Patterning Deer

[ferg]

I'm stumped

I have had cams/plotwatchers etc out for like 6 years now - 24/7/365 - and have tons of pictures and videos of deer movement on my property - Trophy Rock in the same place for 5 years -

And there are LOTS of deer - 3 groups this time of year - a sizable bachelor group - and two different family groups - Does w/last years fawns and getting ready to drop etc -

The movement of these groups of deer are or at least to this un-trained eye - totally RANDOM - :cry:

To be sure there are 'some' things that remain - like favorite times to hit the rock dawn and dusk - but not everyday - sometimes not in a week, then everyday, then every 3rd day or 4th - and not every group every time, and other times in the middle of the day a few will show up at midday etc - crazy -

I know the general transit route(s) and I know they are bedding in the cedar thickets up in my hard woods - because I see them on my four wheeler - which doesn't seem to bother them much - as they see me most every day at some point -

But, I read about patterning deer - and for the life of me - can not figure these groups out -

drive though

 

[woodsman87]

I am with you ferg, impossible to pattern them, even does. About all I know is this: When they hungry they eat; scared they run, bed, and turn nocturnal; rut they chase does; typically cold calm weather is better than warm windy weather; dawn and dusk are usually best times to see deer. This is about the only pattern I know pertaining to deer from years of messing with them.

I think that anyone that says they have "absoluteley positively patterned a trophy buck" are lying or downright crazy, or are in a high fenced area with controlled settings.

 

[Hunter 257W]

Same here. When I hear hunters talk about how a buck will react, I have to groan a little. If a guy is limiting out on big bucks every year then maybe he is telling the truth. Otherwise I think it's just talk. If deer were that predictable they would all be shot. I hunt farmland with big open fields, fencerows and small woodlots. You'd THINK the deer would use fencerows a lot to travel from woodlot to woodlot but they cross out in the wide open spaces as often as not. And the place you see them cross today may not have a deer cross at all the next 5 days. All too often seeing a buck is just random luck as far as I can tell.

 

[DaveB]

Well, i know the deer that move across my lease are always moving west/east/west. They will only go north if jumped, they literally never go south when they wind or see me. Young bucks are close to the road, bigger bucks way back. Where there is cedar there are does bedded, sometimes as many as 10. I know they move all hours of the day and night and they like TR so long as it is in one of their preferred areas.

 

[Mike Belt]

One of the only things that I "think" I know is when you jump a moving deer they will almost always turn and run back in the direction from which they just came. I guess this area is the freshest, safe travel route on their mind. Other than that all you can do is semi pattern a deer's tendency to use particular terrain features for traveling.

 

[BSK]

But, I read about patterning deer - and for the life of me - can not figure these groups out -

I think much depends on habitat. Most of these "patterning" stories come from hunters hunting "big ag" landscape. When 90% of the land surface is open ground, deer are forced to move along the narrow 10% of cover. This can produce fairly predictable patterns.

That said, for the majority of us in TN, we are hunting deer that are not very patternable because the deer literally aren't following patterns. I've had the opportunity to work with GPS collar data from deer in the Southeast--where the deer's location is recorded every 20 minutes, around the clock, for months on end, to an accuracy of 7 feet. I can promise you that their movements are VERY close to being random, within given parameters, such as staying within a daily and seasonal range.

 

[ferg]

Thanks Bryan - I don't feel quite so inadequate now

 

[Winchester]

TERRAIN features and how deer use them in general on any given piece of ground, has done way more for me than trying to pattern individual deer that's for sure!

 

[BSK]

TERRAIN features and how deer use them in general on any given piece of ground, has done way more for me than trying to pattern individual deer that's for sure!

