Deer Hunting and High Winds

[BSK]

I believe a big difference exist between deer movement and a hunter's ability to see deer movement. First, a deer moving a lot, in thick cover, will never be seen. So increased movement is not as important as WHERE that increased movement occurs. Second, some conditions reduce a hunter's ability to see a moving deer. Wind is the classic example. Although deer may actually be moving just as much under all wind conditions, as wind speed increases, the "background" is in more motion, limiting a hunter's ability to notice a moving deer.

Looking at hunter collected deer and buck observation rates by wind speed, both decline as wind speed increases. Although these declines are not huge. From calm to strong winds, the decline is only 40%.

And one interesting note, for both all deer and just buck observations, rates go up considerably when moving from strong winds to very strong winds. As other have noted in the past, when the winds are absolutely roaring (mature trees swaying violently), deer appear to be "freaked out" by all the motion (probably limiting their ability to see approaching predators), and deer are often observed running full-tilt through the woods, or even running out in the center of open fields.

 

[bigquacks]

That's nice and all but what are the control variables in this study? Was there any introduction of hunter scent in the study, was the study conducted during the hunting season doesn't mention fall, and were the deer free range or pen raised? Lots of things could have tilted this study one way or the other. But as BSK said above hunters don't see the movement of deer due to the surroundings moving as well.

 

[1bow4me]

Just my own observation. Deer move. That's what they do. When there is little or no wind. We can know they are moving not just by site but by a little thing known as hearing. Setting in a stand on a quiet morning, deer moving is heard way more than seeing them moving. But when the wind is at high. The sound of everything is just jumbled together. Limbs smacking together, leaves rustling, the wind itself blowing thru the trees. Even the noisiest thing in the woods, a squirrel, can sneak up without you ever knowing it. So movement, in my opinion, is something that is heard more than seen. A deer moving thru a thicket at 100 yards on a quiet morning can be heard. But that same deer moving thru a thicket at fifty yards on a windy day can slip thru without anyone ever knowing it was ever there. Just a thought.