Hurricanes and deer

• Outdoor columnist Ben Smith writes that deer are incredibly resilient creatures and endure changes to their habitat all of the time.

The storms that have ravaged the Southeast the last few weeks have been a nightmare to say the least. I feel fortunate to have dodged the worst of them, while at the same time my heart has been broken for our friends in Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida. At the time of writing this, Florida is staring down another monster of a storm that I’m told will make Hurricane Katrina a distant memory. Heartbreaking news and my prayers are with the people of my beloved Florida. In the midst of all of this calamity it’s a good policy to try and find a silver lining.

I’ve seen stories of heroic acts being performed in the flood waters of North Carolina and compassion flowing into the damaged areas from all over our great nation. It’s a nice reminder that even though at times we are at odds with one another, Americans will pull together for the greater good when called into service. Regardless of political affiliation, religious beliefs, and any other socio-economic standard you can come up with, America is still the greatest nation on the planet and there’s nowhere else I’d rather call home.

Something else I’ve pondered, on a much lighter scale but not to be totally dismissed, is what animals do during weather events like these. I’ve always thought that weather was the number one indicator for deer movement. From my limited amount of data in the areas I’ve hunted, deer behave differently based on differing fronts. An incoming low pressure front usually got more deer on their feet during daylight hours ahead of the weather event. High pressure systems affected movement differently. But what about during the storm? What do they do to survive?

We all know that animals, particularly deer, have great instincts. Their instincts are what makes them a worthy adversary to hunt. Without instincts, it would be a boring chase. Those same instincts that deer use to allude us during hunting season are what also keeps them alive during inclement weather. Studies of deer behavior and patterns during an incoming hurricane have shown that they tend to seek places of higher ground ahead of the storm. Those instincts serve as their built in warning system. In fact, several studies have shown that the deer mortality rate from these storms is almost non-existent, meaning that they actually do a better job of taking care of themselves through a hurricane than humans do.

Notice that I said, “almost non-existent.” Deer do sometimes become victims of blown over trees during a storm. I know of several hunters that have been wandering through the woods over the years to walk up on the remnants of a deer carcass with a tree laying on top of it. In places with flatlands like Florida and South Louisiana, deer face the problem of flooding more than anything else. Displacement due to flooding can lead to a lack of sufficient bedding, cover, and food. I don’t have the evidence to back it up, but I’m going to assume that there were deer killed during the flooding in North Carolina. The sheer volume of water rushing down the mountains and through the valleys had to have been too much for even the most instinctive animals to overcome. 

What about deer movement before, during, and after a large scale storm like a hurricane? Like with a lot of low pressure systems, studies have shown that deer movement before a hurricane increased dramatically. It makes sense knowing that the deer recognize the need to feed and find suitable habitat ahead of the storm. I always love hunting just ahead of a low pressure banger because my deer movement is normally way up. 

The same studies that showed increased deer movement ahead of the storm also showed little to no movement during the storm. I know guys that have killed deer during rain, and even some during heavy rains, but it’s been my experience that hunting during a lengthy rain system is generally an exercise in futility. I end up cold, drenched, and angry that I wasted my time hunting an animal that is obviously smarter than me and curled up somewhere more comfortable. If you’re one of those guys that successfully kills deer year after year during rain storms I’m just going to concede that you’re either way better than I am or cheating somehow. After the storm passes through, deer movement picks up again before returning to a normal pattern pre-hurricane.

You’ve probably also heard hunters talk about the destruction of lands after a hurricane and how that affects the deer. Look, deer are incredibly resilient creatures and endure changes to their habitat all of the time. Hunters think deer need trees to survive, but since when have you seen a deer roosted in a tree? The fact is that sometimes these hurricanes actually improve deer habitat. Downed trees can open up the canopy in the woods allowing new browse to grow on the forest floor. Briars, sage, and other grasses sprout through the fallen treetops providing an excellent bedding area. I’m not trying to sell you on deforestation, but some natural clearing doesn’t hurt at all. 

Unfortunately, Florida is about to likely get more natural clearing than they would like. While it’s easy from over here to sit around and talk about the displacement and habitat of deer, I don’t want to steer away from the probable loss of life and property that Floridians are about to endure. For those in the path of this storm, hunting and what the deer are doing is the furthest thing from their minds.