Barometric pressure and deer?
 

What do ya'll feel the effects of the atmospheric pressure rising and falling do to the movement and behavior patterns of the deer in your area. I have seen them change with the coming and going of storms in my area. About 5 years ago during bow season I went out with a hurricane blowing towatrd us here in Perry and I saw more bucks moving that day than any other time I can recall. Iwas just wanting some opinions and facts if anyone had any.

RE: Barometric pressure and deer?
 

Speaking strictly from my experience regarding only the activity of non-pressured deer in the High peaks region of the Adirondacks, 30 days or more after the fall solstice, the advent of low pressure sends then seeking cover. Particularly when following several hours or more of tight isobars, which tends to signal the poop getting ready to hit the fan. This is when I like to take a stand in an area I have selected for just these conditions, hopefully intercepting them on the way.

RE: Barometric pressure and deer?
 

certainly seem to notice more movement before a storm, which means the pressure is dropping I believe.

RE: Barometric pressure and deer?
 

YOU ARE MORE THEN LIKELY RIGHT THE BAROMETRIC PRESURE PLAYS IN ROLE IN THERE MOVEMENT. A FEW YEARS ONE OF THE GUYS FROM THE PROMIS PRO STAFF WAS GIVING A SIMENARE ON TURKEYS AND HE STATED THAT WHEN THE PRESURE WAS UP BIRDS WOULD GOBBLE MORE THEN WHEN IT WAS DOWN. GOOD HUNTING.

my own personal belief from my experience is deer belly up before the storm. So the barometric pressure would have a effect.
I like to hunt before and after storms. After if a long storm as treated me to many animals.

I bought a couple of book's from NAHC about Whitetail's. The book's are a collection of article's written by Whitetail expert's. One of the article's cover's a study on the effect's of weather on Whitetail's. Here's what it say's about Barometric Pressure. Whitetail's prefer a moving barometer to a steady one, and they move about more, when it's rising, than when it's falling. If the barometer is neither rising, or falling, however, they show a slight preference for a steady high reading, over a steady low one. The author's name is John Wooter's. This was an idependent study, based on his own record's, and observation's over a 15 tear period.

I also Have read that they "know" when a storm is coming and will be out around an hour to a half hour before it storms.
Then again a friend of mine got a nice 10 pointer in a rain storm.
Go figure.

Boog:wave:

Here in Northern Minnesota, if there is a lite to steady rain, or snow, it seems like the deer like too move all day long, as long as it's not too windy. I can't say what they do in a heavy downpour, or snowstorm, because I usually don't stick around to find out.

Being a reseaercher, who reads alot of research - here is my opinion.

1. I don't think it isw necessarily teh Barometric Pressure that causes a raction form deer, but rather the associated weather changes associated with Barometric Pressure changes. Why do I feel that wy - becuase they can actually feel those changes.

2. Here is an excerpt frrm my book The Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual.
Barometric Pressure
Because fish and birds have air sacs in their bodies they may have the ability to feel barometric pressure changes. Geese are known to feed and begin to flock two days prior to the arrival of a storm, then migrate with the advancing cold fronts. Many hunters claim deer also feed heavily prior to a storm. During my seven-year study I found that (approximately) 40 percent of the deer sightings occurred when the barometer was rising, 40 percent occurred when the barometer was falling, and 20 percent occurred when the barometer was steady.

I did find that more deer were seen when there were abrupt barometric changes than when the barometric pressure was steady. I found no evidence that deer began to feed prior to the arrival of a storm, suggesting that they knew or "felt" that a storm was approaching. However, deer were frequently seen feeding after storms let up, especially if the storm lasted a day or more.

In his study in Georgia, Kent Kammermeyer found that deer activity was correlated with barometric pressure changes in the morning and evening. But, he noted that this is when these barometric pressure changes normally occur in that area. Illinois biologist Keith Thomas found that the highest amount of white-tailed deer movement and feeding activity occurred when the barometric pressure was between 29.80 and 30.39. After several years of study, Dave Morris, the manager of a Georgia hunting preserve, concludedd that the deer in the study area were much more active when the barometric pressure was below 29.00 inches, and the temperature and the humidity were low.I suspect that deer may react to the weather changes associated with barometric pressure changes, such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature factor changes, cloud cover and precipitation; but not necessarily to minute changes in barometric pressure.

3. My current study, using 8 live feed cameras on a 3000+ acre gaem preserve in the Ozark Mountains of noethern Arkansas, should help me some more in determing if and when deer react to changes in Barometric Pressure. But, we may never know how much in advance the deer sense pressure changes.

As to why they react - probably becuse there is going to be a change in the weather. Which brings us back, not to Barometric Pressure, but to the Weather. This, I believe, strongly suggests it is the weather they react to.

3. Even if deer may not be able to sense Barometric Pressure, and therefore react to those changes, and react accordingly - WE can use the Barometer to predict deer movement, because we, through technology, know there is going to be a weather change, which MIGHT result in more deer activity tham normal.

God bless and good huntihng,

T.R.

very cool info, thank you for sharing!