In hilly country:

#1) Play the terrain

#2) Play any habitat edges

 

[BHC]

I don't think it's possible to pattern deer to the extent you may be hoping for..
Your best bet this summer is to use your cameras this summer to locate a bucks core area. Or maybe a group of bucks. Then determine the primary food sources. You can either hunt those sources or hunt terrain features leading to them... Maybe there is some other funnel not terrain related.. That's how I "pattern" summer bucks... During the rut it's basically the same there movement just becomes much more random... I begin focusing mainly on primary scrape locations. And hunt food sources as secondary locations under poor hunting conditions... Deer don't have daily routines as much as they do natural tendencies. Find those specific tendencies for your property to " pattern" your deer...

 

[Poleaxe]

Trying to pattern deer is like trying to pattern women. It can't be done and if said different your lying.

 

[deerhunter10]

you can to an extent imo... extremely hard in Tennessee weather plays a huge key in it! I can go out and pattern deer very easy when they are in velvet I watch them so much I can usually get within 5-10 minutes as to when they will hit that particular field for the most part even that is very random at times.but as soon as the velvet comes off they are night and day in their behavior. in Tennessee I think you are wasting your time in trying to pattern deer because it is rare to have velvet deer when we start to hunt that is one reason why I would love to see our season start when ky does. but to get a deer patterned set in stone is impossible just to a little extent can you pattern them in Tennessee and that usually in the summer months. I wouldn't worry about it the key to Tennessee hunting imo is hunting the terrain and understand how to play the wind. trail cameras are just about only good for seeing what your inventory is and you can some what see what deer are in a particular area but deer travel like crazy so even then who knows.

 

[Mike Belt]

I've tried to pattern summer deer hitting fields. You can pattern the fields they frequent but not where they're going to hit those fields...at least not the bucks. Archery season has seen me very successful at being in the same field as them but in 5 days they may enter 5 different places.

 

[benellivol]

The best luck I've had is creeks at the bottoms of hollers and logging roads through the thickest stuff possible.

They'll walk a shallow creek or dryed up creek if everything else is extremely thick and they'll always use logging roads.

As far as big bucks, I've never had any luck seeing them in the same place twice.

I can go and find a doe relatively easy. Bucks are completely different.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I've tried to pattern summer deer hitting fields. You can pattern the fields they frequent but not where they're going to hit those fields...at least not the bucks. Archery season has seen me very successful at being in the same field as them but in 5 days they may enter 5 different places.

That's been my experience too. I hunt in an area where maybe 20% of the land has cover and the rest is in row crops or pastures. Once gun season opens and the crops are gathered, it's wide open for the most part, so you'd think deer would tend to follow fencerows when traveling between the small wooded areas but they are just as likely to charge out across an open field. But with no repeatable pattern at all.

 

[BSK]

I've tried to pattern summer deer hitting fields. You can pattern the fields they frequent but not where they're going to hit those fields...at least not the bucks. Archery season has seen me very successful at being in the same field as them but in 5 days they may enter 5 different places.

That's been my experience too. I hunt in an area where maybe 20% of the land has cover and the rest is in row crops or pastures. Once gun season opens and the crops are gathered, it's wide open for the most part, so you'd think deer would tend to follow fencerows when traveling between the small wooded areas but they are just as likely to charge out across an open field. But with no repeatable pattern at all.

That's really interesting Hunter 257W. That backs up my suspicion that Midwestern deer are just very different critters than Southeastern deer. In the "big ag" regions of the Midwest, I've looked at trail-camera data sets that indicate those deer really are fairly patternable. I though it was due to the ag land and lack of cover, but perhaps it's just a regional difference in deer behavior. I do know those Midwestern bucks are the most active during daylight of any regional deer I've ever seen. It's not at all uncommon to get Midwestern mature bucks on camera in daylight at any time of year, while a 5 1/2+ year-old buck on camera in daylight during hunting season in the Southeast is fairly rare.

 

[woodsman87]

I've tried to pattern summer deer hitting fields. You can pattern the fields they frequent but not where they're going to hit those fields...at least not the bucks. Archery season has seen me very successful at being in the same field as them but in 5 days they may enter 5 different places.

That's been my experience too. I hunt in an area where maybe 20% of the land has cover and the rest is in row crops or pastures. Once gun season opens and the crops are gathered, it's wide open for the most part, so you'd think deer would tend to follow fencerows when traveling between the small wooded areas but they are just as likely to charge out across an open field. But with no repeatable pattern at all.

