Thoughts?
- Thread starter brock ratcliff
- Start date
I believe it is. This is one of the coldest winters we've had in a long time. Food sources are much more critical to survival than usual, resulting in deer moving farther than normal to find it... and stay on it. That's my theory anyway.
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There is no doubt it's been a tough winter. I'm sure they are huddled up somewhere, but I can't for the life of me think where that would be. As I said, the habitat in the immediate area is as good as and far better than most locally. But, the deer know of better it would seem. I'm curious just how far they have moved though. I've often said this area reminds me of hunting out west...these animals cover a LOT of ground!
Hortontoter
Senior Member
Interesting discussion. I think the winter we've had has a good bit to do with your situation. I think that deer "yarded up" in many areas this year. Food is at a premium and many have migrated and stayed at food sources.
motorbreaker
*Supporting Member I*
So according to the research, deer in the UP of Michigan (or other areas of extreme cold and snowfall) migrate 10-20 miles to yard up, when they lack quality coniferous habitat. I think it's safe to say that anything regarding their typical home range can be thrown out the window during a winter like we're having in Ohio this year.
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In my case, they have to be somewhere. I can't imagine all of them I saw this November have died, but danged if I can guess where they went. Its common for them to leave the primary farm, I just figured with covering additional ground I'd find them somewhere.
Gordo
Senior Member
I think theres a lot to the coyote argument too. Obviously they didnt kill all the deer in your area, but I'm sure they play a role in how far the deer move to yard up.
The one thing that sucks is that for a lot of hunters this may screw up the effectiveness of late winter scouting. This is my favorite time of year to scout. Problem is, if you find an area with a shit load of sign right now, it may or may not mean diddly squat come October 2014.
I hunted to the very end of the season this year. I witnessed my first real winter "herd" of deer. The other guy who hunts the same land saw them as well. They were hitting am uncut bean field on a neighboring property. Easy eats. The group I saw was around 40 and the group he saw was double that.
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Blackbeard
Senior Member
Very odd, but I agree with most, yarding near best food source, and food right now is hard to come by.
motorbreaker
*Supporting Member I*
Collard deer in the Michigan u.p. have been tracked as far as 50 miles from there home range during bad winters. the southern u.p. don't get nearly as much snow as the northern u.p. so the deer head south for the winter. Im feeling like joining them...lol Been a tough winter here in Michigan. If you have never been to the u.p. its a sight to see, There is so much snow that the deer hang out on the roads, It is not uncommon to see a dead deer on the side of the road every 100 yards. Trains going down the tracks kill many deer to because they wont leave the train tracks cause the snow is to high. Tough way for them to go.
Shed hunting can be easy up there when there is a lot of snow because the deer don't go off their trails cause the snow is to deep. all you have to do is follow there trails and you will find a bunch of sheds. There are people who feed the deer up there. a bar I know of has a 2 way mirror as a back window. you donate some money and they will go out and dump some corn in the manger just outside the 2 way glass mirror. its fun to watch all the deer run in to eat. The bucks that come in are very impressive, Most of them loose there antlers within a couple hundred yards of the feeding site. The owner walks the trails and finds the sheds, and the keeps each years sheds on a table in the bar. There realy are some trophy bucks around there. Problem is that the area is very thick swamp. people who hunt there never see most of the big bucks during hunting season. So its hard to tell how far the deer travel to get to this winter feeding site.
Shed hunting can be easy up there when there is a lot of snow because the deer don't go off their trails cause the snow is to deep. all you have to do is follow there trails and you will find a bunch of sheds. There are people who feed the deer up there. a bar I know of has a 2 way mirror as a back window. you donate some money and they will go out and dump some corn in the manger just outside the 2 way glass mirror. its fun to watch all the deer run in to eat. The bucks that come in are very impressive, Most of them loose there antlers within a couple hundred yards of the feeding site. The owner walks the trails and finds the sheds, and the keeps each years sheds on a table in the bar. There realy are some trophy bucks around there. Problem is that the area is very thick swamp. people who hunt there never see most of the big bucks during hunting season. So its hard to tell how far the deer travel to get to this winter feeding site.
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I have access to a 100 acre property in Licking Co. have seen more deer on this property than any place else I've ever hunted, arrowed more deer there than any property I've hunted. I have the exact opposite circumstance as you, Brock. early season is very hit and miss. as the standing corn disappears, mast gets eaten up, rut comes, deer become more and more numerous. I've seen as many as 34 deer in one sit in January and February. one of the owners of the property saw 45 deer Saturday of ML season this year, nary an antler in the bunch. Is common to see 10-20 together in one group in late season. deer congregate in this area annually. the abundance of thick cover and browse is the only solid reason I can think of as to why they come there, but they certainly do come. I suspect that some deer come there from several miles away given the large amount of tillable acreage that surrounds the area I hunt. I have not stepped foot on the property since the day I shot my last deer two days before Thanksgiving, but I suspect that there are likely more deer there than usual. during the last week of the 2011-12 season, which was the entire first week of February, I saw 17 different antlered deer on morning, 9 of them in one group. your deer are someplace else, Brock. perhaps many miles away.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
I guess not. not yet, anyway. they are around, though. I've missed two in two years with a bow, seen a couple of others. I know that at least one got popped out the kitchen window last year. don't know of anyone trapping them in the immediate area, but likely somebody is.
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Today was the first day I've seen a deer track on the farm. When I unloaded the quad, I figured I'd have a yote or two strung up because I saw DEER tracks. Sure enough, the yotes were back along with the deer. I had a yote strung up in the first snare I rode up on. There were deer tracks scattered across the farm, yote tracks too. I even saw a deer, just one, but that was the first one I've seen since I've been making daily trips. I need to get more snares out over the next few days if I can ever find the time. I was thrilled to finally see some sign of life on the place...
