It seems like the majority of the people here are from southern or eastern Iowa where there big timber is abundant, but hopefully someone here can shed some light on a discussion some of my hunting buddies and I have been having.
I live NW IA and the vast majority of our ground is farm ground. Around here, during the winter litereally every deer leaves the 'open country' and will go into a timber. In my immediate home area, depending on the area, sometimes it's up to 8 miles to the nearest timber. In the evenings, there are litereally hundreds of deer that are grazing in the fields adjecent to those timbers, which is not the case in the spring/summer/fall. Plus when we're in the open country coyote hunting we never, ever see even a deer track, let alone a deer so it's not as if the deer are just laying low & waiting out the winter; they have left the area all together.
My question is, has anyone here had enough experience with deer in the open country to know if the same deer will come back to the same area once spring arrives?
Some of us think that the same deer go back to the same area because they're familiar with it and feel safe there since they've survived at least one season. Some think that as they start to disperse in the spring, they just make the first spot that has what they need to survive 'home' and other deer keep spreading out further because the closest spots to the timber are already occupied.
Personally, I go back & fourth and when it comes down to it, I really have no clue. I just know that there are no deer in the open country in the winter and by spring, they've magically moved back in. And quite honestly, it does amaze me that the areas that are so far from the timber have such good numbers because they've had to pass countless other areas that would provide food & shelter when getting to that area from the timber.
Since I have no tracking devices I can put on them, I've come here to see what you have to say!
I live NW IA and the vast majority of our ground is farm ground. Around here, during the winter litereally every deer leaves the 'open country' and will go into a timber. In my immediate home area, depending on the area, sometimes it's up to 8 miles to the nearest timber. In the evenings, there are litereally hundreds of deer that are grazing in the fields adjecent to those timbers, which is not the case in the spring/summer/fall. Plus when we're in the open country coyote hunting we never, ever see even a deer track, let alone a deer so it's not as if the deer are just laying low & waiting out the winter; they have left the area all together.
My question is, has anyone here had enough experience with deer in the open country to know if the same deer will come back to the same area once spring arrives?
Some of us think that the same deer go back to the same area because they're familiar with it and feel safe there since they've survived at least one season. Some think that as they start to disperse in the spring, they just make the first spot that has what they need to survive 'home' and other deer keep spreading out further because the closest spots to the timber are already occupied.
Personally, I go back & fourth and when it comes down to it, I really have no clue. I just know that there are no deer in the open country in the winter and by spring, they've magically moved back in. And quite honestly, it does amaze me that the areas that are so far from the timber have such good numbers because they've had to pass countless other areas that would provide food & shelter when getting to that area from the timber.
Since I have no tracking devices I can put on them, I've come here to see what you have to say!