Mule deer migration

[ratherbefishin]

I have heard about mule deer migrating to wintering grounds,one year I was hunting deadman River in 3-29
and we shot 3 bucks in one day-next year we were up there about the same time and saw nothing.The deer around Nazco appearently migrate south to somewhere around Williams lake.years ago an old guy I knew told me about hunting the Clinton area for mule deer.Can someone explain this mule deer migration,and do whitetail migrate too?

[adriaticum]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIAyb-1uwTg

[Stretch]

Adriaticum, this is an incredible video clip. I have watched it a number of times and learn something new each time. It may not fully apply to BC but the general jist of the video shows just how little we in BC really know about mule deer migration and where and when it may occur. We are so badly under funded to really know about our wild life resources. Knowledge will always provide better management decisions.
Stretch

[adriaticum]

Adriaticum, this is an incredible video clip. I have watched it a number of times and learn something new each time. It may not fully apply to BC but the general jist of the video shows just how little we in BC really know about mule deer migration and where and when it may occur. We are so badly under funded to really know about our wild life resources. Knowledge will always provide better management decisions.
Stretch

This video raises more questions than it answers for me.
Do all mule deer migrate?
Why do they migrate?
Would they migrate if their habitat supported them throughout the year?
Obviously in this example they migrate to lower elevations to avoid the cold and get some feed.
But they migrate from wild uplands to urban lowlands.
And so forth.

[Sofa King]

the deer migration is very misunderstood and unknown.
some people seem to think that all mule deer migrate hundreds of miles.
sure, some probably do.
and some move merely a few kilometers, and don't even start until well after hunting season is over and the snow is super-deep.
and sometimes it's not even the snow being too deep that finally moves them, but the cold temperatures.
every region is different, and every area within those regions is different.
just because I saw deer last week, but now there's none in the cutblocks, doesn't mean they've migrated.
it's hunting season, they are hiding.

[Sofa King]

we'd have to tag or collar some here and there to truly know their patterns.

[Sofa King]

where on god's green earth did you find that video?
all I can find on the computer is porn.

[happyhunter]

I see them migrating all the time near me... Between little van Horne st and Victoria ha ha ha

[adriaticum]

where on god's green earth did you find that video?
all I can find on the computer is porn.

Lol, its making you blind

[Mikey Rafiki]

All ungulates will migrate if their habitat is no longer suitable to sustain them. Elk, whitey's, muley's, moose, sheep, goats and the best migrator of all caribou.

Typically they move for food sources that are not longer available or suitable once winter hits. Some move sooner than others like elk, some are ornery and try to hold up in the high ground like mule deer.

It's a simple concept, but there are always some interesting factors. It's pretty easy to spot wintering range in the EK. South facing bare hillsides heavily browsed and covered in crap, antlers and ticks.

[Jedcote50]

Mule deer migration has been a well kept secret for years, but it's very obvious if you're paying attention. It's the only time and characteristic you can pattern Mulies with any consistency. The short version of an explanation goes like this; in the summer the bucks will form bachelor groups and inhabit the fringes of the best habitat which they leave for the females and babies. Once the fall season has changed their feeding cycles to different browse the bucks will start to move down and around to the breeding zone, in the Okanagan that's generally around Thanksgiving. The does also move to the breeding zones in preparation for the rut. There may be deer already living in the breeding zones, just like you can always find a few deer in the traditional wintering grounds or where the habitat is just too good to pass up - like downtown Penticton or Knox Mt. in Kelowna, but in general right now (today) the Mulies are on the move. There are exceptions, for instance you can find a big old mature buck way up in the alpine until the snow reaches his belly - but you won't find the majority of bucks hold up there. Once the rut is over all the deer will migrate down to the traditional wintering ground, again the weather plays a big role here, if there's lots of snow it will push them down sooner. If you are familiar with the typical route that comes out of the high country to the breeding areas that's where you can intercept the buck of your choice. High country Whitetails exhibit much the same characteristic, but I'm still working on their specific migration tendencies. This explains why the area you scouted out in Sept. doesn't hold the same number of deer today as it did back then and in 3-4 weeks you won't find the same number of deer hanging around where they are now. This year there are two more mitigating factors - one, the long hot summer and two all the darn wolves around. Hopefully this answers a few questions for you, this info is available in old hunting books I read somewhere, but I can't remember exactly where.
. . . Jed

[adriaticum]

