Deer don't move in the...

In my experiences when hunting deer (whitetail/mule) I witness a lull in activity during the extreme conditions of heat and cold. Deer become lethargic in order to maintain their energy, this also occurs when there is deep snow and windy days. There are some exceptions, and that is when the pre and post breeding occurs with the bucks. Hell, I've witnessed a multitude of times a lull in activity when conditions were most ideal.
 
Yes, they sometimes seem to have a sixth sense that something is about to happen, or go nocturnal for no apparent reason. But, they also will simply take a different route, if something has changed. A windy day, they may simply move to a less exposed trail. they can drive you crazy with their movements sometimes. I have for example one trail camera (among six) that the deer seem to know is there regardless of de-scenting sprays or whatever. They moved their trail so it passes ten feet behind the camera. So, I cleaned and de-scented the camera, and re positioned it down wind to the new trail. The following morning they were back on the old trail. I got around it to some degree, by positioning the camera, so it shot down the trail towards where they were headed. It means I get lots of butt shots,but they are more often going by the camera. It must make a noise?
When we say deer are not moving in wind, I think we should look closer at that statement. They move, I'm sure of that but they are much more cautious they may not be where you expect them to be.
 
Chuckbuster said:
Over the years I've dropped the need to be on stand by zero dark thirty hours in order to see and shoot deer. I did this after realizing we had seen and shot (and missed) deer at all hours of the day.
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Yeah, when I'm cold weather hunting particularly, when I can't stay on stand for more than a couple of hours due to cold, I'd rather maximize my legal light stand time, than be half frozen when legal light appears.
One place I used to cold weather hunt, I would never see a deer before 11am. That flies in the face of the traditional theory that they move most at dusk and dawn. That spot was on the edge of a deer yard. Fogducker and Dumbdawg here on CGN's property.
Was the late movement simply because like humans they like to stay in bed when cold? Or, was it because on a late season hunt means there are not a lot of other hunters about to move game.
 
hoytcanon said:
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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Well, there you go, I can't find anything in there I disagree with totally, one should never assume they know it all when it comes to a Whitetail. Thank you!

BTW there are less hunters afield on windy/rainy/snowy days.
The arguments we had in my first hunt camp....
They'd stay in, I'd go out. Lots of camps like that,lots of individuals too.
Thankfully, there are also lots that go hunting regardless (me, and apparently you).

You make a lot of assumptions in the above paragraph about my knowledge or lack there of.
Something you may want to re-think.
 
I've found that in very windy days deer tend to stay in more thick areas. I've had great success on misty wet damp lightly raining days

As for the 9 o'clock thing of the 71 deer I've taken 3 were shot in the evening. Maybe 3-4 shot after 9am
I had 6 deer feeding in front of me the other day the only real buck stayed out in the field but I managed to shoot a button doe at 840 am in the snow while it was 7 degrees F.
Yes it was a doe yes it had 3/4" buttons. Yes it tasted great
If you're not out there you can't really shoot them
It only takes one deer to walk by to make it a great day
 
We all have our experiences and sense about what deer do during less-then-ideal hunting situations. I will share a bit about walk and stalk situations. Deer will move during heavy snowfall but one has to find out where they are lurking. I've seen them browsing in rough fields that are close to heavier bush... I take it that they still have to maintain body temperature and stay within closer proximity to shelter and cover. If they venture out to a harvested crop field then they are usually in need of food. They can also be found in cedar swamps where they move around but stay out of the wind. I have never favored hunting on an east wind - but maybe I've not hunted it effectively. The west wind is the dominant wind so the deer know that wind very well and can evade hunters and predators because they know the escape routes. The north wind is a good time to hunt as the temps are lower and if one knows where the deer are located they can be hunted more easily. The south wind can have favorable outcomes - but with warmer temps they may not need to move around as much or need food as much as they do one cooler days. It's about knowing a given hunting area and observing (over time) what the deer do during these weather conditions.
 
John Y Cannuck said:
You make a lot of assumptions in the above paragraph about my knowledge or lack there of.
Something you may want to re-think.
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I am trying to figure out what makes him such a whitetail expert and why your opinion is incorrect. I disagree with some of his comments, does that make me or him wrong? No.


I think discussions like this prove one thing. Deer in different areas act very different due to location, hunting pressure, weather, timing, etc so what one "expert" thinks he knows about deer in one area might be the complete opposite of what the other "expert" in another area might say. Their habits are relatively the same, but deer in Northern Ontario act much, much different than those in Southern Ontario. There are even huge variations in behavior when comparing heavily pressured public land deer to those who've lived their lives on private land with little to no pressure.
When hunting "easy" private land deer, they stick to normal deer patterns and the old school rules. However, heavily pressured public land deer seem to do the exact opposite of what deer are suppose to do. It's like hunting completely different animals because their behavior differs so much.
 
canadian hunter312 said:
I am trying to figure out what makes him such a whitetail expert and why your opinion is incorrect. I disagree with some of his comments, does that make me or him wrong? No.
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That is my point... when it comes to whitetails, the term "expert" is only in relation to other people, deer can be fathomed to some degree, but there are no absolutes... Johnny seems to be setting himself up as an "expert" with his multiple threads and conclusions, some of which, not all... I disagree with... his positioning himself in this manner "rubbed me the wrong way..." and we are in the winter blahs... so patience is low...
 
