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I've heard in colorado the mule deer migrate up to 500 miles
I read in a credible magazine and had it verified by a biologist that the only true whitetail migration is the animals that live in North Spokane County and migrate over to Tum Tum. In that said article one collered doe traveled 30 miles in 24 hrs. Not sure what the true definition of migration is but I found this very interesting....
An ambitious research project is under way to shed light on the mysterious movements of white-tailed deer through the thick cover of northeastern Washington.The study area in Stevens, Pend Oreille and northern Spokane counties covers the state’s most productive region for whitetails and the hunters who pursue them during fall big-game seasons.About 35 bucks, does and fawns gave researchers an intimate glimpse of their daily movements, migrations and, in a few cases, their deaths during the first year of research that started in January 2012.Another 35 already have been captured, fitted with transmitters and released during the winter trapping season going into the second year of the study.About $400,000 in federal grants, state wildlife funds and volunteer services will be devoted to the project over 3 1/2 years, said Woody Myers, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department big-game research biologist.Up to 100 deer will be adorned with $170 radio ear-tags or with $2,200 GPS collars that allow researchers to peg their location every four hours. Deer movements can be overlaid on maps that will show their migration routes and habitat preferences.The number of deer with transmitters was small as the study ramped up in its first year, but some trends already are catching the attention of Myers, and University of Montana researcher Charlie Henderson.“It’s somewhat surprising to see how far some whitetails were migrating from summer to winter ranges,” Myers said.“The Midwestern and Eastern version of whitetail research shows whitetails with fairly small home ranges, just a few square miles. But we’re seeing some whitetails moving farther.”One deer stayed within 393 acres – about a half-section of land – for the year.However, the largest home range (year-round area) documented so far is 7,633 acres covered by a doe. She concentrated most of her summer on 563 acres and wintered on 755 acres.“As a storm was moving, the doe headed to her winter range as though a light came on,” Myers said. “She left her summering area near the Pend Oreille River at 2 a.m. on Dec. 19 and arrived within her winter range on the Little Pend Oreille (National Wildlife Refuge) on Dec. 21. That’s 20 miles as the crow flies.”Some deer followed the same corridor almost exactly as they came to winter range and returned to summer range in the spring. Others varied their migration patterns....
Quote from: Hoythunter on November 05, 2014, 08:10:04 PMI read in a credible magazine and had it verified by a biologist that the only true whitetail migration is the animals that live in North Spokane County and migrate over to Tum Tum. In that said article one collered doe traveled 30 miles in 24 hrs. Not sure what the true definition of migration is but I found this very interesting.... I'm thinking you're a little off in your memory, is this the info you are thinking of?QuoteAn ambitious research project is under way to shed light on the mysterious movements of white-tailed deer through the thick cover of northeastern Washington.The study area in Stevens, Pend Oreille and northern Spokane counties covers the state’s most productive region for whitetails and the hunters who pursue them during fall big-game seasons.About 35 bucks, does and fawns gave researchers an intimate glimpse of their daily movements, migrations and, in a few cases, their deaths during the first year of research that started in January 2012.Another 35 already have been captured, fitted with transmitters and released during the winter trapping season going into the second year of the study.About $400,000 in federal grants, state wildlife funds and volunteer services will be devoted to the project over 3 1/2 years, said Woody Myers, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department big-game research biologist.Up to 100 deer will be adorned with $170 radio ear-tags or with $2,200 GPS collars that allow researchers to peg their location every four hours. Deer movements can be overlaid on maps that will show their migration routes and habitat preferences.The number of deer with transmitters was small as the study ramped up in its first year, but some trends already are catching the attention of Myers, and University of Montana researcher Charlie Henderson.“It’s somewhat surprising to see how far some whitetails were migrating from summer to winter ranges,” Myers said.“The Midwestern and Eastern version of whitetail research shows whitetails with fairly small home ranges, just a few square miles. But we’re seeing some whitetails moving farther.”One deer stayed within 393 acres – about a half-section of land – for the year.However, the largest home range (year-round area) documented so far is 7,633 acres covered by a doe. She concentrated most of her summer on 563 acres and wintered on 755 acres.“As a storm was moving, the doe headed to her winter range as though a light came on,” Myers said. “She left her summering area near the Pend Oreille River at 2 a.m. on Dec. 19 and arrived within her winter range on the Little Pend Oreille (National Wildlife Refuge) on Dec. 21. That’s 20 miles as the crow flies.”Some deer followed the same corridor almost exactly as they came to winter range and returned to summer range in the spring. Others varied their migration patterns....http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/jan/27/technology-volunteers-boost-northeastern/
Quote from: Alchase on November 05, 2014, 08:23:41 PMBlacktail Bucks have a "core" area sometime less the a 1/4 mile in diameter, that they move in and out of never leaving the core very far unless something forces them out. I watched a study where they tagged 10 blacktail bucks with GPS trackers. Six of the ten (the most dominant bucks had over lapping core areas. The less dominant bucks were forced into fringe areas and running with other non-dominant bucks. The most dominant buck stayed within the vicinity of his core area for over three years, that was far smaller then any other core area but more secure. They believe he stayed there until he was displaced by a new buck. That core was two small draws with a connecting narrow saddle. One draw a little bigger then a football field the other about four times tha size.Only the non-dominant bucks traveled more then a couple miles form the area they were taggedI would believe this to be true for the lower elevation BT's that do not have to migrate. The area's we usually hunt have an annual average snowfall of around 50 feet. So they do move a fair distance in a years time.
