Deer movement hoopla...

[guitarpreston]

I was listening to a podcast the other day with the MSU Deer Lab talking about deer movement from a study they had with several collared deer. If I recall, the main part of the study was on bedding areas, as well as sights. But there was also some talk about what measurable things get deer on their feet in daylight, such as the moon, barometric pressure, temp, etc. I think the general gist of it was there was no real correlation they could see in collared deer...We've all heard different things that will get them up...So what do you say? Do you trust their research or think it's wrong?

The only thing I know for a fact that gets them moving during daylight hours where I hunt is me being at home...

 

[JBrew]

I feel like they put out some good info but I don't think i've ever put any of it as being the gospel. A few almost guarantees I've found are:
If I see a bunch of deer on the drive in, before daylight, I usually don't see a deer until 9:30 or 10:00
The first North wind/cold snap is the day a big deer will daylight
They will be feeding in the evening of the first high pressure day after a strong cold front
For the most part, deer will move every 5 to 6 hours whether daylight or dark
Full moons doesn't mean stay at home

 

[guitarpreston]

The only thing I know for a fact is, every day they have to eat and move...Other than that it's a toss up.
I think typically weather that can hinder their senses will keep movement minimal, and theoretically after that they should have to feed more to make up for lost time...According to all the alleged truths, this evening should not be good, but here I go loading up.

 

[KyleR1985]

Their study doesn’t have the granularity required to see whether deer moved into specific areas where they’d be more likely to be seen, at times hunters would be looking.

If it did, it would almost certainly track the single metric that really matters - relative temperature change(getting colder).

Leaving aside places where it’s below 0* for much of the season, and taking the majority of the rest of the US, weather turning colder results in more hunter sightings. This was observed with a huge data set by Doctor Sheppard. Even when controlling for hunter efforts. It’s all that matters.


Currently, their findings don’t contradict the temperature connection. They just can’t support it. The study to do so would cost money. They seemed to hit a note with the drury guys (I think) in a podcast. That may result in this study getting done.



Upshot - nothing matters in their study. But it can’t tease out a relative temperature change to deer sighting connection. It does solve for many of the other nonsense that most people subscribe to though. This is also backed up by Dr. Sheppards work.


Hunt when you can. Especially if it is getting colder mid week!

 

[JBrew]

Bobby Worthington has some really good stuff to say as well, if you feel like going deeper down the rabbit hole.

 

[Rich M]

Deer move diff in diff areas. I was on a lease - other guy would see em grey of dawn, I'd seen em 9:30-10-10:30 usually. Was same full moon or new moon.

Cold weather changes things - or have a serious snow or rainfall event from say 0300 til daylight or 0900 and you're gonna have a flurry of movement.

Best way to see deer is to hunt where the deer are as opposed to hunting where you want them to be.

 

[Eagle]

Hunt where they want to be and keep your butt in the stand so long as the wind is in your favor. I killed more deer with a bow consistently than friends did on public land when we would hunt together simply because I would sit all day, daylight to dark, and they wouldn't.

It wasn't due to me shooting bucks during the middle of the day, as I never shot a deer between 11 and 3, but I believe not disturbing the woods walking out/in during the middle of the day plays a huge part in evening success. It can suck to just sit there all day until those magical last couple of daylight hours, but it worked for me.

 

[cnelk]

Does anyone look at/use the major and minor times for game on your gps?

 

[KyleR1985]

Does anyone look at/use the major and minor times for game on your gps?

I don’t believe in it based on the info at hand.

But my hunting partner who’s killed 3x as many deer as me swears by them. I have a theory, I can’t prove yet, that he professes his belief in it to keep all our other hunting buddies focused in that instead of where he’s hunting. Can’t prove it YET!

 

[ddd-shooter]

^ here’s some anecdotal evidence

The problem, as mentioned earlier in this thread, is 5-15 minutes of MORE daylight activity changes an entire sit for a hunter. It is barely noticeable with a gps collar that updates every 15, 30 minutes or so.
Hence the difficulty in showing the differences in movement based on patterns.

 

[Skerhunter]

^ here’s some anecdotal evidence

The problem, as mentioned earlier in this thread, is 5-15 minutes of MORE daylight activity changes an entire sit for a hunter. It is barely noticeable with a gps collar that updates every 15, 30 minutes or so.
Hence the difficulty in showing the differences in movement based on patterns.

Agreed! Hopefully they can take their data and refine their original study! A deer can easily move 1+ miles in that small time frame. If all they do is walk around checking scrapes/does for those 15 minutes that increase your odds dramatically.

Weather definitely affects their day light movement for sure - I will take a cool/cold calm day over a warm windy day anytime. I think the tricky part of the moon/pressure part is the other variables that can have a negative or positive affect on their movements at that time.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

Does anyone look at/use the major and minor times for game on your gps?

The last couple of seasons I've use a red moon app. I definitely notice improved movement on Red Moon days and the overhead/underfoot times. This has also been on our private land in Alabama. More consistent movement 30 minutes before and after the specified times, as well as increased number of deer. Combine that with a cold front and I've noticed major movement.

Hunting NF in SC is always a crapshoot, so I can't say that I've noticed improved movement on those days.

 

[MallardSX2]

FIRSTHAND CONFIRMED ACCURATE DATA.



Draw your own conclusions from that list.....

YUP.....Its almost time to add another to the list.....lol

 

[Beagle1]

Weather and hunting pressure.

 

[Short Track]

I have a nice layout of cams on my property. The deer consistently visit my stand 1 hour after dark. They know when to stay away... which is around dusk.

 

[Yoder]

Lately it's been all about the temperature. Every cold day, the deer are moving like crazy. I'm sure they move when it's warm, but not during daylight. I've also noticed the deer move later in the morning during the winter when it's really cold.

 

[Megastink]

How could ANYONE not believe scientific data across thousands of data points? They have a youtube channel as well with some great visual aids.

 

[KyleR1985]

How could ANYONE not believe scientific data across thousands of data points? They have a youtube channel as well with some great visual aids.

Who doesn’t believe what?

 

[KyleR1985]

 

[Erussell01]

FIRSTHAND CONFIRMED ACCURATE DATA.

View attachment 781768

Draw your own conclusions from that list.....

YUP.....Its almost time to add another to the list.....lol

Help me understand the data I'm looking at. High pressure seems to be correlated with more deer killed. Correct?

If that's the case I would buy that. I also find that I like hunting consistent weather patterns way more than leading or following a cold front or a weather change. It sure seems like those big changes get deer moving, but make them more random and harder to patter. Switching winds get me busted way more than consistent steady winds.

Up here in northern MN I see a decrease in deer activity with heavy wind. Mild to moderate winds seem fine. Rain does wierd things. I've had tons of buck activity on camera the last 10 days and with the rain overnight starting at 4pm and lasting til 5 am the cameras were almost dead. I'll be excited to see if the deer show back up tonight now that the rain has passed


I've learned I can't predict deer movement but boy I sure like to strategize and watch the cameras if I decide to go or not go and then look back and kick myself for making the wrong choice