Mule deer migration has been a well kept secret for years, but it's very obvious if you're paying attention. It's the only time and characteristic you can pattern Mulies with any consistency. The short version of an explanation goes like this; in the summer the bucks will form bachelor groups and inhabit the fringes of the best habitat which they leave for the females and babies. Once the fall season has changed their feeding cycles to different browse the bucks will start to move down and around to the breeding zone, in the Okanagan that's generally around Thanksgiving. The does also move to the breeding zones in preparation for the rut. There may be deer already living in the breeding zones, just like you can always find a few deer in the traditional wintering grounds or where the habitat is just too good to pass up - like downtown Penticton or Knox Mt. in Kelowna, but in general right now (today) the Mulies are on the move. There are exceptions, for instance you can find a big old mature buck way up in the alpine until the snow reaches his belly - but you won't find the majority of bucks hold up there. Once the rut is over all the deer will migrate down to the traditional wintering ground, again the weather plays a big role here, if there's lots of snow it will push them down sooner. If you are familiar with the typical route that comes out of the high country to the breeding areas that's where you can intercept the buck of your choice. High country Whitetails exhibit much the same characteristic, but I'm still working on their specific migration tendencies. This explains why the area you scouted out in Sept. doesn't hold the same number of deer today as it did back then and in 3-4 weeks you won't find the same number of deer hanging around where they are now. This year there are two more mitigating factors - one, the long hot summer and two all the darn wolves around. Hopefully this answers a few questions for you, this info is available in old hunting books I read somewhere, but I can't remember exactly where.
. . . Jed

Well, it's not a very good secret if you read it in a book :mrgreen:

[va7bkl]

So what does a breeding zone look like?

[elknut]

It's a park with " Red lights "....and condoms everywhere..LOL...Sorry just had to be a smart ass..

[natebavis]

Wintering grounds very close to 141 mile area

[Jedcote50]

Breeding zones are habitat that have food, water & cover and are located between the summer range and the wintering grounds. They can hold some resident deer during the summer but this time of year the population of deer just seems to increase. They are the "honey holes" that people talk about but never really tell you where they are. With all the logging activity I find that breeding zones evolve and change somewhat every 5 -10 years, unless you frequent old growth natural "open mountain" regions, like the Deadman Crk. in 3-29 that "Ratherbefishing" initially talked about.. It's a matter of doing your home work and scouting out areas and becoming familiar with them. You probably won't find them on North/East facing drainages, but then again I've been surprised (wrong) before. I don't want to be any more specific than that without referencing the original author of this theory, and as I have quite a number of old hunting manuscripts it's taking me awhile to find it.

[HIGHRPM]

From all my years on the prairies I can say only what I saw. Whitetails for the most part stay put within several miles, while the Mulies from way down south did migrate north as from time to time a crossbred buck was taken in more central areas, showing that Mulies were indeed traveling.

[Sofa King]

Breeding zones are habitat that have food, water & cover and are located between the summer range and the wintering grounds. They can hold some resident deer during the summer but this time of year the population of deer just seems to increase. They are the "honey holes" that people talk about but never really tell you where they are. With all the logging activity I find that breeding zones evolve and change somewhat every 5 -10 years, unless you frequent old growth natural "open mountain" regions, like the Deadman Crk. in 3-29 that "Ratherbefishing" initially talked about.. It's a matter of doing your home work and scouting out areas and becoming familiar with them. You probably won't find them on North/East facing drainages, but then again I've been surprised (wrong) before. I don't want to be any more specific than that without referencing the original author of this theory, and as I have quite a number of old hunting manuscripts it's taking me awhile to find it.

there's no decided "breeding zones".
there's areas that they happen to be in at when that time rolls around and the bucks start their pillaging.
but the deer don't consciously decide "dang, it's gettin' itchy, better mosey on over to that zone over there, looks like a better spot to get harassed".
the does are where they are, the bucks zero in on them, and they isolate the hot does for pumping.
it's man who has coined every single step they take.
and I have find mules with whites in the down-low areas all year round, and there's mule with whites in the way-high areas as well.
and the whites don't stay there alone when January comes, neither do the moose or anything else.
they all move when the weather conditions just become too harsh.
and they all don't "migrate" 100's of miles away.
clearly in some areas, the mule deer actually perform a "migration" to some fairly distant areas.
but that's not true with mule deer in general.

[Darksith]

I kinda disagree with you there sofa...the deer have areas they like to spend time in at different parts of the year. Breeding areas can be the same as seasonal areas. To understand how the deer interact with the environment you kinda need to understand what drives them. Why do they stay in some areas, and completely vacate others? Most of this is due to weather, available food, and preffered food sources. There are a lot of great studies out there on mule deer and the interior of BC. Did people know that one of their main food sources in the winter in the interior are fir sprouts ("hint hint"). Some of my favorite hunting spots hold almost no deer in september/october...but the amount of sign one sees there is amazing. Its almost all from late winter. Understand what drives the deer in your area, learn the area and you will be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together which will tell you where to be when. That being said it doesn't guarantee anything, but its all about hedging your bets isn't it? Do some googling, learn from research done in your area, then put that knowledge towards solving the "where/when" puzzle.