Author Topic: Now, finally, the deer are here and moving. (Read 1074 times)

petemi · « **on:** December 21, 2009, 01:43:26 PM »

After ML season, I left a bunch of hunting stuff in my mini cabin-coop out back. Todays weather forecast put Mackinac County on a "Winter Storm Advisory". I figured I'd better get off my butt and go get it before we had another foot of snow, so I did. I put on the snow shoes early this morning and headed out. Fresh deer tracks everywhere. Apples under trees left untouched since September were dug up and gone. I had deer tracks on my front lawn, driveway and in the horse enclosure. They're within 20 feet of the house and barn. Where were youze guys when I was lookin fer ya??

The good news is I didn't find a single wolf or coyote track.

Pete

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #1 on:** December 22, 2009, 12:27:04 AM »

same thing happened here. I went home because of discust and the last night of mz. loader season all hell broke loose and there were deer coming in to yard everywhere.

Quote from: petemi on December 21, 2009, 01:43:26 PM

After ML season, I left a bunch of hunting stuff in my mini cabin-coop out back. Todays weather forecast put Mackinac County on a "Winter Storm Advisory". I figured I'd better get off my butt and go get it before we had another foot of snow, so I did. I put on the snow shoes early this morning and headed out. Fresh deer tracks everywhere. Apples under trees left untouched since September were dug up and gone. I had deer tracks on my front lawn, driveway and in the horse enclosure. They're within 20 feet of the house and barn. Where were youze guys when I was lookin fer ya??

The good news is I didn't find a single wolf or coyote track.

Pete

burntmuch · « **Reply #2 on:** December 22, 2009, 01:20:15 AM »

Same down here Pete. Luckly we have a late season doe season. Gotta get one in the freezer.

Skunk · « **Reply #3 on:** December 22, 2009, 04:55:12 AM »

That's really great to hear. A little bittersweet that they don't show up until now, but it's always nice to see evidence of deer no matter what the time of year or hunting season.

ihookem · « **Reply #4 on:** December 22, 2009, 09:40:51 AM »

Get out the trail cams and find out what's out there. They finally got into winter mood and now it's time to eat. They know it too. As much as I hate to admit it there is more deer out there than we think. They just don't move as much when it's warm. Also, Petemi, it's possible someone stopped baiting in your area.

Graybeard · « **Reply #5 on:** December 22, 2009, 10:15:45 AM »

Yew guys think they moved south from Canada or north from below the bridge or are you willing to just fess up ya weren't good enough hunters to find them before they moved into your back yard?

Skunk · « **Reply #6 on:** December 22, 2009, 10:22:09 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on December 22, 2009, 10:15:45 AM

Yew guys think they moved south from Canada or north from below the bridge or are you willing to just fess up ya weren't good enough hunters to find them before they moved into your back yard?

Now this is one time in the Michigan forum that I can say I'm happy to be from Wisconsin. I can legitimately stay out of what is going to be coming up next.

Drilling Man · « **Reply #7 on:** December 22, 2009, 01:10:08 PM »

Quote from: Graybeard on December 22, 2009, 10:15:45 AM

Yew guys think they moved south from Canada or north from below the bridge or are you willing to just fess up ya weren't good enough hunters to find them before they moved into your back yard?

In "their" case, i'm going with "C", cause i didn't have any problem finding deer in Mi. durning the regular firearms deer season...

DM

burntmuch · « **Reply #8 on:** December 22, 2009, 01:59:01 PM »

Pete I think we,re being called out

. No problem here , I just save a doe tag for black powder I didnt get out enough Still a week or so of archery & late doe season.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #9 on:** December 23, 2009, 01:24:44 AM »

Bill up here in the up we have a thing called the migration. The winters are so severe here that when we get our first real winters snow the deer make a migration for there summer areas to the winter yards. In my case the deer come down from ishpeming and marquette area and yard near out camp which is about a 40 mile as the crow flys migration. When the deer heard is up its amazing how many deer will come through an area in a night. Im talking hundreds. Back about 15 years ago when our deer heard had peaked ive sat in the late season from morning till night watching deer file by. Many hunters because of our terrible deer numbers right now dont even bother hunting until the late muzzle loading season to take advantage of this migration. Personaly im kicking myself in the but. I turned down two differnt hunts a whitetail and a caribou hunt because they were both on opening days of our deer season and i didnt want to miss that. Come to find out there was sure nothing to miss. If i was intellegent id find a place to go next year about that time and wait till late season to hunt at camp.

Quote from: Graybeard on December 22, 2009, 10:15:45 AM

Yew guys think they moved south from Canada or north from below the bridge or are you willing to just fess up ya weren't good enough hunters to find them before they moved into your back yard?

Graybeard · « **Reply #10 on:** December 23, 2009, 09:30:14 AM »

That Lloyd can come up with some slick answers. I had no clue your white tail herd was that nomadic like much western game. So does that mean they did come south but perhaps from somewhat shy of Canada? Seems odd to a fellow from the Heart of Dixie that deer would need to migrate in winter and especially so in light of how much further north they live in Canada.