Blacktail Bucks have a "core" area sometime less the a 1/4 mile in diameter, that they move in and out of never leaving the core very far unless something forces them out. I watched a study where they tagged 10 blacktail bucks with GPS trackers. Six of the ten (the most dominant bucks had over lapping core areas. The less dominant bucks were forced into fringe areas and running with other non-dominant bucks. The most dominant buck stayed within the vicinity of his core area for over three years, that was far smaller then any other core area but more secure. They believe he stayed there until he was displaced by a new buck. That core was two small draws with a connecting narrow saddle. One draw a little bigger then a football field the other about four times tha size.Only the non-dominant bucks traveled more then a couple miles form the area they were tagged
Mule deer can flat out cover some ground when pushed. On occassion it has been documented that if pushed by severe weather they have been known to move 50 miles in a 24 hour period.Even during a normal migration year,during an "average"winter, some will migrate that far at there own pace.Some will migrate 5 or 10 miles,some 40 or 50,some will even travel farther to the winter range depending on what mother nature throws at em in regards to weather.Without alot of "details" a pardner of ours shot a big buck some years ago that had a collar and transmitter around its neck,he was a "big boy" of a buck! He followed the instructions on the collar and called it in. He was told by the bio the story of this buck,they had collared him 7 years earlier and the batteries had went dead the last 2 years of his life and they didnt know if he was alive or dead. The years the transmitter was working he was spending his summers in British Columbia and wintering in the Methow. Where we shot him was about 60 miles from his summer range in B.C. The 3 or 4 years they tracked him, his winters were spent in a 3 to 5 mile radious area in the Methow.
Quote from: blindluck on November 05, 2014, 08:02:04 PMI've heard in colorado the mule deer migrate up to 500 milesConsidering Colorado is less than 400 miles across, I am skeptical about this. Serengeti wildebeest migrate about 500 miles as year.My experience in NE Washington tells me that mule deer migrate more reliably by altitude than distance. I will stand corrected if I have it wrong, however.
Quote from: bigmacc on November 05, 2014, 09:10:23 PMMule deer can flat out cover some ground when pushed. On occassion it has been documented that if pushed by severe weather they have been known to move 50 miles in a 24 hour period.Even during a normal migration year,during an "average"winter, some will migrate that far at there own pace.Some will migrate 5 or 10 miles,some 40 or 50,some will even travel farther to the winter range depending on what mother nature throws at em in regards to weather.Without alot of "details" a pardner of ours shot a big buck some years ago that had a collar and transmitter around its neck,he was a "big boy" of a buck! He followed the instructions on the collar and called it in. He was told by the bio the story of this buck,they had collared him 7 years earlier and the batteries had went dead the last 2 years of his life and they didnt know if he was alive or dead. The years the transmitter was working he was spending his summers in British Columbia and wintering in the Methow. Where we shot him was about 60 miles from his summer range in B.C. The 3 or 4 years they tracked him, his winters were spent in a 3 to 5 mile radious area in the Methow.Interesting. I've often wondered how many Canadian deer we see, if any.
Lotta whitetails in NE WA migrate..Almost all the mt deer will move somewhere...and then there is the clayton/deer park herd that is farm country that migrate like stated above one of the few if only herds of whitetails that migrate outta farm country in the state. I lived in this area and it didnt matter if it snowed or not by Nov 30th every years the deer just started disapperaing and by early Dec then were gone.
