RE: Does the cold really get the deer moving?
During my fall bow hunting and late fall shotgun hunting here in NJ, I see a direct correlation between cold weather and warm weather and the deer's patterns. Of course, wind and other hunting pressure factors in, but for the most part I tend to always see more deer when it's cold than when it's unseasonably warm.
For instance, on a warm fall afternoon with temps maybe close to 75-80 degrees, I don't see much deer movement. A day or two later with temps in the lower 60s, deer are in abundance. Everything changes and doesn't matter come the rut, but I see more deer and head to the woods more often under ideal conditions and favorable temps.