Has anyone else been seeing this??

[RaggedEdges 36]

With all of the rain and related weather this past month, has anyone noticed that the deer in the areas they hunt are not mowing in the typical areas where they usually move this time of year?

Im not getting anywhere near the trail cam pictures that I typically get in the same spots where I usually always get pictures (and pictures of bucks). Alot of my stand areas are extremely wet and I sure hope we get some drier and colder weather. A couple of weekends back, I was finishing trimming some stands out and was eaten alive by mosquitoes. Even after repeated applications of bug spray.

Im moving my cameras around to try to get some highr traffic areas located but have not had much lucks as of yet. Im not really seeing a whole lot of sign. Last year we saw deer everytime we hunted and I saw 13 different bucks of all sizes from the begining of archery through the end of the season. We also had alot of deer all winter and through early spring on the property. It's a little hard to believe they are not around.

It make one wonder if this awful weather has also affected the deer "homes" much like it has thier human counterparts. (Im in 6R (Montgomery County).

Mike

[G-Man 7896]

sure is possible if their prefered bedding areas are under water, or may be different food sources that are available now.lot of crops were put in late due to a rainy spring

[Doc 6248]

There is another thread similar to this topic, in the Deer Hunting forum. A lot of thoughts came out there as to why someone might not be getting as many pictures. I don't think this rainy weather was mentioned there. However, you might have figured out something with your comments about the weather. In our area, the most popular bedding area is a rather low stretch of land that can get flooded a bit with an excessive rainy season. I know the water is staying quite high and maybe has shifted some of the bedding ti higher ground. And yes, the excessive water has promoted bug populations. It might be that the deer have moved a bit to escape concentrations of biting bugs. Either of those scenarios might explain why activity is a lot lighter this year than last, even on the same trails.

Both the other thread and my own observations have noticed that it is particularly the bucks that have seemed to have disappeared. There may be some weather related reasons for that too, but I can't think of any yet.

[njg0621 192]

Funny you say this because I have been noticing the exact same thing. I have my trailcams on runs that I know the deer use every deer and I can't get a pic of a buck. Funny part is I was glassing an area that I have a camera and haven't had a single pic of a buck as of last week and I saw 4 bucks last night in that area. They were 50yds from the camera in a field so I am hoping things are changing and the deer are getting back in their fall habbits!

[Grizz1219 986]

Was going to post the same thing... I think since acorns started falling.. everything changed...

[WNYBuckHunter 11003]

In my area things are pretty much business as usual. Weve been getting a bunch of rain, but not enough to flood things or hamper any deer movement. The deer are starting to change up their feeding patterns a bit, hard mast is starting to fall, so they are eating that, beans are yellowing and becoming less attractive, corn is in full swing, winter wheat and rye is growing and soft mast is dropping as well. The bucks arent disappearing so much as they are just changing their patterns, and the bachelor groups are breaking up. I have been noticing more solitary bucks and less groups of them while glassing the last week or so. Im not sure that many acorns are falling here yet, but I havent been walking through the oaks in a week and a half either.

[growalot 7694]

Well all I can say is today marks day 6 of rain at our place and when it's not rain it's a heavy fog that might as well be rain...in the field next to us where there is ALWAYS one to four mature buck in the early mornings at sunrise and evenings an hour before sun set I've seen just one 4pt all year and 13-17 doe and fawn...nothing on any of the cams....save doe fawn and turkey,,,,but on the way home at 6pm yesterday I had a nice young 8pt pop out of the woods an 1/8 of a mile from the property line..ran across the road...stop turned back and ran the edge straight at me before popping back into the woods....that has hopes up...for he looked like something was chasing him...hoping bigger buck not yote or dogs

[NYbuck50 186]

I've definitley noticed a lack of buck spoecific sign.. I dont have a rub or scrape when i set my stands last weekend, this area is normally pretty tore up.. As for acorns, i haven't seen much of anything

[Doc 6248]

Well, I am pretty sure that all the bucks have not disappeared or crawled into a hole. However if you compare last year's camera results with this year's considering that the cameras are covering theexact same trails, you certainly do have to wonder. I have had some pretty stark differeneces between the two years. 207 total pictures last year, 128 this year. 12% of those pictures last year were bucks. This year it is 0% bucks. That has kind of grabbed my attention .... lol. But since I know that there was not a harvest last year that would account for that kind of drop, I guess I am looking for other kinds of answers. The water-logged theory does seem like a possibility. I am hoping that I get it all figured out before the season starts.

[G-Man 7896]

plus the rut is forcast for thanksgiving week... last year it was first week in nov.... i know the acorns by me are non existant, beechnut are loaded and hickory is present in large numbers, apples are everywhere..like walking on golf balls(last year there were very few due to late frost killing blossoms). the corn by me was put in very late and has not yet dented or blacktipped. That with the excessive rain, probably has things a little different than usual

[WNYBuckHunter 11003]

Well, I am pretty sure that all the bucks have not disappeared or crawled into a hole. However if you compare last year's camera results with this year's considering that the cameras are covering theexact same trails, you certainly do have to wonder. I have had some pretty stark differeneces between the two years. 207 total pictures last year, 128 this year. 12% of those pictures last year were bucks. This year it is 0% bucks. That has kind of grabbed my attention .... lol. But since I know that there was not a harvest last year that would account for that kind of drop, I guess I am looking for other kinds of answers. The water-logged theory does seem like a possibility. I am hoping that I get it all figured out before the season starts.

I saw your post with your cam stats from last year and so far this year. Just wondering though, are the stats you posted from last year the same number of days and/or the same time period?

[WNYBuckHunter 11003]

plus the rut is forcast for thanksgiving week... last year it was first week in nov.... i know the acorns by me are non existant, beechnut are loaded and hickory is present in large numbers, apples are everywhere..like walking on golf balls(last year there were very few due to late frost killing blossoms). the corn by me was put in very late and has not yet dented or blacktipped. That with the excessive rain, probably has things a little different than usual

I got lucky and was able to get Thanksgiving week off this year.

I think downstate and Eastern regions of NY are going to be worse off than the Western half, which hasnt had nearly the amount and intensity of rain.

[Doc 6248]

I saw your post with your cam stats from last year and so far this year. Just wondering though, are the stats you posted from last year the same number of days and/or the same time period?

They cover the same time period except that last year's stats ran for another couple of weeks. It should be noted that the buck pictures last year were scattered quite evenly over the entire filming period with no significant times of increased activity. Also, it should be noted that for much of this year, I have had three cameras out as opposed to only two last year.

[WNYBuckHunter 11003]

Well you would think the extra cam would make up for the extra couple of weeks. Interesting.