Written By - Art Wedge - 05/26/2007
Link to Original Article here

So, by now in your quest for deer hunting knowledge you have undoubtedly heard that deer are creatures of habit and these habits should be used against them to bring about their demise. Yet you think to yourself, I have seen that whitetail buck there before and he never came back again. Why? If we had the answer to that question it would probably be called shooting and not hunting.

In 1993 a hunting buddy and myself decided to spend a great deal of time scouting beginning in the end of July and the first part of August. While scouting one particular bean field on the back of the property, we came across a heavy headed large bodied deer using the field. Unfortunately he had spotted use first. After five minutes of watching each other and the big buck trying to figure us out, he opted to leave in a hurry. The first thought was, that\'s the last time we will see him and disappointing it was. However that whitetail buck easily identified by the odd shape of his rack, was spotted 7 times in that same field after that day. The second weekend in September found him in the bed of my pickup truck, taken from that same field. This would certainly lean toward the habit theory, even after being spooked the first time. On the other hand, I could fill your hard drive with stories about deer that were spotted in an area and never seen again that season and just as sure as you are sitting here reading this, you and many others have probably had the same experience.

Are they creatures of habit or not?
Deer need a few basic requirements: food, water, cover and once a year to reproduce. One could see these things as a need to survive, not habit. While deer hunting you may see deer using the same trail several days straight and then they seem to never use that trail again. This is when we need to pull out our little note pad and make a few notes maybe even a few guesses. Were they heading to a food source that may be gone now or was there a small water hole that is now dry? Try to figure out why they stopped using that area. Also keep notes on the movement of the deer you see. Why are they where you see them, what are they doing there and where are they going. Much of this will be guess work on your part but with a little scouting you can determine if your theories hold up or at least find out what made them change their routine.
Compared to some other mammals, whitetail deer have a relatively small home range. Because of this you can still play the habit card in your deck. The habits being the need to eat, drink, feel safe and reproduce. If the deer are no longer being seen in the same area, think back to the basic needs. Is there a more available food source near by? Where is the water hole they are using and what is the best available cover to them? Because the home range is smaller, you should still be able to accurately predict where they went. Food is often the number one reason for a shift in a deer\'s routine. You will need to identify and know what is available to them at any given time during the season. If you do not put in enough time and effort to discover the food source, you are putting yourself at a big disadvantage. Another factor to consider is hunting pressure. If an area looks good to you, it probably looks good to another hunter. If there are signs of other hunters using an area, you will need to possibly look for other areas of cover the deer may have moved to. Also, whitetail deer adapt to hunting pressure in a way that allows them to use an area when hunters are not there. Many times a hunter\'s first thought is they went nocturnal. This can sometimes be the case. Other times they simply make use of the area when hunters leave. This can make a mid day stand very productive.

These are a few things to consider when deer \"habits\" seem to change. Take the time to concentrate on their basic needs and what is affecting these needs. Know where the food, water and cover are, and how they may be changing the routine of the deer you see or do not see. The best way to figure these things out is to Scout, Scout, Scout. You can\'t find them sitting on the couch.