Well, there was a WT Buck outside my window in the open this morning (overcast, calm and -13C), he left at 8:42 (a few minutes after the official sunrise time) for the bush where I speculate he will bed down until late afternoon.
 
canadian hunter312 said:
I am trying to figure out what makes him such a whitetail expert and why your opinion is incorrect. I disagree with some of his comments, does that make me or him wrong? No. I think discussions like this prove one thing. Deer in different areas act very different due to location, hunting pressure, weather, timing, etc so what one "expert" thinks he knows about deer in one area might be the complete opposite of what the other "expert" in another area might say. Their habits are relatively the same, but deer in Northern Ontario act much, much different than those in Southern Ontario. There are even huge variations in behavior when comparing heavily pressured public land deer to those who've lived their lives on private land with little to no pressure. When hunting "easy" private land deer, they stick to normal deer patterns and the old school rules. However, heavily pressured public land deer seem to do the exact opposite of what deer are suppose to do. It's like hunting completely different animals because their behavior differs so much.
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Yes, pretty much the reason for this thread. Discussion. My rifle hunting experience, has been with regard to Whitetail, mostly heavy timber. With a sprinkling of farm field hunting over the years. Maybe ten years of it, in areas where deer have limited exposure to humans, and hunting completely alone. Probably twenty years hunting with dogs, in an area of public forest, surrounded by other camps also hunting with dogs. The rest, another close to twenty years, have been stand hunting in areas where the hunting pressure is not quite so heavy. In all that time, when I had a day when the guys stayed in camp, due to wind/rain/whatever, I'd spend my time still hunting. Still hunting made me love those wet days, it pays off. It's why I eventually quit deer hunting from a camp. I loved seeing old friends, poker games, and bull sessions, but pure hunting drives me. I study deer all year long. When I took up bow hunting about thirty years back, first with a long bow, then switching to a Cross bow, I discovered a new world, the late season. In that late season, deer behavior changes markedly, mostly I suspect due to changes in their food sources, as well as of course the late rut. Sometimes they appear more bold. Certainly they are more visible against the snow, and thus easier to watch at a distance in the woods. With less hunting pressure, they often are more susceptible to calls, although that doesn't always seem to be true. Some days they will trot right in to a call, and even come back if you call again after they leave. Other times, they just ignore you. I think that as long as you don't over do it, calls can make deer feel more comfortable in an area, even if they don't respond.
 
I'm still learning, but one thing I've noticed as a pattern:
If you aren't there, it doesn't matter whether the deer are or not.

Every year, I learn more about how deer (coastal blacktail for me) think, which allows me to concentrate on where they are more likely to be, given conditions. But they are always somewhere.
 
hoytcanon said:
That is my point... when it comes to whitetails, the term "expert" is only in relation to other people, deer can be fathomed to some degree, but there are no absolutes... Johnny seems to be setting himself up as an "expert" with his multiple threads and conclusions, some of which, not all... I disagree with... his positioning himself in this manner "rubbed me the wrong way..." and we are in the winter blahs... so patience is low...
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If I come off as an "expert" my apologies. I know I do that a lot. There are no absolutes with Whitetails and no experts. I can only relate my experience, and invite you to share yours. Sounds like from your posts, you have been afield long enough to share.
 
Fair enough... peace, love, Woodstock...

Most "experts" are only such in very localized areas and under very limited circumstances. I remember the first time I left Ontario to hunt deer in the Little Missouri breaks, and discovered that whitetail deer there had very different patterns than the woodland deer I was used to, likewise when hunting large tract farmland deer in SK... they might as well be an entirely different species. There are general rules that apply and then there are other behaviours that are adapted to specific locales for specific reasons, based on feeding and bedding areas, travel corridors and escape routes etc... tough to be an "expert" everywhere... and blanket statements often don't apply across-the-board.
 
canadian hunter312 said:
I am trying to figure out what makes him such a whitetail expert and why your opinion is incorrect. I disagree with some of his comments, does that make me or him wrong? No.


I think discussions like this prove one thing. Deer in different areas act very different due to location, hunting pressure, weather, timing, etc so what one "expert" thinks he knows about deer in one area might be the complete opposite of what the other "expert" in another area might say. Their habits are relatively the same, but deer in Northern Ontario act much, much different than those in Southern Ontario. There are even huge variations in behavior when comparing heavily pressured public land deer to those who've lived their lives on private land with little to no pressure.
When hunting "easy" private land deer, they stick to normal deer patterns and the old school rules. However, heavily pressured public land deer seem to do the exact opposite of what deer are suppose to do. It's like hunting completely different animals because their behavior differs so much.
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I disagree to a certain extent about whitetails being different. Yes, they are a "little" different from each other, however, the big picture is that they're very skittish, wise and sly. In other words, the smartest North American big game animal. I agree about the private/public land hunting pressure.
 
I figure that I will never shoot one from the couch and so any chance I get I go out into the woods. I have learned over the last 30 years of whitetail and mule deer hunting that the best plan is to put your boots on the ground and get out there. Rain snow wind whatever. I have filled tags in all weather and really prefer to still hunt in wind. It gives movement to the bush so they have a harder time picking out your movement. A good wind also gives you confidence as to where you scent is going. Rain or snow makes the "cornflakes leaves" we have to walk on much more quiet. On a silent calm morning anything you do will be heard or seen so get up in a stand.

The best advice I could give a young hunter would be to always keep the wind in your face and move slowly. Other than that, get out there, get out of the truck and hunt.
 
Hmmm... I'm wondering how many deer are shot under the guise of essentially being a random event. I think most of the ones I have harvested have been, and I've stopped burning too much bandwidth trying to figure out their behavior.
 
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