Deer movement

[Mattule]

I have a question about white tail movement. Do coues deer migrate or travel depending on temperature or do they just kind stick to the same areas?

 

I have hunted a spot in 24A with a bow 5 or 6 times and always see white tail and my buddy hunted mule deer there last year and saw white tail. And I took my first deer there and it was a white tail. So I was wondering if any one knows if the white tail will be in the same spots they were in when the weather is cooler or do they head for the hills when it is warm?

 

The reason I ask is this year we got drawn for 24A muzzle loader and I had the same hunt 3 years ago but did not see any white tail. The only difference I can think of from the times I have seen them and the times I have not would be temp. as the muzzle loader hunts start in late October and Archery in Dec/Jan.

 

Thanks for the input and for a great forum.

[coues addict]

Mattule

In my experiences Coues deer don`t really migrate a whole lot like mule deer or elk. Bucks tend to travel more during the rut in search of does but thats about it. I have found that if you are seeing coues deer in a paticular area then stick with that area, year round. expand on that basic area and you will probably locate more coues deer. I have heard it said that most coues whitetail live their lives within a few square miles,I think its probably pretty true. Of course their are always exceptions to every rule, but I think that is a question better answered by Amanda, she`s the expert and I have no doubt that she has factual information to backup whatever she says. Anyway I would keep hunting the area you are hunting and good luck this year.Coues Addict

[Guest Ernesto C]

Mattule coues live relatively in the same area some times with in 5 squares or so so in addition to what coues addict is telling you also remember that water and food plays a big role so if you find water you may have a better chance and if you combine that with some scouting even better.

 

Just my two cents. Congratulations on your tag and God bless you.

 

Ernesto C.

[Guest bill quimby]

Here's my 2 cents worth on Coues deer migration. Many years ago we used to hunt elk and whitetails from horses and mules in the Chitty Creek country west of what now is the Strayhorse Campground below the rim just south of Hannigan Meadows. (In those days, everything above the rim was unit 1, below the rim was 27.) We did a lot of scouting and hunted there four or five years, and it was our opinion that it wasn't only elk that dropped off the rim when the snow fell on top. The whitetail population increased tenfold below the rim during winters with deep snow.

 

I especially remember a hunt when we found dozens of winter-killed whitetails and a few mule deer in the bottoms of the canyons. The snow apparently was very deep the previous winter.

 

At any rate, at least when we hunted there 30 years ago, Coues deer did move many miles to lower elevations.

 

Bill Quimby

[TAM]

I've noticed that they will move down, but it usually takes a lot of snow to push them. In most units with coues there is usually not enough snow to get them into the lower country. If you find a good buck in the summer chances are he'll be around all year long. He may move a little during the rut to find the ladies but he'll at least be in the vacinity.

[TREESTANDMAN]

I hunt high country in Dec/Jan and the coues stay put. Like TAM said, it may be different w/ more snow.

[bullwidgeon]

It is way too cold to hunt deer in the high country in December and January when you could hunt them in 72 degree weather down on the Mexican Border. I know they dont migrate too far when it is 72 degrees outside

 

Bret M.

[Benbrown]

Like most mountain animals, Coues deer are altitudinal migrants in resposne to weather extremes. Here on the Mexican border, our Coues stay high in the winter--as high as they can depending on snow depth. They move more in response to forage conditions and precipitation that anything. I live in the bottom of a valley at approximately 5,100 ft elevation and we have had three whitetail does that have fawned in the cienega in front of our house for the last several years. This summer, we have three of the fawns from previous years (one a small buck) living there and foraging in our lawns (which are irrigated and providing the only green feed in this terrible drought).

 

We often see Coues deer in the lower elevations in early October when we are gathering our cattle, but they are all back up high by the time the November and December seasons roll around. A few years ago we had a helicopter out here in September for other business and I took advantage of it to fly some transects to get buck/doe and fawn at heel ratios. I saw several good Coues bucks and quite a few does down off the mountains on the bajadas, but they all seemed to be back up higher in the mountains by the first week of November.

 

As a result of these observations, I wait to do my serious scouting until the last 2-3 weeks before the seasons open (but then I am not a bow hunter).

 

One rule that pretty much holds true is that if you find Coues using an area this year, there will almost always be Coues there next year at the same time, barring major changes in habitat or weather conditions.