If you live in a warmer climate with little snow cover they probably don't move very far. Up north (MI and WI), I've observed them yarding up several miles away, at least 5 miles in one area where we have property. This time of year, the area where we hunt in November (with lots of deer sign then) has zero deer sign today, but a few miles down the road, it's wall-to-wall deer. The difference? Food and cover has changed since snowfall.

It all has to do with the snow cover and food availability. The yarding areas are usually swamp conifer type forests where there is winter forage and thermal cover (ie. trees to break the wind). They get hammered pretty hard in the winter...the browse line on the trees is readily evident in most deer yards. So by spring when the snow has melted, the deer will usually disperse and head back to their 'regular' territory in search of food. It's all about the snowpack, because the deer always hang around in November until the snow gets deep. Some years that means they head to the yard in December, others (if we're unlucky), it means they're already yarding at the latter part of deer season.