Changes in movement from year to year

[MidTN97]

I've noticed the past 2 years our deer have changed up their movement / feeding patterns than previous years. Hunting pressure is the same and we maintain a healthy heard. Years we have harvested corn, great movement from bed to feed. Years we have soy beans, not so much. I know this year was a heavy acorn years in our area. However, last few years I've seen more action happening deeper in timber than we typically see in fields. For example, previous years we had several mature deer come into the field during the rut that were scanning for does. This year, I've seen maybe 1 actually come into the field. I'm still trying to understand what influences changes in behavior / patterns. What else has everyone else noticed this year or in previous years when patterns change?

 

[Bone Collector]

I have owned the same land since 2012. For me it has gone down hill over the last 5 years. new people moving in, building homes, maybe hunting where in the past there was no hunting, all these things have an affect. In addition, deer are different each year. Some get older and wiser, sometimes the leader of the pack or the deer that had one set of behaviors gets killed, which may be why they got killed, whereas the other deer that we don't see don't get killed and continue doing what they have been doing, but we're set up to kill the deer that do what we expect them to do, if that makes sense...

 

[Lost Lake]

Our patterns on the farm have stayed very close to the same place except for the first five years after it was HEAVILY timbered. During that time, most daylight activity during season stayed right around or in the new thick growth.

It's been a decade since, and now most activity has returned to its historical patterns, without the majority of good oak timber we once had.

More often than not, what I've noticed is very subtle shifts in general movement patterns once deer have my patterns figured out. They'll still use the area, but shift over 75-100 yards or so if I'm over hunting certain stands.

The neighboring farms have been timbered in the last year too, and I look for next year to be frustrating for me, as the deer concentrate on the new growth and thick cover on those farms.

 

[Griswold]

Out of staters and their new houses have really put a hurting on a lot of us as folks die off and their farms get sold

 

[Grandslam11]

I have hunted the same property for the past 15 years. The deer were very predictable on where there enter and exit the fields and their travel corridors. About 5 years ago, I put up a shooting house about 100 yards from the two most used spots. Since then, they have completely changed their pattern and now show up about 300 yards in completely different areas of the fields. They are mart.

 

[Remington700]

Deer will alter patterns but are creatures of habit for the most part. If you get a new piece of property you can typically hunt where an old stand was and be successful. On my place they will change with seasons (food) and might travel one direction vs another. They are always in the same vicinity though.

 

[Ski]

I have owned the same land since 2012. For me it has gone down hill over the last 5 years. new people moving in, building homes, maybe hunting where in the past there was no hunting, all these things have an affect. In addition, deer are different each year. Some get older and wiser, sometimes the leader of the pack or the deer that had one set of behaviors gets killed, which may be why they got killed, whereas the other deer that we don't see don't get killed and continue doing what they have been doing, but we're set up to kill the deer that do what we expect them to do, if that makes sense...

That's the gist of it. Deer are incredibly adaptable. They react & adapt to changes we don't even notice, but we sure notice the change in their habits. I think that's what's so fun about hunting them. There's always a puzzle to solve because they're constantly changing the playbook.

 

[BSK]

That's the gist of it. Deer are incredibly adaptable. They react & adapt to changes we don't even notice, but we sure notice the change in their habits. I think that's what's so fun about hunting them. There's always a puzzle to solve because they're constantly changing the playbook.

Agree completely Ski. Every time I think I have deer figured out, they flip and do something completely different. Figuring all that out is the fun part.

But to answer the original question, what changes deer behavior patterns from year to year? In my opinion, the biggest influence is fall food sources. What are the deer eating this year? Is it acorns? Is it a harvested corn field? Is it young woody browse from logging operations? From year to year, the biggest changes in patterns I see is whether or not there is a decent acorn crop. Bumper acorns years will display vastly different deer movement patterns from an acorn failure year. And this isn't limited to just where they move, but can have profound influence on when breeding peaks. On my place, peak breeding can be 10 days to two weeks later in an acorn failure year compared to a bumper acorn crop. The availability of highly-nutritious acorns allows breeding to occur at the "normal" time, while the lower nutrition browse deer subsist on in an acorn failure year delays the rut.

The second strongest influence is hunting pressure. Suddenly start hunting a local deer population harder than in the past, and deer adjust very quickly.

 

[backyardtndeer]

In my opinion, the biggest influence is fall food sources. What are the deer eating this year? Is it acorns? Is it a harvested corn field? Is it young woody browse from logging operations? From year to year, the biggest changes in patterns I see is whether or not there is a decent acorn crop. Bumper acorns years will display vastly different deer movement patterns from an acorn failure year.

^^^^this^^^^

When deer have tons of acorns in the woods and they don't have to move around much, they are not going to be as visible to average hunters.

 

[megalomaniac]

You must ADAPT fast to be successful.

Great example, one of my 125 ac farms we killed two 4.5yos on last year. We had 3 shooters on it back in August when the beans were green, but once they yellowed mid October, they left and the farmer put up a 6 strand barbwire fence around the staging area (pasture).

Deer usage dropped to zero... we made 3 fence crossings for deer in mid October, but the deer haven't found it. Beans are out, cover crop just planted, so no reason for deer to come there.

As a consequence, we haven't hunted that farm a single time this year....

BUT I strongly suspect we will kill a solid buck there late December when they are focused on feed and bordering acorns are gone.

Bottom line, analyze, reanalyze, then analyze again the BIG picture for what influences deer movement and adapt.

 

[RobbyW]

I am always amazed how much the woods change every year. A downed tree changes the canopy which impacts growth, trails, etc

 

[redblood]

Its amazing how the corn/soybean rotation in our crop fields affect movement…..and for the record I am on team Corn