Motivation for Winter Deer Migration

[AntlerObsession]

Gentlemen,
We gathered a group of desert dwellers from AZ to go to SW Colorado for an epic mule deer hunt. We called the local DOW office for local conditions, and got some good information: highs around 70, dry, no snow, weather you would expect to see in Phoenix, not the CO Rockies!! Then, the nice DOW lady dropped some info I wasn't expecting. She says that the deer are already long gone on their way to their winter range, and despite beautiful weather, and no snow in the high country, they will have long gone.

My question for smarter minds than mine: What provides the greatest motivation for deer to move to lower elevations in the fall?

A: Snow
B: Temperature
C: Internal Clock(they just know when to go, regardless of conditions)

Your input would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[muleymaddness]

My 100% guess would be that a lack of feed up top due to the drought and potentially an early freeze up high that killed whatever was up there to start with.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I'm sure the lady at the DOW was nice, but there aren't too many DOW receptionists writing books on mule deer behavior . . . Lots has to do with food. They can hang in the timberline country well into October, however . . . In warm weather like this, lots of migrating deer will hold up in the transition range, say between 8-10,000 feet. Typically this scenario makes big deer incredibly hard to find and IMO is the most difficult time to hunt a classic migrating herd. It's usually more dense forest, and the big bucks are still a far cry from being interested in the ladies. They'll hole up and not move much and in many cases you'll have to nearly step on them to get a glimpse.

 

[BeanMan]

Me thinks there is less food down low due to the drought. We are set up for a bad winter kill if we get a hard winter. There is almost no feed in wintering areas this year in western Colorado

 

[cmbbulldog]

Hunt the transition zones, you can see the migration routes on the CO DOW website. They are tough to find in these areas but they are there.

 

[tx_packmule]

C. Internal clock/ photoperiod

 

[elks96]

None of the above. This year things are different but not hugely different.

I fully believe the majority of the migration occurs on the full moon. The last full moon of October or the first of November. Not much to go on except my 20 years hunting. I feel photoperiod is important, but the real migration hits with the full moon.

 

[manny53]

>None of the above. This year
>things are different but not
>hugely different.
>
>I fully believe the majority of
>the migration occurs on the
>full moon. The last full
>moon of October or the
>first of November. Not much
>to go on except my
>20 years hunting. I feel
>photoperiod is important, but the
>real migration hits with the
>full moon.


so you believe it already took place from the full moon on the 29th sept?...

 

[txhunter58]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-12-12 AT 05:54AM (MST)[p]Greatest motivations to move to lower elevations:
1)Food
2) Snow

In SW CO where I hunt, food is actually better in the higher elevations this year, so I can't see them migrating until the snow hits. However, hard freezes in the high country makes the feed less desirable in the high country (more so for deer than elk) so temperature can affect #1 above. But that usually means they move from above timberline down into the trees. That can still be pretty high (8500-10000 ft)

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[mntman]

It is a combination of everything, food availability, snow, internal clock and length of days.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"

 

[elks96]

Not in full effect. On years like this the vast majority will hang out until end of october. On the flip side I and my daughter watched several groups of deer on the move the weekend of the 29th. Where I archery hunt for elk is great winter range for deer. During the archery season I spent 18 days hunting and saw 1 buck in the area. On the 29th and 30th we saw 40+. All were moving along the migration path. Granted once the migration hits where I hunt 40 deer is nothing compared to total number of animals that migrate, but in 2 days it went from no deer to deer scattered everywhere. On the 30th we spotted 2 does 2 yearlings and a 2x1 buck first light. By 12 they had moved over 6 miles along the migration route. They were just walking and eating, nothing pushing them etc.

As many have mentioned for deer. They will be held up in the transition zones at this point. I know in my area (up north) there will be a ton more activity on the late OCT. moon, but the late September moon definitely moved animals.

If I were to hunt a new area I would start one or the other. Up high and decrease elevation until I found numbers or start low and work up. This year with the drought, water, and early freeze etc. I would think animals are on the lower end of elevation ranges, but that is up here in the north.

 

[txhunter58]

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is that does/fawns/young bucks tend to head to the low country before the mature bucks. Older bucks generally stay up higher until the snow or rut sends them down.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[elks96]

>Something that hasn't been mentioned yet
>is that does/fawns/young bucks tend
>to head to the low
>country before the mature bucks.
> Older bucks generally stay
>up higher until the snow
>or rut sends them down.
>
>
>txhunter58
>
>venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore
>I am)


To a certain extent this is true. I was thinking about this over the weekend and then I managed to see three huge bucks and one decent buck lower than the does right now. They seemed to have moved in as where they were I would have crossed paths with them sometime already. The 3 bigones went mid 160s and one looked to be a low 180 (he was really big bodied and when I first saw him I swore his neck was swollen and all). Hopefully they will stick around for my buddies son.

 

[txhunter58]

There are also big bucks that never go up to the high country, especially where there is farming fields in the lower country

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[LuckyHntr]

Yes, there was a non-typical, taken a few years ago, scored close to 280 I believe! The irrigator had seen him in the hay fields during the summer while irrigating. So, then that fall during hunting season, not more than a mile away, in the juniper/pinions he saw the buck and knocked him down. A real dandy.

Of course in the stories you read those kind of details are left out, but I had inside information.