What are the deer/elk up to in your area?

[RobertD]

Okay, summer is here, draw season is winding down and we're somewhere in the big middle of the non-hunting portion of the year. I thought it would be interesting to get a thread going to see what the deer, elk and antelope are doing in everyone's general area to learn more about the animals and pass the time.

Just post your general area (if you're comfortable) and what the animals are up to around you right now. What habitat are they using? What's their main food source right now? Antler growth? Fawns dropping?

I'll start: Here in Southwest Georgia, the deer are pretty active despite the stifling heat. Does are lactating and we're in a bit of a drought, so it's possible to spot them at field edges near cover where they hide their fawns and ease out to browse in irrigated crop fields or cow pastures.

Bucks are starting to get into their summer time habits of hitting crop fields hard from late afternoon onward. They love peanut fields starting about an hour before dark. Most bucks are sporting partially developed main beams, have seen one with the beginning bumps of tines starting to sprout.

We're probably at peak fawn drop, so in a few weeks the does will back off a bit and be a little less visible. Bucks will mostly continue their current routines until they shed their velvet in September.

Hope to learn some about what everything is up to in everyone else's neck of the woods.

 

[hank4elk]

Have cows with calves around. Most of the elk have moved down into the Apache forest looking for green food.
The deer have just about dissappeared from this unit,unfortunately.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Couple little dudes or dudets dropped recently in the area of SE Idaho.

 

[Wallydeuce]

Don't need to keep the area secret cause it's either private or National Park. The Kolob plateau, elevation 8 to 9,000 ft. Zion unit.
I've seen a few does near our cabin at 8,500 but no bucks yet. Usually they're at this elevation by now. I've seen a dozen or so elk at around 7,000, all in the national park.

And the first confirmed black bear siting in 10 years less than a quarter mile from our cabin.

 

[ZombieDog]

Already seeing hard-horned bucks in south Florida

 

[F250]

Lots of whitetail fawns in NW Vermont. Had a set of triplets in one of the food plots we can see from the house this morning. Have seen several sets of twins. Buck antlers quickly branching out. Turkey broods seem to be hit or miss. Some hens with none, others with a real tribe. Excellent Canada Goose hatch !

 

[fishing4sanity]

Checking bluegrass seed fields the other night I came across this mule deer fawn.

 

[Otto Matic]

I dunno? They don't come by the house and tell me! LOL!

Deer (whitetail only) are probably laying up in the shade, panting.
Lot'sa green browse. The wheat fields they normally frequent are brown and dry and being harvested.
I'd be curious to know how many fawns are killed annually by combines and swathers.
I know we lose a lot of turkeys due to combines destroying nests.

The elk are all up in the Wichita Mtn WMA.
Due to age and mobility issues, I don't put in for the draw hunts.
Occasionally, an elk will wander off the WMA. I've already stumbled into one. Just didn't get a shot.

 

[diamond hitch]

Two weeks ago I had 6 branch bulls wander through the yard. Two nites ago we saw the first of the babies. There were 12 cows and yearlings and 7 calves. Tonight just a lone dry cow so far. Many sneak in after dark.

They will rotate around until late July and then they will leave. When the rut starts they will be 3-5 miles north. When the tifle season hits they will be about 10-25 miles from the house. Then the search begins.

 

[RobertD]

Fawning is mostly over here now, haven't seen one yet but they should be up moving now. Saw a lactating doe hit by a car down the road from the house this afternoon.

We finally got back into some moisture even though it's still ripping hot. I think the deer have backed off the pivot fields a bit.

 

[Shangobango]

Fawning is over here except for some exceptions in the Mississippi River flood plain, where breeding sometimes is still happening in March and April.

With this little heat wave and the mosquitos I would be in the water with nothing but my face showing if I were a deer.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Elk and deer are all up high now. Even though I live at 8000ft. That's winter range here. They're up at timberline at 11,500ft. I haven't started to go up and watch them yet. I'll start this week.

However, it's always hunting season. We can hunt for coyotes all year and I have no love for them.

 

[Howie]

Growing antlers n trying to find a coolspot

 

[Wallydeuce]

Don't need to keep the area secret cause it's either private or National Park. The Kolob plateau, elevation 8 to 9,000 ft. Zion unit.
I've seen a few does near our cabin at 8,500 but no bucks yet. Usually they're at this elevation by now. I've seen a dozen or so elk at around 7,000, all in the national park.

And the first confirmed black bear siting in 10 years less than a quarter mile from our cabin.

Update: first significant rain today since the snow melted. Very few deer...still. The elk are also still at the lower elevations.

 

[Boarmaster]

Well its monsoon season in Florida so the deer are standing in water getting ate alive by the ticks and skeeters. They are probably fairing better in jungles of Alabama and the hills of southern ohio.

 

[JustinsDad]

California is dry as a bone. Still plenty of deer. Bucks can be seen still in velvet around Lake Casitas. Saw a nice 4 point (nice by California blacktail standards) yesterday.

 

[JohnCushman]

The zoo

 

[BirdManMike]

I think they had a block party last night. The grunting, snorting, bleating, and wheezing kept me up til all hours.

 

[geetar]

Elk don’t exist in my area. The whitetail deer are raising fawns and growing antlers. Soybeans are being consumed in the process.

 

[RobertD]

Well its monsoon season in Florida so the deer are standing in water getting ate alive by the ticks and skeeters. They are probably fairing better in jungles of Alabama and the hills of southern ohio.

Are you in the panhandle or peninsula? Just curious.