Early snow question

[ridgetops]

I'm hoping to have a discussion about this subject. I've read over and over again about the Colorado deer move to lower elevation when as big snow storm hits. I get that but I'm having a hard time understanding when people say " the 2nd rifle was better because it snowed that week, then it warmed up during the 3rd and 4th seasons and the bucks disappeared". Do the bucks turn around and head back up in the high country if the early November snow melts or is it just harder to glass up the bucks if there's no snow on the ground?

 

[lostinOregon]

When it warms up they go back to nocturnal with very little movement. I have killed most of my best bucks during 2nd when weather pushes them down early. Some migrate without any weather. But sometimes that time of the year you can get sunny and warm and they just don’t move much. Your time to find them is very limited to first and last light. Last year during 3rd season the weather wasn’t great but I saw some great rutting action with bucks breeding does. Sometimes during 3rd I haven’t seen that activity. it’s a crapshoot to be honest. Hunted CO every year since 2004 and sometimes multiple seasons and one thing I can say is every year is different.

 

[willfrye027]

On my last hunt in colorado 2nd season we were into deer from 10,500 down to the winter range. They were fairly spread out. We got a bit of a cold snap and snow (not a ton, maybe 12-18” up high and about 4-6”at 8000). It made for great hunting for a few days with bucks sniffing does and out feeding much longer in the mornings and even in the middle of the day.

I think it takes quite a bit of snow to get the bulk of the deer moving down. Some will go all the way to the winter range some hang up in transition. Some seem to arrive on the winter range regardless of weather. From the studies I’ve read on migration patterns it can vary quite a bit on the unit.

Honestly I think snow and cold just means good deer hunting..I don’t know that there is really hard and fast rules.

 

[nripepi]

Easier to see the deer with snow and often better overall movement with cooler weather. Can get the bucks to start sniffing around more as well and if enough snow it will push them out of the timber down lower into more visible terrain. Interested to see what others think about reverse migration when it warms up, I don't think that happens a ton, just think they don't move as much when it is warmer because of their winter coats.

 

[TKMulePacker]

Snow and cold gets em up. Warm and mild puts em down.

Think about it like this: Youre walking around all day in a heavy winter coat, just a few weeks ago it was hot, and you didnt have this winter coat. You cannot take the coat off, its part of you. Then it snows 18"and turns frigid! BUT youve got this sweet coat. Youre running around, chasing ladys, ALL DAY, life is great. Then it warms back up, the snow melts, but youve still got this freeking coat. Think im just gonna hide in the shade all day til it gets cold again. Too hot. The ladys are still there when the sun goes down.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Interesting topic that I have heard several true big buck killers talk about. The common theme with almost all of them is that if you want to hunt a big buck you must hunt high as the truly big bucks will be the last deer/animals to leave the mountain. Often times, wading through the snow to get down.

The one guy I spoke with said when he hunts in the snow, he normally doesn't see many deer per day but when he does its almost always a mature buck. He killed a couple bucks using snowshoes to travel around because the snow was so deep.

Always wondered if that was true. If I lived out there, I would likely test the theory on a lesser tag or three....

 

[HntHrdr]

3rd & 4th last few years and this year are rut hunts. The bucks will be on does. I have a hard time imagining that they would head back up the mountain if there aren’t does there, and generally there are not in Nov. The bucks I have killed or chased since 2020 have all been around does. This last year, 3rd was warm in contrast to 2nd and 4th, I think the snow makes deer much easier to see, more active than warm obviously, but I still found bucks rutting with does during 3rd

 

[HntHrdr]

Interesting topic that I have heard several true big buck killers talk about. The common theme with almost all of them is that if you want to hunt a big buck you must hunt high as the truly big bucks will be the last deer/animals to leave the mountain. Often times, wading through the snow to get down.

The one guy I spoke with said when he hunts in the snow, he normally doesn't see many deer per day but when he does its almost always a mature buck.

Always wondered if that was true. If I lived out there, I would likely test the theory on a lesser tag or three....

I have heard this theory, which may well hold true. I do know that with some of our shorter hunts you could go days and not see any bucks or any deer and the season is then over….

 

[TKMulePacker]

The common theme with almost all of them is that if you want to hunt a big buck you must hunt high as the truly big bucks will be the last deer/animals to leave the mountain. Often times, wading through the snow to get down.

This is definitely true in some areas. The winter range I watch is pounded by road hunters 2nd, 3rd and 4th. The deer are everywhere down low, but youll hardly see anything bigger than a 3.5yr old. Up above is a large, relatively roadless mountain with lots of private. Drive around during 4th season and a lot of campers have fork horn heads laying outside, very few nice deer. By christmas there will be a number of nice bucks show up that wait til the absolute last minute to come down.

I can also remember a 4th season elk hunt a few years back where I saw a very very nice 4x4 up at 10000ft, hadnt seen a doe up there in a month, but there he was.

last year I picked up two 170 class deadheads, both above 9000ft and both about 2000ft up and a mile away from a well known area where tons of deer congregate for the rut. These two bucks would rather die in a snow bank than come down.

 

[nripepi]

I have heard this theory, which may well hold true. I do know that with some of our shorter hunts you could go days and not see any bucks or any deer and the season is then over….

I think this theory is based on October hunts when that is when the season was open. In October, some big bucks will definitely stay high and wait until November to migrate down.

 

[HntHrdr]

I completely agree with that. From my experience (not an expert by any stretch) the old season structure (Oct- early Nov hunts) often times does and young bucks had grouped up. Bucks would could be bachelored up still and generally 500-1000 ft up the mountain. The real big bucks I saw then were almost always solo and high up in Oct ( and seen while I was elk hunting haha)

 

[elkmo41]

Some deer are hard wired to make the migration in stages and some do it all at once from a radio collard deer study I read. Also some data referenced the fawn will follow the same direction annually in the future, similar to imprinting.

I found a migration corridor during second season 2020 and returned to it last year, both had heavy snow with cold and watched hundreds of deer pushing down. First light on the fresh snow they were literally running, as the day wore on many slowed. Saw all ages of bucks behaving the exact same. Many were in groups very few solitary deer, none were stopping to feed they had one thing on their mind.

My question is what they do in years of a significant drought and an early snow pushes them down to poor quality feed.

 

[DaveD]

I have seen a few big deer stay high but from my experience most big deer stay just above the main big push... where there is good cover. They still have the instinct to migrate, but hunting pressure keeps them away from the masses.

 

[txhunter58]

Regardless of what has happened the last few years, after this year the all seasons will move up a week . So 3rd season will be when 2nd was now. Throw that into the mix.

Bottom line is you can’t predict the weather for more than a few days. So trying to pick a week it will snow to put in for that season doesn’t work. I can’t tell you how many years I have heard: “second season was hot and dry and it sounded like walking on corn flakes.”

When the move the seasons up a week, I think it would be cool to keep 4th season late, just keep the number of tags low.