Deer Behavior

[Loyalist Dave]

I need some comments from those wise in the ways of the whitetails' daily life habits.

This year on my favorite farm, there is much less deer activity. It was so full of deer over the past years, that if one saw some and did not get a shot, not to worry, more would be along later in the day. The farm is nestled amidst turf farms, and horse boarding operations, so there is very little cover or food for the deer except on the farm where I hunt. Which is why it was a favorite feeding, bedding, and watering area. Not to mention the fact the surrounding areas are not hunted.

This year the deer trails are not well worn, nor is there as much scat present. I was the only hunter on the property, but last year the landowner allowed a wounded warrior on the farm, who wanted to bow hunt. He got two deer, and I got three.

Now that's only five deer last year, but I counted as many as 20 deer feeding at one time on the property in the fields in the week prior to opening BP "early" season. Does and youngsters. Normally one would see two groups, maybe even three in a day at the same time, consisting of 5+ deer. It was a "deer hotel".

So my question is, could we have taken the larger more mature deer, perhaps the "matriarchs" that the rest tended to follow, and so broke the habitual use of the farm by the larger groups of deer? So now those deer that we didn't take have developed a different feeding and bedding circuit, and the farm has less activity? I didn't think that individuals in the herd other than a dominant buck would have that much impact on the behavior of the whole.

Is this possible or are there too many other variables having nothing to do with last year's harvest of deer?

:hmm:

Should I stop worrying like an old woman? :redface: I only saw 1 deer in three days last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Normally I would run out of fingers each day on the deer that were seen, even if a shot didn't present itself.

LD

 

[Shine]

I have not seen a deer since august. plenty of coyote though.

 

[Robert Egler]

Is this possible or are there too many other variables having nothing to do with last year's harvest of deer?

:hmm:

Should I stop worrying like an old woman? :redface: I only saw 1 deer in three days last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Normally I would run out of fingers each day on the deer that were seen, even if a shot didn't present itself.

LD

Yes, I'm sure that there are a lot of factors and that unless it is considerably excessive one year's harvest doesn't have as much effect on next year's population as you seem to be seeing.

 

[Sperit de bois]

L/D I had my trail camera out for three weeks in two areas thick with deer last year....Nothing not even a coyote,bird,turkey,,,nothing,no scat,scrapes,rubs,tracks, like it was a parking lot at a mall.
Full moon is coming the end of the month, 29 Oct, might make a change,the weather has been warmer than normal up here.The first Skein of geese went over this AM, so if you goose hunt ,head for the Easter Shore,their on their way.
I live out in the woods any way you go,deer usually come and finish off my garden,,,not this year. Got some friends that work in the woods and they haven't see but very few deer either.Spend lots of time in the wood this past winter,,very few tracks/trails or deer yards???? I guess this is wide spread,,,,at least from Maine to Maryland.

 

[BrownBear]

Any chance of disease in the area? How about winterkill? Any new activity or habitat in the broad area?

Dunno a whitetail from a white elephant, but all the other species and regions I've known deer, they're real susceptible to disease, winterkill and disruption.

 

[Sperit de bois]

Counted out winter kill for the most part,,no crows feeding,no dead deer to be found in the Deer yards,woods.
Even my buddy, the Game Warden is scratching his head.

 

[Mort Scott]

There are lots of reasons deer change habits. one, they could have pattern you. Deer catch on quick if some one is hunting them. Also, preditors could have moved in. When a lion comes on my place you never see deer for weeks, until lion moves on. The deer herd could get sick, and population drop. On my place when they rub off the velvet, the bucks go nocturnal. Put out trail cameras to monitor the deer.Maybe change you hunting tactics. good luck

 

[BrownBear]

Also, preditors could have moved in. When a lion comes on my place you never see deer for weeks, until lion moves on.

That's an important factor I didn't list, because I just don't know about predators in the east. When the lions pass through our place in the Rockies the deer (mule deer) and elk disappear until the cats are gone for sure.

Another factor I notice on our place, and it well could be an issue back east: Dogs. When dogs are running loose, the deer don't make any distinction between them and "real" predators. They're gone for the duration. Of course out west we have a solution for free-range dogs.

 

[Richard J.]

It could be just a new source of food. For instance when the white oak acorns start dropping from certain trees all the deer will be there till they are gone. Then they seem to go back to normal feeding. Same with a good crop of mushrooms. They will bring in deer from all over. Try looking for alternate food sources. Check the ground for preadator tracks. Might have moved them for a while. With a little boot work you should be able to solve the problem. And no a few deer taken wont affect that much. Good luck and let us know what you find out.

