Do the deer move differently during the extreme cold?
I though this might be a good subject for a thread of it's own, so the new topic
I'm sure the forum members cover a wide range of geographic areas and climatic conditions, so the deer's reactions to winter may vary greatly. Here in southern Ohio the winter weather can be severe for short periods, but what we are going through now is fairly typical. Nights well below freezing, and days from slightly above freezing to almost warm. Tonight it's predicted to be 7F/-14C and by Tuesday it should be 45F/7C with a possibility of rain. Our deer do not "yard up", but they do tend to change patterns somewhat in my experience. Depending on local pressure from human activities which is usually lessened in late winter they tend to bed in protected areas a little closer to food sources. After the rut activity has slowed down and the deer's activity is tuned more toward survival they seem to travel less (no wandering in search of mates) and seem to know that less travel means less calories wasted. This also means less random daytime sightings, but can be a great time to narrow down the search to intercept them at or near bedding and feeding areas. Right now is one of the tougher times to find them. The weather isn't severe yet, and many farmers are just now harvesting grains as they can find the fields frozen enough to get their heavy equipment into. The deer can hit a freshly harvested field for a few nights, then move on to another. The bright side (for me) is that the soyabean field I like to hunt isn't harvested yet, and I'm hoping they get to it just before the lat MZ season
The one farm I hunt has slowed up quite a bit since rut and gun season have ended. He got his beans in early. This leaves a farm about a mile or so away with standing corn. I believe the majority of deer are bedded close to the corn as theres plenty of cover for them at that farm.
I put 4 -50lb. sacks of cracked Mollasses corn out in the woods at another farm last week. I went out this evening and the deer have been to both piles with plenty of tracks in the fresh snow and alot of the corns gone.
This is the first time I've ever used feed so I just dumped it on the ground in 2 piles about 100 yards apart off the trail. I'll get out later in the week when it warms a few degrees and try for a big doe there. I only have 1 urban tag left so I'm in no hurry to fill it
right now the windchill is -44C and I suspect the deer are hunkered down in some deep cover, waiting for it to warm up, even if it means skipping a meal or two.
I know I move differently in the extreme cold ! Mostly shivering while trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing out there. I was out with Ecoaster yesterday and according to the Weather Network it was going to be -6C. I thought I must be getting older and less tolerant of the cold. That's when Ecoaster told me it was -20C or there abouts.
In these condissions deer tend to slow but will stay close to cover. Pines are a good source of cover for them in the cold and close to Corn is the best. Deer tend to feed high on Corn in the very low temps for heat , as corn wil produce heat to deer and also give them a higher content of fat...BT
Lone Wolf, I see the same thing here when there is snow on the ground. Right now we still have doe's not bread yet and the bucks are still on the prowl. A few doe's are still sepret from the others. But once they are all bread they will bunch up and travel in groups. Bucks will leave for small feeding areas. We have an area here that is all pines , thick cover and most of the deer make that their living room for the winter. I think I have the only feeder in my area. And I will keep it going all year now. Which the deer will travel too from 2 areas. Makes good hunting if you hunt the trails about 100 yards off. I can catch them going and coming.
You all seem to know what your talking about. I live in one of the coldest provinces in Canada. Temperatures in the depths of winter go down to -35- 40 degrees Celcuis, with a wind chill feelings like - 60C. That my friends is cold. Deer can be stepped on in only one place, bedded down in deep snow (for insulation) in a deep ravine with coniferious trees blocking the wind, facing South if their lucky. They will not move very much at all, trying to conserve their energy and fat reserves. This is a natural phenomenal and instinctive behavior, built in by Mother Nature. Lets not also forget, most does are pregnant.
Deer can also be found living in backyards where there's food and safety from predetors in the throngs of winter.
Yup, it's cold. It's still only about -14F/-26C er so. That's without wind chill.
Not really unseasonable, just comes with the latitude and elevation I live at. You never really get used to these bitter temps, but you figure out a way to work with them.
I guess it's much the same for the deer. They're yarded by now, deep in the cedar swamp thickets a couple miles east of me.
Deer season closed on 12/12. Time to leave them be, and hope most survive the worst of what's yet to come. That be when it gets anywhere from -25 to -37F or there abouts.
It's -14C. here (-27C this morning) and I just saw 4 deer feeding on leftovers in a harvested corn field. They were on top of a rise and so they were getting full benefit of the wind. It didn't seem to bother them. I just wish I could see em like that when I go hunting. It was just after sundown, still lots of daylight. I was driving home from work. I think it has to get REALLY CCCCCold like Grey Owl described to turn the deer off.
Its colder than a witches Anyway I dont know if this helps in contributing to the topic much, but here in middle TN. going to work every weekday morning it almost never fails that I see a few if not several deer within the 5 miles it takes me to get to the interstate. If by chance not then, then at least 1 or 2 on the long journey into the big city This morning it was in the mid teens here (short cold snap) and I didnt see a single deer all the way into work. Very unusual.
Freak'in cold here. Going down to -27C tonight. That's nothing, 10 hours north of me, in a small Native Community in Key Lake, it was -46C this morning. Thank God the wind is generally calm at these temperatures.
I can relate to that bitter cold. After spending 13 months in Korea you all can have that kind of cold. It's all I can do right now to keep my fingers. Takes longer and longer to get them thawed after a hunt when it's bitter. I almost wasn't able to get the shot on the buck yesterday because of the gloves. Iwas watching him come down the trail and at the same time pulling at my right hand glove with the left , finily what the Hell , yanked it off and fired. Tempure rose at that point.
.I found a glove called "180" anyone heard of them? you use your breath to worm the glove through a vent hole on the back hand side. I also slip a pair of gortex early season gloves down inside them and so far my hands have been good in -13.
. Woundering if any of you have a glove that will lend it's self to bow hunting and keep my fingers safe.
Anyway I dont know if this helps in contributing to the topic much, but here in middle TN. going to work every weekday morning it almost never fails that I see a few if not several deer within the 5 miles it takes me to get to the interstate. If by chance not then, then at least 1 or 2 on the long journey into the big city 
This morning it was in the mid teens here (short cold snap) and I didnt see a single deer all the way into work. Very unusual.