# Deer movement with gun season being so late.



## halfrack (Oct 13, 2004)

I was just wondering what people think of deer movement with gun season starting December 2nd...


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## Carpn (Apr 5, 2004)

They are gonna be running for their lives like every other gun season .


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Gun season has started the first Monday after thanksgiving for at least 50 years that I know of. I don't quite understand what you mean by "so late"


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## UNCLEMIKE (Jul 23, 2014)

Thanksgiving is late this year. Last year it was on the 22nd and gun opened on the 26th. This year Thanksgiving is on the 28th with the opener on Dec. 2nd. Not sure what difference this would have. In past years I have run into some hot does with bucks in tow during the gun week. No way of knowing if 6 days difference would have any impact. Weather could come into play. Seems many years we have no snow for the opener. If we have snow it will have an impact for sure.


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

Probably about the same as every other year.


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

My guess is no different than any other year. Hungry looking for food sources on the first day. Honkered down hiding from gun blasts for the rest of the week using only the toughest terrain to follow.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Some people do love to stress over minutia!


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## UNCLEMIKE (Jul 23, 2014)

buckeyebowman said:


> Some people do love to stress over minutia!


I saw no stress in the op's question. It was a valid question in my opinion.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

UNCLEMIKE said:


> I saw no stress in the op's question. It was a valid question in my opinion.


I agree Mike. No reason to be so negative over a question like that. I’ve also had bucks in the past chasing does during gun season. Who knows if a week will make any difference.


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## Carpn (Apr 5, 2004)

My thoughts . If you are hunting prop being shared , or if surrounding property is being hunted , then you'll want to hunt escape routes/funnels and thick areas .

If the area receives light pressure and the deer will be on natural travel patterns hunt between feed and bed in the am and in the evening hunt over feeding areas .


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

You guys have a point. I suppose I should have thought about where the OP would be hunting. If it's public land, my original comment stands. However, if hunting private land, other things come into play.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

buckeyebowman said:


> You guys have a point. I suppose I should have thought about where the OP would be hunting. If it's public land, my original comment stands. However, if hunting private land, other things come into play.


I think you most likely meant 'minutiae'.

Like others have said, who knows. Could be a few chasing bucks then. 
But for sure, on public land, after the Calvary hits the woods, before noon they will all be ducking for cover.


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## Uglystix (Mar 3, 2006)

Years ago I took my pops hunting Grand River opening day pheasant. We stood 20 yards from a group of 5 bucks in the tall grass. They actually put a pheasant up for us. We went back to the same spot for opening day deer gun. Guess what, the same 5 buck still together no does and at the very same spot! We took one home. Would have been 2 taken but I freaked out, I’ll admit it! They almost ran us over. I consider myself a good deer hunter now but know that I will never fully understand them and their patterns. I guess that’s what makes it so fun.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

fastwater said:


> I think you most likely meant 'minutiae'.
> 
> Like others have said, who knows. Could be a few chasing bucks then.
> But for sure, on public land, after the Calvary hits the woods, before noon they will all be ducking for cover.


I think you most likely meant "cavalry". Calvary is an open air depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And yes, I had to look that up. 

There are some who say that there are no good deer on public land. That is the biggest load of crap! There are some amazing deer on public land. The problem is that they are usually nearly unhuntable! When they first opened Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area to public hunting my BIL, who doesn't live far from there, checked it out. 

Like most public land, the perimeter gets hunted hard, so my BIL hiked way back in. He told me that there was any number of P&Y and B&C bucks in there! He actually shot one during archery season, and since there are no private vehicles allowed in there, it took him nearly 8 hours, and nearly giving himself several heart attacks, to drag that big booger out! 

Those places kind of protect themselves.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

It doesn't seem to matter too much if season is one week earlier or later.
I think it more depends on what's going on with the local deer heard or hunting pressure in the area. I've see bucks chasing does in January ML season.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

I think you are talking about the "tertiary" or third rut! Some folks believe that there is only one rut. There is not. If a fertile doe is not bred during the first rut, she will come back into season about a month later, about mid December. Again, any fertile does still not bred, and some young of the year does born the previous Spring, will come into season about mid January! Those will be the does that the bucks are after at that time. 

Case in point. My buddy's mechanic has a lobby full of huge buck mounts. My buddy asked him about them, and the guy claimed that most of them were taken very late in the season, usually in January. His idea was that the bucks were running out of does by then, so they would follow pretty hard!


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