Weather & deer movements

Michigan's weather is often considered the most unreliable in the nation. One reason is we are affected by weather fronts crossing the Great Lakes.

Depending on time of year, it can be raining near the shoreline and snowing 30 miles inland. My area is known for its lake-effect snow.

The wind crosses Lake Michigan, and if the water is warmer than the air, it gets sucked up into the atmosphere. As it reaches shore, the rain begins to fall but farther inland, away from the lake, it is snow that starts to dump on us.

Weather on the Great Lakes affect weather inland.

Studying the wildlife can offer major clues to upcoming weather. I'm often noted for my whitetail deer studies and observations, and deer are somewhat predictable.

I've watched birds and deer for many years, and they are early warning indicators of approaching bad weather. If a major winter storm is due to roll through, the deer are up and moving two or three hours before the storm hammers through.

Birds at the feeder make a major aerial assault on sunflower seeds. I've filled the feeder in the morning, and the birds will nearly empty it before the storm arrives. They seem aware of impending weather changes, and will feed heavily before it hits.

Deer always seem a bit anxious before a major storm. They are moving toward heavy cover, but are heading for areas closest to the nearest food supply. Sheer determination makes them stock up on as much as they can eat, and I've seen deer lay up in heavy cover for two or three days when blizzard-like conditions move through.

Deer hate heavy wind and aren't crazy about thunderstorms which often are accompanied by some high winds. Heavy winds upset a deer's ability to hear well, and their vision is affected as limbs and trees sway, grasses blow sideways, and their world becomes one of constant motion and noise. They dislike not being able to hear, see or smell potential danger.

Deer will move in fairly heavy rain if need be, but such times often are accompanied by wind. A soft, gentle rain is one of my favorite times to hunt because the constant pitter-patter of rain drops falling off trees and to the ground is much better than a silent evening.

Calm & still mornings and evening seldom produce good deer movements.

I'll hunt on a very calm and still night but it's not my favorite nor do deer react well to a dead calm. They seem jittery, knowing that every step they take is something that can be heard by hunters.

On a still night the deer move in fits and starts, and almost always move most just before shooting time ends. That pattern changes a little during the peak of the rut, but deer seem to sit tight until dark.

I've had mixed results in a ice or sleet storm. The worst is when this type of weather comes with either dead-calm conditions or a hefty wind. Deer seem reluctant to move much under such conditions.

If I had a favorite time to hunt it would be during the peak of the rut, with a soft breeze of about five miles-per-hour, and a light mist. The deer seem to move quite well under such conditions.

I pay attention to high and low barometric pressures as well. If the cows are standing up and moving around, and birds are flittering through the air, the chances are excellent that deer will be seen.

However, if cows are laying down, there is a good chance the deer will be doing the same. The same weather conditions that cause cows to stand up or lay down also seem to apply to game fish as well. The fish seem to bite best when the cows stand up.

Barometric pressure is a key factor in deer travel.

Most of this is relative to barometric pressure. A rising barometer often gets fish and game moving, and a slowly falling barometer doesn't hurt much. However, a rapidly falling barometer forecasts an impending storm, and the deer will move fast and feed hard, and be buried away in heavy cover before the storm hits.

I wrote some time ago about people who keep a daily diary of weather conditions and how it affects deer and their movements. Keep a diary of what you see as it pertains to changing weather patterns, and a hunter can often learn to predict what deer will do.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors