Whitetail Deer Hunting and Waterfowling in November
February 19, 2009 by admin
By Andrew Gegelman
Deer on the move. Photo by the ND Game & Fish
Here one day gone the next, this seems to be the perfect slogan when you are pursuing mature whitetail bucks. In my opinion, there is a lot of confusion as to why one day deer will move heavily and the next you have a tough time finding any. It has changed within the last few years with the rise in the numbers of deer in North Dakota, but still if you are watching the same spots night after night, why do you see three deer one day and twenty three the next? Hopefully I will be able to provide some insight into the mysterious world of whitetail movement.
At this time, it is very difficult to figure out why deer move certain days and not others. There is extensive research being done in the United States trying to figure out what triggers deer movement. There are four factors that could possibly affect deer movement. The first factor is wind. Most people would guess that when the wind is howling, chances are the deer probably are not moving. I normally follow that theory, but it depends on where I am hunting. When hunting along corn fields, I have seen deer on the move in 30-40 mph winds. I am not sure why, but my educated guess is that it has something to do with the noise that dry corn makes. This causes them to leave the shelter of the standing corn to get out into the open so they can hear predators better. My other thought is that when the wind is blowing hard, they have a more difficult time using their powerful nose to smell danger. On still days, or days where the wind is light and variable I have had very little success also. On these still days your scent is either going some unknown direction making stand selection difficult, or it is going in all directions making it equally difficult.
A second factor affecting deer movement is temperature. As the season gets into the rut the the temperatures are colder and the deer have started to grow their winter coats. When it gets later in the year and you have an increase in temperatures more than 15-20 degrees above normal highs, there will be a definite decline in deer movement. Look at it this way, if you were to put on your winter parka and bibs when the temperature was warm how much would you want to move around. There is some research that shows that buck movement is almost zero when daytime temperatures are above 50 degrees. The deer just don’t want to move when it is warm out.
Precipitation can also increase or decrease deer movement. I harvested my first buck in velvet with my bow on a day where it was sprinkling all afternoon. But when the rain starts coming down heavily deer pretty much sit tight until it lets up. This could be a great time to be sitting in your stand, just after a heavy rain has passed and it dries up. Deer are very likely to move before and after storms. I like to watch the forecast for at least two to three days in advance, to see what the possibilities of severe storms are. If there is a good possibility of severe storms one to two days from now, this is a great time for a lot of deer to be moving.
Finally, barometric pressure has some impact on deer movement. I have seen that when the barometer is moving there is an increase in deer activity, but when it is moving up there is an even higher level of deer movement. To keep all of this information straight, I like to keep notes of when I am scouting and hunting. I write down the number of deer I saw, differentiating between does and fawns, and shooter and non-shooter bucks. After a couple of seasons of data you will detecting some triggers in deer movement.
The season is finally drawing closer, and the forecast looks good for the opportunity of shooting a good buck. But don’t forget with the high deer population, harvest some does to keep your opportunity to harvest a good buck high.
todd on Mon, 7th Dec 2009 8:08 pm
I dont know if I did something wrong. Thursday before thanksgiving I let eight does walk. And I’ve not seen anything since. My cousin’s kids are deer hunters also. And they went to my stand for thanksgiving. They said they didnt see any thing, not even a doe.What happened? Any idea?
Whitetail Deer on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 10:53 am
I definitely think you’re right about bp, temp, wind, and precipitation affecting deer movement. I’ve also heard that the different phases of the moon have an effect on them.
Glenn Asselin on Tue, 24th Aug 2010 10:23 pm
I agree with the moon phases and barometric pressure having an effect on the rut,and also with all of other species of animals (lots of them are included) with these factors in mind,,,,so,, the way I look at things is I have two choices of the moon…Do I hunt when the moon phase gets darker or brighter? I know the answer to that statement,,Do you? The other statement is,,Do I hunt when the pressure is rising or falling,or steady pressure,,I know what pressure I like,..Stop and think this one out,,Its not hard to figure out..I take my small digital B.P. hand held,made by Brunton,paid about 1oo dollars canadian for it,,every where I go and record my readings,,,In the pressure system,there is a specific spot where the rut is very strong,its the horror frost line on the edge of the high pressure,,once you do more studies with your digital b.p. toy,you will amaze your finds,, The weather guys talk hi and low pressure,but they never talk about the mediam pressure,, The med pressure is one of the most important pressure systems for hunting all animals.You will have to study this more on your own…Yes,so the wind does make a difference,but again in which direction is best,,keep track of your findings,and most of your own studies will all come together,,It did for me,finally..I have done studies for over ten years,,Up in Canada I have seen whitetail in full rut on Jan.15th in about 2005 because of the moon phase and bp was on the money..Remember no animals like the pressure to drop,,only in a few pa
Glenn Asselin on Tue, 24th Aug 2010 10:39 pm
Yes,I agree to the moon phases,barometric pressure,and the wind direction,but there is so much to know,,I made it simple,for me,and for you also.I have two choices of the moon,do I want to hunt when the moon gets brighter or darker? Then there is that pressure system that effects humans,animals,and who knows what else,,Well do I hunt when the pressure is falling or rising,or maybe when the pressure is steady? There is two out of the three that are excellent. That stupid wind,now which way do I want that wind coming from,which is very important,because that will tell you or come close in knowing what the b.p. is. After buying my Bruton digital b.p.,,I know when to go hunting my animals,Give this situation a try and I can promise you will be a happy camper,I mean hunter,,enjoy the outdoors.
ronald peterson on Fri, 18th Nov 2011 10:36 pm
i”ve been out at night behind my house seen deer .i”ve seen does plus i”ve seen bucks about two weeks straight then all of the sudden they disapear it was misting rain the lastnight i saw them,i no they was not pressured by anyone after they have crop the corn field they up and gone ,where do they go during the november it’s like there ghost.
ronald peterson on Fri, 18th Nov 2011 10:45 pm
wishing that i could hunt all time but i have so much to do lately .all i do is work sometimes i get to go hunting but sometimes i dont ,i love getting on the internet looking at deer hunting stories ,and pictures im glad there are websites where people can go to see whats happening in the deer world .i sit and think about the misstakes i’ve made in days i have hunting but i remember them the next year when i go hunting thats what makes me a better hunter.thanks for listening..
Harold on Sat, 7th Jan 2012 11:55 am
I have a feeling, that today. January 6 2012, the deer will not move from 6:30 – 1:00.
But they well will move from 2:00 – 5:30.