Ask The Biologist

When In Rome

When In Rome

By Bob Humphrey

Whitetail behavior sometimes depends on regional conditions like weather.

QUESTION: I live in Minnesota, and it seems like the colder it gets, the more deer move. This fall I traveled south to hunt in Alabama. They had a cold snap with temperatures in the 20s, and it seemed like the deer stopped moving. Why was it different?

ANSWER: The two most likely factors are what the deer are accustomed and adapted to. Northern deer experience extreme cold every winter, while it’s a less common occurrence in the South. Northern deer adapted by growing denser winter coats of hollow hair for better insulation. Their larger bodies are also more efficient at conserving heat. Southern deer are smaller and have lighter coats with thinner hair.

Ultimately it comes down to energy conservation. When it’s cold, deer need more food to stay warm, so they move more. But there is a law of diminishing returns. At some point on the declining temperature scale they can’t get enough to balance what they burn and conserve more energy by staying still.

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