the wind, and the cold.
BTW it's been my experience that smaller deer yard first. Late season cold hunts can net big deer.

One guy I knew claimed there was no use hunting before 9am, 'cause he'd never shot a deer before that time. 'course the fact he'd never been in the bush before 9am might have had some minor influence on that!

Yes, I'm that hunting nut, the guy that goes out in all weather, regardless. As a result, I've shot deer in all kinds of weather, even once in a thunder storm! (but I was headed for the truck)

My usual comment when they ask why I'm going out alone in bad weather, is "You can't shoot game sitting in camp" That's not quite true, but that is another story!

Ok, lets hear your views and superstitions.
 
Deer may move if detected or to find food within a very small area while it’s raining out. They cannot smell in the rain an their hearing is greatly reduced as the rain is bouncing off the ground around them.
 
Cold is a benefit as long as it's not -40, as is snowfall. Wind, you have to change tactics, though you won't find me sitting in a tree stand on a really windy day.

I must say I've never had much luck in the rain, at least late fall when the rifle season is on. I've seen them out in the fields in the rain in the summer, and I've seen them out in the rain in moose season, but for some reason rain+november doesn't = deer.

I think once the rain stops is prime time to be out.
 
My observations are about the same as yours. I live in sw sask, if I didn’t hunt in the wind I’d never hunt at all. The only weather that frustrates me is heavy fog. I actually shot my mule deer buck this year in a 200 yard max visibility fog.

I was once out muzzleloader hunting on a 60 km/h windy October day. Was driving back to the house for lunch when I saw a little 130” whitetail laying flat out in the sun on a side hill 100 yards from the road. I thought he must’ve been hit by a truck and was laying there dead. I walked right up to him and was standing over him when I noticed his chest expanding from breathing. He was fast asleep and thanks to the wind he didn’t hear me walk up to him in the dry crunchy grass. I poked him in the ass with the barrel of my muzzleloader, his head swung up and his eyes got as big as saucers. I bet he never fell asleep again for the rest of his life.
 
Maybe you should offer a course on whitetail deer... you could entitle it, "I noticed my buck has a left nut, how many have experience with a whitetail bucks left nut..."?
 
Lol..... deer do what deer do......

My experience is that the only thing that keeps deer from moving is heat.... warm weather in my area seems to want to make them lazy so they can lounge under the sun..... heck, I have trail cam pics of a small buck literally lounging under an apple tree all day waiting for them to fall.....

That being said, the rut blows everything to hell..... we are in for a very harsh winter, I take my clues from the deer and the bucks are all starting to drop antlers early......
 
An old buddy that I deer hunt with always was always excited to get out hunting on those mornings that are quite calm but snowing fairly heavily. We were usually very successful on mornings like that.
He always said heavy snow fall made the deer "Dumber Than Day Old Pigs".
 
Royzo said:
An old buddy that I deer hunt with always was always excited to get out hunting on those mornings that are quite calm but snowing fairly heavily. We were usually very successful on mornings like that.
He always said heavy snow fall made the deer "Dumber Than Day Old Pigs".
Click to expand...

That's interesting as that would describe the weather on each one of my deer taken. I actually like hunting while it's snowing. It's the rain that makes we want to stay indoors.

cheers,
 
In 20 some years of hunting with the same group. It was out of the sleeping bag and dress coffee and out at or before first light. That said I don't remember one animal taken before 10 am. I often said this to the group but no first light every day every year. Back for late breakfast early lunch and out again. Most times if any game was taken it would be after 3 PM. this in all kinds of weather.
 
I always love the bad weather hunting most, seems to make animals so much more predictable. Method to my madness is to look for them where they would feel most comfortable in the bad weather and more often than not it's fairly productive.
 
Thinking back over the years we have shot deer on mostly normal weather days ( usually calm and not snowing but could either be sunny or overcast)
But I do remember being able to walk up very close to deer on windy days and on many occasions without them flagging me

As long as they didn’t catch my scent I could get away with a lot more noise and movement on a windy day
 
If it is pouring cats and dogs, the deer do not move much, in my personal experience.
However, in a light to moderate rain, they are often quite active.
Where wind is commonplace, it has little effect on slowing their movement. They will
feed, and move about on windy days like any other.

I love hunting during a light snow. I have shot a number of Muleys, Whitetails and
Blacktails when it was snowing.

I always hunt early in the morning, and would venture that I have shot 70% of all
cervids before 8:00 AM. Eagleye.
 
hoytcanon said:
Maybe you should offer a course on whitetail deer... you could entitle it, "I noticed my buck has a left nut, how many have experience with a whitetail bucks left nut..."?
Click to expand...

Well, you could voice an opinion from your 'vast' experience. Instead of a put down on a thread aimed at promoting discussion. There are many new hunters here.
 
John Y Cannuck said:
Well, you could voice an opinion from your 'vast' experience. Instead of a put down on a thread aimed at promoting discussion. There are many new hunters here.
Click to expand...

You seem quite impressed with your own whitetail knowledge, starting thread after thread, postulating conclusions that are often incorrect, based on your own limited observations... but the clincher is that your mind is shut to the observations/conclusions od others or much of the whitetail science that has been done.

I agree with you on several points regarding this new topic and disagree with others. First, I hunt long and hard, regardless of rain, sleet, snow or wind, I am out well before legal light and don't return until after legal light is over... regardless of conditions "the deer are in the woods, not next to the woodstove." I disagree with your conclusion that less deer are taken on windy days because "there are less hunters in the field." It is a fact that deer move less and have completely different patterns when high winds hamper their senses, ALL animals are affected by high winds, as it robs them of their ability to detect predators... they become nervous, they change their patterns, sticking to heavier cover and limiting movement. Knowing this, if you adjust your tactics and locations, you can take advantage of the situation. High wind is the best time to attempt to "spot and stalk" deer, the chance of catching them unaware is much higher at those times. In general it is best to move away from open communal feeding areas, such as alfalfa fields, and closer to bedding areas, as deer will generally stay closer to the cover they feel safest in and the possesses the most escape routes. The point is that deer and all animals are intimately connected to their environmemt, they maximize their movements and patterns for survival, understanding those patterns and "adjusting" for them means a hunter will be more successful over the long haul... of course there are always exceptions because deer are as uniquely individual as people, and these exceptions are what the ill-informed point to as evidence to refute solid factual understanding... long story, even longer... do deer move LESS in high wind, heavy rain, blizzards? YES... and they move "differently," but they do move....they don't have a choice if they want to survive, but it is overly simplistic to just say "I go hunting anyway..." don't just hunt longer, hunt smarter.
 
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