Understanding Deer Movements

1. Understanding Deer Movements Original Power Point Created by Andy Harrison Modified by the GA Agriculture Education Curriculum Office July 2002

2. What Makes Deer Move? • Intrinsic Factors • Things that happen inside the deer’s body • Extrinsic Factors • Things that happen outside the deer’s body

3. Intrinsic Factors • Light • Amount of daylight or lack of it each day • Circadian rhythms • Daily activity patterns • Whitetail are basically crepuscular, meaning they move in low light conditions • Eyes are well adapted to low light conditions • The back of the eye has a reflective membrane called a tapetum lucidum

4. Intrinsic Factors • Overall body condition • If in poor condition move any time of day & night • Rut – can cause any amount of movement of any distance and any time of day

5. Extrinsic Factors • Deer to deer interactions • Deer/Predator (hunter) interactions • Weather • Food

6. Deer to Deer Interactions • Highly social • Travel in loose social groups • Structure within in the group is rigid • Alpha doe dominates with various levels of subordinates • Dominant bucks • Except as fawns or yearlings they seldom mix with doe groups

7. Deer to Deer Interactions • Social pressures on bucks often initiate movement • Yearling bucks look for new homes • Dominant bucks are displaced by fighting • At any sign of weakness, lesser bucks will attack • Rut and previous breeding experience • Pre-rut scouting trips are not uncommon for all ages of bucks

8. Deer/Predator Interactions • Deer have learned over time to avoid predators, including hunters • Can adjust normal movement habits to avoid predators • Sometimes they move in bright daylight

9. Weather • Deer generally do not travel in adverse weather unless they have good fat stores • Single most important factor is temperature • Shade • Overcast conditions • Adaptations of deer to climate • What is relative to the area

10. Weather • Wind impedes movement • Deer rely on senses • E.g. smell and hearing • Wind causes deer to modify movement patterns or limit activity to protected areas • Moon • Phase of the moon may have little or no effect • Deer normally feed by the light of the moon

11. What Does All This Mean? • Best weapon man has is his mind • Three year old buck has learned many tricks and has become very woods wise • Deer are no match for human intellect when the knowledge is properly applied