C
Curlee
Guest
I know there's probably a few variables in this question, but how much snow do you think it takes to trigger the migration instinct in mule deer?
Curlee
Curlee
O
Oakbuck
Guest
I believe it has more to do with the amount of frost and when the browse and berries start to lose thier nutritional value.
Oakbuck
Oakbuck
Gator
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 18,131
Doe's and fawn's will move to lower ground with just a few inches, I guess it the doe's motherly duty to get her fawn to a safe area. Bucks will stay high until the snow is deep or the rut comes along, depends what happens first.Smaller bucks will head down with the does if they are in that family bunch, if they are hanging out with the big boys, they will stay with the big boys.
D
DeerKing
Guest
Oak pretty much hit it on the head. Actually it doesn't take any snow to move deer down, its more dependent on frost and its effects on vegation and forage. I have seen many years in late September when we've had hard freezes above timberline with no snow and there hasnt been a deer on the mountain. Other times during mild winters where we've had a fair amount of snow and not much cold and the vegetation remained fairly green, the deer were still up high. This is in Colorado and I know the habits of deer vary a bit in different states or regions within a state.
C
Curlee
Guest
Thanks guys..I'm hunting a pretty big unit this year with a lot of different elevation changes over a widespread area.
Curlee
Curlee
J
jameister
Guest
Rule of thumb I learned in wildlife biology class in decades past, where it does snow deep ( there was a time before the drought when snows accumulated all winter).
wintering deer move so they do not need to paw through 12-18 inches of snow to get to food. course if there is browse showing above the snow line its easier.
Elk move when its deeper than 18 inches accumulated..
Another rule of thumb: There are always south facing and windswept ridges that are almost bare of snow even if most areas are waist deep..
When I was younger and hunted the high country late, it was seldom that I found tracks of elk in much more than true knee deep packed snow. and I never saw deer tracks after their bellies dragged in the snow, except when they were moving down teh mountains from the deep.
Opinions vary on this topic.
wintering deer move so they do not need to paw through 12-18 inches of snow to get to food. course if there is browse showing above the snow line its easier.
Elk move when its deeper than 18 inches accumulated..
Another rule of thumb: There are always south facing and windswept ridges that are almost bare of snow even if most areas are waist deep..
When I was younger and hunted the high country late, it was seldom that I found tracks of elk in much more than true knee deep packed snow. and I never saw deer tracks after their bellies dragged in the snow, except when they were moving down teh mountains from the deep.
Opinions vary on this topic.
Frost is a huge factor. I have chuncks of alpine up here that get frost the 3rd week of Aug every year. There will be a ton of deer in there up till that week and then nothing. They drop a tad in elevation and hit the timber because the veg is toated out.
Another factor is the distance to the winter range. Some areas they bail at the first skiff of snow because it takes them a long time to get to their winter range and they may have to climb several mountain passes to accomplish that. Other areas, the winter range is only a couple hours travel down hill and they will stay up high really late. I have seen bucks dragging their bellies postholin' it in powder well into December and not seem affected by it. Sometimes those bucks miss the rut all together. The does have bailed months earlier and there isn't even a hint of doe-in-heat in the air. So those big ol' bucks just stay high, some not coming down until Feb. Val Geist says in some areas of the BC Rockies, they never do come down. Easy way to escape predators is to stay high all winter long.
Another factor is the distance to the winter range. Some areas they bail at the first skiff of snow because it takes them a long time to get to their winter range and they may have to climb several mountain passes to accomplish that. Other areas, the winter range is only a couple hours travel down hill and they will stay up high really late. I have seen bucks dragging their bellies postholin' it in powder well into December and not seem affected by it. Sometimes those bucks miss the rut all together. The does have bailed months earlier and there isn't even a hint of doe-in-heat in the air. So those big ol' bucks just stay high, some not coming down until Feb. Val Geist says in some areas of the BC Rockies, they never do come down. Easy way to escape predators is to stay high all winter long.