RJ

 

[Clovis]

Hey Dave, here on the other side of the bay it's been dry, maybe not as dry as last year, but dry. Last year we had a hurricane/tropical storm (or was it two, can't remember) in late summer or early fall. The woods here where there is normally water laying or nearly swamps are dry, but there are for some reason a large amount of acorns.
Don't know if dryness bothers anything where you are but here about 2-3 years ago had a lot of blue tongue and found most dead deer near or in water. I would check your water holes and streams for activity and or carcases.
Other than that, I would agree packs of dogs or even a yote would move them out of the area, as would poachers or trespassers growing pot or just hiking through. Have to wonder if you heard shots as normal or not. We had shots in the area, but I expected to hear more on Saturday, may have just been too warm.
Any how good luck and take care.

 

[stormcrow]

What were the deer eating on the farm, and did that change? Even when there are crops in the area a failing acorn crop such as occurred after this past dry summer has changed the number of deer on my acreage. I also have seen more coyote about than in days past. Generally speaking, there have been ups and downs in the number of deer on my property regardless of the number harvested. It could be many things (including the presence of hunters) that has moved the deer. Or, maybe a neighbor has put up feeders. I wouldn't assume that you have stunted the population.

 

[Sperit de bois]

The oak trees up here have a nut crop every other year,,,might be this is the year of the crop, deer will eat white oak nuts over just about anything, so I was told and read.

 

[rkite]

Food is everything. They will move from area to area starting with the best opportunities and as they deplete them they will move to the next best thing. I have seen the area we hunt (Virginia woods and mountains) go from few deer sightings in early muzzle loader season to loads of them in the same area during late muzzle loading season. Other years the opposite happens. In Virginia it depends a lot on the acorn crop.

 

[rabjr]

Acorns/beechnuts...have you noticed a difference between this years crop over previous years? Or what food exactly has been drawing them into that area?

 

[Stumpkiller]

Have the prevailing winds changed in your area? Ours have. This year we are getting south winds more often than I ever remember for October.

This has very much effected my choice spots. The travel route and bedding area I haunt/hunt is not getting deer traffic dawn or dusk. But coming home (in my car) last week I had a splendid tall eight point stop after walking casually across the road a quarter mile from my house and stand 40 yards into the woods looking back at me. He was travelling perpendicular to the trail I would have hoped to catch him on had I been in my stand.

Deer are creatures of habit; but they are readily adaptable and will alter patterns to suit conditions. It is my opinion that wind very much dictates deer habits. I'm hoping the rut kicks in and that bad boy returns to more normal paths and travel/bedding areas.

We're also much warmer this late into the season, though last year was similar that way.

 

[Jaeger]

It's been really dry here in Michigan as well, and we had quite an outbreak of Blue Tongue (Epizootic Hemorraghic Disease)This summer. The recent total of dead deer for this season is 10,000+...that's the official count, I'm sure the real number is higher. I don't know what effect this is going to have on my hunting In November and December, but my buddy and I have seen a lot fewer deer for the past couple of years. We hunt on public land and we have noticed for some time now that the guys taking the deer have done it the hard way and penetrated a good 1-2 miles back into a large bog.

 

[majg1234]

Lots of good advice .we here in SETN have a huge acorn crop so the deer are only sparsely visiting our food plots the sign is all in the hardwoods!!My cameras are only showing a few doe in the fields and usually around 3AM.Trails between the bedding area and Hardwood are being used sparsely 'cause so much mast is on the ground they don't travel much,Look arond some you'll likely find them but it may be later in the season before they return to their usual habits,good luck :thumbsup:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Thanks for the input folks. No winter kill here last year..., no snow really. A new food source is one possibility..., I forgot to mention that a few miles from my location I regularly see deer feeding in the early evening. Plenty of food here and water, but there are soybean fields nearby. One of the reasons this was a "deer hotel" was because we were close to corn and beans. No blue tongue or CWD here yet either.

One of my coworkers lives about 5 miles from where I hunt. She keeps chickens, and the land next door to her has alpacas..., and she told me a few weeks ago she may have a Coyote problem. It never occurred to me when she mentioned it, but when you folks mentioned predators and 'yotes..., and 5 miles is nothing for a coyote. I wonder if that's the problem..., I bet it is.

Well I will have to read up on hunting coyotes.

Thanks folks.

LD

 

[smo]

Like Richard J said "could it be a new food source?" I was hunting a farm once where I had always seen deer in a certain stand.I made several trips without seeing anything.As I was leaving the farm one day I noticed a crossing coming off a high bank along the road side.I stopped,got out or the jeep walked down the ridge the way the trail went and found a ladder stand against a big Oak tree............The ground was covered with CORN :td: I called the land owner and told him what I had found. He told me had had let another guy hunt the farm as well that year ,but with this report his permit had just expired :thumbsup:

 

[KyFlintlock]

Stop worrying and get ready for Rut!!!! Put your time in and you'll whack one!

Good luck man

:hatsoff: