RE: River Bottoms
When the river gets out as in your case the deer do remember that area. Flooding is a fact of life for them. Will they be back? Eventually. Depends on the available food. Being it is winter, the food was probably less abundant before the flood, What was left, was probably washed away. If so the deer will stay where the food is until the food comes back into there home area.
JMO
good luck!