Rotational Deer Habits
Massachusetts
I feel like I've asked about this or noted it in other threads over the years, but the cool bedding area thread made me think about it again, so I wanted to toss it out there.
Years ago, a very successful buddy of mine noted that "the deer in my neighborhood seem to rotate through about 1X every 7-14 days for 2-3 days". In talking, together and with others hunting many similar areas (this was big woods Z6-5 stuff) a theme emerged - we think. That the deer in an area seem to hang out in a spot for a few days, then slide to a new section of that area. This could be a good distance, like .75-1.5 miles away. We'd observe that there would be a ton of sign in an area for a few days, then it would go cold, but the far end of the same ridge would be pounded for a few days, then go cold... then the opposite end of the next ridge over would be hot, then go cold. And if we compared notes, it seemed like the deer were cycling through the area. No weather relationship etc. Just hang here for a few days, then over there, then over there. We noticed this through the year, so it's unlikely it was related to pressure.
I've sucked at this, because I see the sign, and saw deer and want to stick it out. The closer I come to what he does (below) the more successful I've become.
He's capitalized, and while he scouts, he basically never stops, just still hunts until he's on screaming hot sign or sees deer, then hunts via a stand until that spot's cold, mix and repeat. The kid kills 3.5-5.5YO's one or two a year so it's working for him...
But where this gets me thinking, is how it relates to bedding in other sorts of terrain.
for example, in smaller or more fragmented covers, do they more consistently pick a spot to bed, vs big woods where the areas are nearly infinite. I know there are spots that I more consistently find beds... But it really appears in big woods, that it's more like bedding styles, vs areas. IE, They want to bed on the lee side of a high ridge - but which ridge today? Or, they want to bed in laurel thickets with a specific slope orientation, or on swamp islands etc... Given the rotational movement above, it seems odd they would slide back to a bedding area they liked a mile away when they could have a similar spot where they are?
Conversely, in suburban spots I hunt where the habitat is way more fragmented, it's pretty darn clear. I can point to very specific spots where I KNOW they are bedding.
Any of you notice this sort of cycling through areas thing with deer, and how have you handled it?
Great post Will. I think about this a lot. This is what makes hunting in the northeast so much harder than anywhere else. In big woods areas, without a doubt I see this and its so frustrating. Your hunting style needs to be super fluid and really, you need to string together a number of days in a row. That's why I've had some great success getting on deer in Maine the past few years (because I hunt 8 days straight and chase sign). When I am sneaking in morning or afternoon hunts throughout my week normally, its much harder to chase and stay on top of the sign, nor is that conducive to bow hunting as opposed to gun hunting. That's why I have shifted to some more suburban hunting the past couple years. Being that I am still new to NH (this will be my 4th season here and I changed towns half way through which basically reset the clock on my hunting areas) I find that suburban is the way to go right now because I can figure it out quicker. To nail down where the deer are in the big woods quite simply takes years to do, like it or not. Not only do they move "through" areas from time to time, but you need to learn how hunting pressure, weather, and food type each year impacts this. I cannot give you much advice here since I have a hard time figuring out new big woods. I really only do well in the spots I have hunted for say at least 3-5 years. What I can say though from my scouting around here, terrain. Learn how deer use terrain. Granted, its fairly hilly around here so there actually is terrain. A lot of Mass is rather flat which makes it even harder. But if you have terrain features, and you know how deer use terrain features, you can really save a ton of time in your effort of finding where the deer are at a current time.
I find that when the acorns drop that they wipe out one spot then move to the next and wipe out those acorns. In my backyard I would see deer for a few weeks straight and then none. They must just be following the food around.
I’m glad I brought this up seems like you guys do guys see the rotational action like I do, glad I’m not the only one. Always have a hard time just hunting Saturday then when we take our week off in November me and the old man usually seem to get on them at some point
Spike is absolutely correct about that. Food drives where they move for sure. But again, you really need to know the area first. Where the oaks are, which ones are dropping, which ones offer safety close by, etc. I actually learned something last year I never knew before... Very few acorns around my house however at the peaks of all the near by hills (800 feet or so) there were loads of acorns. IT was very dictated by elevation. Pretty neat to see that. Who knows if its like that every year though, something I will learn over several years.
I find this cycling action common everywhere not just big woods. They see to appear in spots for say 3 or 4 evenings and bam they don't show again for a week. Drives me nuts because I'm basically a "weekend warrior" for hunting as I work in Boston and home is an hour and half away making after work hunts impossible. This is my primary reason why I scout my butt off to find the "routine bedding areas" and hunt them. I leave the does alone in these spots and wait for the rut hoping Mr Big comes in. Last year he did. If I dont get lucky on a buck well then the doe tag gets filled in December.
Interesting stuff guys. Ill add a food impact note that I'd love your thoughts on - it echo's what you all seem to be describing.
BWB - I have a spot that's awesome in Z6. Every other year. The oaks on this hill top (white and red) seem to drop a ton every second year. If you hunt it the off year, you will see a few deer now and then... Hunt it during the on year, and it's one of the only Z6 spots I know that I'd suggest you will see a deer every sit from season open to about mid November - so long as you have a wind that S or E, even a shade of SW can work. But you get the point, the year's the nuts are there, it's great... Not there, and the deer barely touch it.
In my "A" spot right now, which is pretty suburban, it's a tight area, and it's amazing how there appear to be 3 areas when it comes to nuts. A section with a lot of white oaks, and two areas with lots of reds. The deer work through the area differently based on the areas with the most nuts. Not huge differences because there isnt space for huge differences... But more action to the SE, S or NW corners pending the year.
Food definitely is an influence, and in suburban settings the changes are easier to monitor due to size of the woods...
That every other year spot... you have 1.5-almost 2 miles to a road one way, about .75 the other, and if you go .5mi another you cross a tiny country road, hit woods attatched to quabbin and could literally go over 10 miles prior to hitting a maintained road (unless you count the DCR roads in the quabbin, then it's probably 2 miles).
One other area I've hunted a ton, I think Peter hunts there as well... If you cross a non maintained road or two - you can go 5~ miles.
Amazing how much simpler it is to figure things out in suburban settings given the confines of the "field" are more clear.
This is why boots on the ground in the off season in your hunting areas or areas of interest are keys to success when the time comes. When scouting and this goes for any time of the year, you should make note of all bedding and potential food sources within the area you plan to hunt. The seemingly rotational movement of deer is almost always driven by resources and weather (excluding pressure here although it can mess things up a bit). Wind and weather shifts alter deer movement just like the lack of or abundance of resources in a given area. Also, deer change their diets throughout the season which is worth observing. For any given day/time of the year you plan on hunting, take note of what the deer have been or will likely be feeding on and combine that knowledge with your prior scouting notes of common bedding areas and nearby food sources with current weather/wind conditions and you should be able to narrow a giant tract of land into a handful of "areas" worth your hunting efforts. You can easily eliminate these "areas" within the main hunting area just by looking at a map and monitoring the current wind or weather on that given day. Now you did some homework in the off season and know where they commonly bed and potentially feed it helps narrow it down even more. It takes those big areas like Will mentioned and makes them way "smaller" due to elimination tactics thus "easier" to figure out. Suburban hunting is def way easier to figure out and usually takes less planning and scouting. I mean I hunt a small 30-40 acre piece in southern NH where its bordered by a condo complex, a golf course, and a neighborhood. The deer are either there or they aren't and I find out very quickly by just checking food sources and sign.
