do mule deer stay higher longer than elk?

T

TDIESEL

Guest
hey guys im looking at doing some hunting up in colorado I've heard that some big deer will stay up higher than elk after the weather turns cold the elk head down but the deer stay high. Does any one have any experience at this. I'm thinking of putting in for an area that is just about timberline but if no deer are there the 20th of october I don't want to be the only living thing that high.
 
All I know is that we have shot some big azz deer in very deep snow! Come to think of it, I've also shot some dinks in deep snow too. I dont know about the corelation between elk and deer. But I do know about 4 years ago we had a very very heavy storm in NE Utah, seemed that the deer couldnt get down the mountain fast enough. It looked like a shooting gallery with all teh trucks pulled off the side of the road shooting deer. We filled 13/14 tags in 3 days that year. It seemed that there was a nice 4 point hanging in about every other camp that year too. IMO, bigger deer will stay up high as long as they can.
 
In my experience the BIG bucks do stay higher for longer but, normally only because the bulls go after the ladies in Sept-Oct whereas the bucks are only waiting until the weather forces them down. It really depends on the year and terrain though. Some years Oct 20th wouldn't be bad at all...others you may be the only living thing up there!
 
Most years you are probably OK and will find some deer, but as stated, it is totally dependent on weather. If there is 4 ft of snow, even you won't be there.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Ya I know it depends on the year I just wonder sometimes cause rifle deer season comes in after some shooting from earlier elk seasons. I guess I never just went to look up higher maybe this will be the year I find only a bird that high. ha ha depends on the weather. maybe i'll snowmobile in but probably if its that deep i'll stay lower.
 
Once the 1st frost hits most of the vegatation above timberline will loose it's nutritional value.This will send the deer to lower ground and better food. Having said that, I have seen some big bucks above timberline in late october. Check out the open south west facing slopes. I believe these sun lit slopes will hold good feed later into the season.Scout it out a day or so before the hunt and if it's void of deer work your way down in elevation till you find em.

Mike
 
Cabinfever nailed it.

When the vegatation goes dormant, after a serious cold snap, deer and elk HAVE to move to lower elevations to find stable feed.

The older bucks will hang at the freeze/frost line, close to the main herd. And you already know that a 1 mile hike, in 2 feet of snow, is just a stroll for a gnarly ol'buck.

Bottom line.....it depends on the weather.
 
Yup, Cabinfever hit it. I see a behavior change after they shed their velvet, usually taking one to 1 1/2 weeks. They stay on the fringes of the timber and are still fairly visible though. The next behavior change comes with the first heavy frost. It kills any grasses and forbes that are in the open so the deer go deeper into the timber where the feed was protected from frost by the overhead canopy. Most of the feed at this time is still green and lush in the trees. The next change is either heavy snow or the rut.
Your deer will still be huntable during your hunt but will be lower in the same canyon or maybe in an ajoining canyon. Just resist the urge to get too close and spook him out to parts unknown until your ready to kill him. Undisturbed deer a WAY easier to hunt.


"My sickle has a boattail"
"hidden soles leave .308 holes"
 
I think that it will sometimes vary on where you are hunting. For example, I have noticed on the wasatch where the deer tend to have a short migration down to their wintering grounds they will stay up high even in some decent snow depths. However, in the Uinta's where the deer seem to have a farther migration they are almost all out of the high country by mid October. That's just what I have noticed.
 

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