That's really interesting Hunter 257W. That backs up my suspicion that Midwestern deer are just very different critters than Southeastern deer. In the "big ag" regions of the Midwest, I've looked at trail-camera data sets that indicate those deer really are fairly patternable. I though it was due to the ag land and lack of cover, but perhaps it's just a regional difference in deer behavior. I do know those Midwestern bucks are the most active during daylight of any regional deer I've ever seen. It's not at all uncommon to get Midwestern mature bucks on camera in daylight at any time of year, while a 5 1/2+ year-old buck on camera in daylight during hunting season in the Southeast is fairly rare.

I agree with this about the Midwest and the Southeast. Deer are more patternable in the Midwest because of less woods and cover for them to use. I also believe that normally their colder fall/winters than ours has their deer move more in day light, except for the heavy snowing periods.

I also think it is something different genetically wired in their brains or instinct or mething. One reason I believe that TV shows do most of their hunting in the mid west is not only because of the big bucks, but they move during the day to kill them. In Tennessee it just doesn't happen like that. I have never been in the midwest, I am just going off of what I hear and read about. Not claiming for any of it to be factual.

I also have observed that Tennessee and North Alabama has more daylight deer movement than central and South Alabama. Seems like the farther south you go, the more deer move at night. I have hunted alot through TN and AL and have observed this, but again do not claim it to be set in stone facts.

I believe that dog hunting for years and years in South Alabama is what has caused the deer to adapt or learn over time to "lay low" all day and not disperse their sent so that dogs cannot find to track them. This has been witnessed by myself in non-dog hunting counties, where it has been illegal to run deer dogs for many years. It is like they have it in their instinct now to move at night.

I am not anti-dog hunting either by no means.

 

[BSK]

I also think it is something different genetically wired in their brains or instinct or mething. One reason I believe that TV shows do most of their hunting in the mid west is not only because of the big bucks, but they move during the day to kill them.

That is correct. Shows are filmed in the Midwest and TX because 1) they have a lot of big bucks; and 2) those older big bucks move a lot in daylight. In the Midwest, I had always thought it was the lack of cover (but it may be something regionally genetic). In TX, it's generally because many of those older big bucks don't face much hunting pressure, hence don't ever have to learn to be nocturnal.

I also have observed that Tennessee and North Alabama has more daylight deer movement than central and South Alabama. Seems like the farther south you go, the more deer move at night. I have hunted alot through TN and AL and have observed this, but again do not claim it to be set in stone facts.

Very interesting. I've heard this before as well.

I think the one major exception to this would be the big mature buck managed pine plantations of the Deep South. In many of those situations, the only food sources are green fields (food plots) and no buck is shot until maturity. Those bucks never learn to be nocturnal, and the only food source around is food plots, hence hunters have considerable success killing mature bucks off green fields during daylight.

 

[woodsman87]

I think the one major exception to this would be the big mature buck managed pine plantations of the Deep South. In many of those situations, the only food sources are green fields (food plots) and no buck is shot until maturity. Those bucks never learn to be nocturnal, and the only food source around is food plots, hence hunters have considerable success killing mature bucks off green fields during daylight.

I am by no means a good deer hunter, and not a scientist at all. But I have hunted in big food plots many times in the deep south at these pine plantations. We rarely even see does in the food plots during daylight.

I believe bucks are bigger, according to trail cam pics, than they are up here. But hunting down there just isn't as fun. You rarely see deer. If you move into the thickets with them, sometimes there is no place to put a climber stand, or even a ladder stand. If you are elevated, you can't see anything. Then you have to resort to sitting on the ground in thickets. Limited visibility plus your scent is detected easier by deer. It is just all in all more difficult down there, and not as fun IMO.

 

[BSK]

I sure as heck would not enjoy sitting in a shooting house staring at green fields every day. If that was my only option, I would probably give up deer hunting.