TN Deer and Snow Theory?

[UTGrad]

I've never seen much deer movement when we get a measurable snowfall here in Middle TN. I wonder if deer bed down the first couple days after a fresh blanket of snow.

Here's my theory...Native deer in northern states are used to snow so it doesn't greatly affect their daily activity. Deer in the south bed down after a snow cause they aren't comfortable with the sudden change in their environment.

Any thoughts?

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

I think along the same lines as you. I've never seen much activity when it's snowing or when there is a decent amount of snow on the ground. I'm sure a good food source would probably help but I mostly hunt cut crop fields and I didn't see much at all the last couple days.

 

[catman529]

I saw 8 deer today, 4 in the morning and 4 in the evening, and TNDeerGuy saw another handful a couple fields down from me. I think they move great in the snow, and all the fresh tracks I saw today proved it. They were feeding on vegetation that wasn't covered in snow, judging by the concentration of tracks around areas with undergrowth.

Deer don't bed down for a couple days, they have to get up and eat every day, more than once a day.

 

[UTGrad]

I saw 8 deer today, 4 in the morning and 4 in the evening, and TNDeerGuy saw another handful a couple fields down from me. I think they move great in the snow, and all the fresh tracks I saw today proved it. They were feeding on vegetation that wasn't covered in snow, judging by the concentration of tracks around areas with undergrowth.

Deer don't bed down for a couple days, they have to get up and eat every day, more than once a day.

Nice! Guess y'all found the deer. I guess I'm just hunting the wrong place [emoji3]

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Snow plus bitter cold will get them going.


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[duckduck84]

I wondered that, but I gotta agree with Catman. The tracks I saw yesterday proved they had moved since the snow stopped. With the melt off yesterday and today I think it's going to be a good afternoon/evening.

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[ThorThor]

The deer stop most movement during the snow but as soon as the front clears they get up and moving. They have replace a lot of calories with this cold weather

 

[cecil30-30]

I have horrible luck with deer sightings in the snow. So much as I don't even bother going until it melts.

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[Lost Lake]

I hunted a thick south facing slope yesterday evening and saw five deer feeding on browse around me for over an hour. But, the first deer I killed hunting in the snow several years back, it was coming down so hard I could barely see the group of them. I guess I've not hunted in the snow enough to form a good opinion, but I've seen them in it more often than not.

 

[Mike Belt]

The very little snow hunting I've done is usually after several days of it being on the ground and the ground was frozen and crunchy. Never saw a deer. The couple of times I've hunted fresh snow I never saw a deer either. I feel sure they have to move and feed with the temps that usually accompany snowy weather just haven't seen it.

 

[rukiddin]

I feed corn at my house and I'm fortunate enough to be able to sit in the living room and watch. Since about October, I'd say around 90% of camera pics have been at night with me actually seeing deer in the daylight about once/twice a week. Friday night, I watched them in the snow eating corn from about 11pm to 1am. Snowing extremely hard. Yesterday after the snow, I had a yearling eating corn from about 1pm-2pm and had a 4 1/2 yo 8pt and a 1 1/2yo 3 pt come out at 4pm and stayed until around 5:15 when 7 does and yearlings ran them both off. Cold plus corn equals deer.

 

[Headhunter]

Had 3 bucks, 6 ptr and 2 8's come in yesterday evening and eat acorns. All to small for me to shoot.

 

[Winchester]

Ive had overall good luck with deer movement in the snow here in TN over the years, doesnt really seem to hinder or boost the movement imo.

 

[WRbowhunter]

I tend to agree with my vast (3 or 4 hunts) in TN with snow on the ground. Seems like the first day is tough with limited deer movement but if the snow is on the ground 2 or more days they seem to start moving again.

 

[pb10point]

Saw more deer Saturday evening than I have saw all year in one day.

 

[duckduck84]

Saw more deer Saturday evening than I have saw all year in one day.

That's how Sunday was for us. Ton of movement.

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