What is it about the warmer season areas that's different that requires them to migrate? Out west I think it's mostly altitude but from what little I know of the UP (and that is danged little) I don't think you have the altitude differences as they do.

Drilling Man · « **Reply #11 on:** December 23, 2009, 11:30:23 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on December 23, 2009, 09:30:14 AM

That Lloyd can come up with some slick answers. I had no clue your white tail herd was that nomadic like much western game. So does that mean they did come south but perhaps from somewhat shy of Canada? Seems odd to a fellow from the Heart of Dixie that deer would need to migrate in winter and especially so in light of how much further north they live in Canada.

What is it about the warmer season areas that's different that requires them to migrate? Out west I think it's mostly altitude but from what little I know of the UP (and that is danged little) I don't think you have the altitude differences as they do.

I hope you UP guys know i was just kidding you with my last post!

Anyway, the deer where i live, migrate too. BUT, where i have an advantage over the UP guys is, the deer here migrate "away from here" in the winter, not "to here", although i do now have a few that stay here on my place all winter. This means there's always plenty of deer around here for the regular firearms deer season... Years ago, you never saw a deer around here in the winter, they always came back every spring though.

DM

spruce · « **Reply #12 on:** December 23, 2009, 01:45:50 PM »

GB

Lloyd wasn't trying to "slick" you with the migration story. It's a fact they do migrate and locating/watching migration routes is a favored tactic for the late ML season in some places. The heaviest migrations occur along the Lake Superior shore where they migrate south away from the lake where the winter snows are the heaviest.
Generally speaking the farther south you go, the less migration, due to milder winters.

What they are looking for is thermal cover and a winter source of food. This is found in large cedar swamps. The dense trees provide protection from the elements and are also a favorite source of food. Also, by herding up they have some defense against predators.

Picture 100 or more inches of snowfall each winter in your favorite hunting area and you can understand why deer couldn't survive in open hardwood forest all winter!

Graybeard · « **Reply #13 on:** December 23, 2009, 06:17:29 PM »

Didn't say or mean he was. I just had no clue they were migratory and was wondering why they are.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #14 on:** December 24, 2009, 02:11:42 AM »

like spruce said bill they migrate into the winter yards. Mostly cedar swamps that provide them thermal cover and feed. They dont migrate far. There summer areas are usually a matter of no more the 30 miles and sometims alot less then that. As to a 100 inches of snow I WISH!!! more like 200 plus around here. Sometimes seems like 200 feet! The munising area i live is one of the snow belt areas of the UP and we get alot of snow. Deer populations are never high around here, at least not as high as the area our camp is in. In the winter you wont find a single deer track in the area. All the deer are long gone out of here in the winter.

Skunk · « **Reply #15 on:** December 24, 2009, 04:43:42 AM »

Is it possible that the deer are migrating/escaping from the Lake Effect snow? Or is there even a place in da U.P. that doesn't get Lake Effect snow? I live just a smidgen South of the Lake Effect. When we all get the same storm, my area gets 8", while you Yoopers get 25" inches.

petemi · « **Reply #16 on:** December 24, 2009, 06:10:30 AM »

Lloyd's correct, we get an average of 200 inches of snow in the winter, and It is here from as early as October until April. A few years ago, friends of ours were stranded in Marquette by snow on Mother's Day. I'm at least 50 miles south of Superior, and our deer population triples when the lake effect snow piles in up north. There are migration trails that I've found crossing the headwaters of the Tahquahmenon River, (Bill, how's that for a mouthful) north of McMillan, that run straight North and South. The trails are worn 3 or 4 inches into the earth, and have been used for pehaps thousands of years. This time of year, every deer track on them is moving south. You'll not find one set going the other way.

Pete

ihookem · « **Reply #17 on:** December 25, 2009, 03:21:03 PM »

That's when you got to go looking for sheds. Do you guys ever look in those big deer yards?

petemi · « **Reply #18 on:** December 26, 2009, 02:44:21 AM »

A guy my wife works with made their boss a deer shed chandelier for Christmas a couple of years ago. The time to go looking is Spring break-up before all the ferns and everything comes up.

Pete

alleyyooper · « **Reply #19 on:** January 01, 2010, 08:40:15 AM »

They don't seem to yard up in our area near Rapid River. They do how ever hang out in the cedar swamps more after the first of the year. Before that they will lay up on the south faceing hills near oak trees.

I still say that it was so warm this deer season during the day they were just not going to move unless pushed. With baiting being so popular today there just aren't many old farts who are going to still hunt the stuff where the deer lay up in the day time. The young guys wouldn't know how to still hunt any way, take the baiting way which is easier.

Woke up this morning to 10 deer, all does laying in the pines across the creek 40 yards from the house. while we were sitting at the dinning room table at lunchtime 15 deer came in to the pines. They were just passing thru so were easy to count. One of the very last ones was a 6 point buck. Good to see one made it thru the deer season.

Dam youtes are getting bold now. They were howling so close to the house the 30th they woke Kare up.

Al