If you followed this deer in September, catching up with him doesn’t seem that difficult. Picking a spot somewhere on that knoll near the eastern boundary of his home range, you should have had a good chance of doing so. His home range was only 180 acres and he spent a lot of time in an even smaller area.
…until October came around.
In October his home range exploded to 794 acres – over a square mile and more than 4 times larger!
But there’s more to the story. Just watch the video.
A home range is more than just a boundary. It also has a temporal component (when is the deer where?). That’s where the intensive locations of the GPS collars come in.
This buck’s movements didn’t change much in early October. You can find him in the same 40 acres he spent much of September. But that changes after 1400 hrs on October 15th. That’s when Mr. Homebody turns into Travelin’ Man.
He waves good-bye to his home on the knoll and hits the road. Does this sound familiar? “I’ve been watching the same bucks on my game cameras all summer and then out of the blue this new one shows up. Then poof! He’s gone and I haven’t seen him since!”
Now you know why that happens. Deer 8103 is one of those deer. If you follow his movements in the second half of October, how many places did he go and never return? Too many to pattern this guy! At least in late October.
Where will he go in November? Will he return to his home on the knoll or keep movin’? Stay tuned.
Duane Diefenbach
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