[Perferator]

Originally Posted by danielj72

The deer are yarded up because of deep snow. Most of the state now has a deep snow pack at this point and deer always yard up when conditions get this way. I saw them in a field on my way home from work, must have been at least 30 or more of them. When they are yarded up they are also less spread out meaning less people see them. If you do see them you will see lots of them. When the snow melts you will begin to see them on your property again.

Man, are they ever yarding up. On the way home last night when driving through a little villa (Horton Bay) I had to bring my jeep to a complete halt as a herd of 20+ deer were slowly crossing the road. They looked more like cattle than deer.

[idw2s]

Originally Posted by Perferator

Man, are they ever yarding up. On the way home last night when driving through a little villa (Horton Bay) I had to bring my jeep to a complete halt as a herd of 20+ deer were slowly crossing the road. They looked more like cattle than deer.

Definition? What in heaven's name is "yarding up"?

(puts on dunce cap and waits patiently in corner)

[idw2s]

Originally Posted by chiroptera

idw, I enjoy your posts.

Sun up and sun down, for sure. I'm too urban now to have deer in my back yard (sniff) but at a previous house, I had a couple of pear trees and the deer LOVED those. If we sat verwwy, vewwy still on the bench near the trees as evening came in, they would come within 20 feet or so to eat the pears. It was cool.

Alleyyooper, great pics...I didn't know heather grew here in Michigan.

Aw, thanks. We came here in search of land. Then we got winter (Bonus), natural beauty (bonus!), wildlife (Big Bonus!), a very nice chunk of land in a fantastic location (bonus bonus bonus!!), and amazing people (boooyah, bonus!).

This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's pretty much my bucket list in one single move (and I'm going to be careful what I say because when my youngest was born it was so easy and wonderful I said if I never had another I'd be okay and a year later I was diagnosed with cancer of the girl parts, so just to be clear, universe, I'M NOT READY TO KICK THE BUCKET YET, OKAY?????!!!!!!!!).

Whew, just figured better safe than sorry on that count. Still have three boys to raise! :P

So yeah, I'm pretty much high on life right now.... and I can't help blabbing about it. Michigan is more than I hoped it would be. I'm still gobsmacked how this is not like, public knowledge.

[alleyyooper]

Deer yarding up as a practical term doesn't happen much south of the Big Mighty Mac.
In the UPPER there are areas knowen as deer yards where they spend the time in the winter year after year. They migrate for hundreds of miles to make these yards before really bad snows start. A friend who has his deer camp near Big Bay hunts these routes during the latter part of firearm season and the Muzzle loader season.

Where Our deer Camp is in the UPPER is considered one of those yarding areas too. A big one you can visit is in Hulbert Michigan. 26 years ago Kare spend a lot of time just watching the deer in that yard. Mostly Cedar swamp with less snow fall that the far north and mid UP areas. Many times my friend has to fire up his big tractor and snow blower and clear a few miles of trail to leave his hunting cabin. I think I remember in 1993 he and his partners had to shell out a couple of thousand dollars to hire the plow out since they didn't have th ebig tractor or snow blower then. Many times I have went to our deer camp at Christmas time and not found enough snow for snomobileing to our likeing.
Ya the deer here at home SE Michigan are grouped back up as they do every year shortly after deer season ends. They will stay grouped up until it is fawn drop time. We see a group of from 11 to 9 together every evening and every morning. As I was getting ready to go run the dogs this morning we had 6 laying across the creek and 3 more eatting from the Multa Flora Rose bushes another nasty plant sold to people as living fences. They do just that to fence some thing from going thru them the thorns are just awful.

Al

[Perferator]

Originally Posted by alleyyooper

Deer yarding up as a practical term doesn't happen much south of the Big Mighty Mac.

Al

Charlevoix and Emmet counties must be your exception.

When living in rural Charlevoix a few years back every "yarding season" we would be able to count 100+ deer out back of the house. I've also seen this in Emmet just outside Petoskey.

Really, all you need is a cornfield that was harvested in the "chopping" manner where you have stalk stubs sticking up. That spells f-o-o-d, corn laying all over the field for the deer to kick the snow up and eat.

[Jswee]

Deer yarding occurs in both the UP and the NLP but in the UP the deer tend to migrate fairly long distances to get to the winter deer yards, where in the NLP they tend to stay in the same locale, just move into swamps and other areas wooded with spruce and cedar. The purpose for yarding is to seek thermal cover and protection from deep snow. During the winter a deer's metabolism slows down and their diet changes to more twigs and bark and woody browse, then the leafy forbs that they eat during summer months. The idea behind yarding is to minimize movement and conserve energy during the cold winter months.

Btw, perforator, not much found should be changed to not any evidence of CWD found since the single deer in the high fence operation was diagnosed with CWD 3 years ago. Tens of thousands of deer necropsied and not a single one has shown any trace of CWD. The Natural Resources Commission announced yesterday that they are going to be holding a series of meetings in the next several months to revisit lifting the baiting and recreational feeding ban. CWD is not a joke but it's also not in Michigan, knock wood.

[Perferator]

Originally Posted by Jswee

Btw, perforator, not much found should be changed to not any evidence of CWD found since the single deer in the high fence operation was diagnosed with CWD 3 years ago. Tens of thousands of deer necropsied and not a single one has shown any trace of CWD. The Natural Resources Commission announced yesterday that they are going to be holding a series of meetings in the next several months to revisit lifting the baiting and recreational feeding ban. CWD is not a joke but it's also not in Michigan, knock wood.

Well, I wasnt exactly sure of the "none found" so put up a reasonable guess. I try to get all the info I can from various resources and hearing that last fall's deer seasons showed another "negative" on testing it seemed to me that it's a non-factor for the time being. I'm also well aware of what happened in Wisconsin and as many of the other hunters, am also very thankful.

I'm still looking for stats on how the number of firearm hunting liscenses came in this past season. Some are talking about a regional decline in hunters afield but I'd like some facts on that. It doesnt seem like other years where all you would see is orange.

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by Perferator

Charlevoix and Emmet counties must be your exception.

When living in rural Charlevoix a few years back every "yarding season" we would be able to count 100+ deer out back of the house. I've also seen this in Emmet just outside Petoskey.

Really, all you need is a cornfield that was harvested in the "chopping" manner where you have stalk stubs sticking up. That spells f-o-o-d, corn laying all over the field for the deer to kick the snow up and eat.

Deer yard up anywhere where snow gets too deep for them and they tend to do it in places like you described. I am in chesaning area and even here they are yarding up. You dont see them lately unless they are in groups of at least 30.

[alleyyooper]

Some links on deer yarding. Seeing a group of deer in a corn field is not yarding..

Deer and Deer Hunting - Why Do Deer Starve Themselves in Winter?

Maine Fishing and Outdoor Magazine - Northwoods Sporting Journal - Maine's Outdoor Publication

Why Are Deer Yards Important? – Quality Deer Management Association (http://www.qdma.com/what-we-do/articles/deer-biologymanagement/deer-yards/ - broken link)

Al

[Perferator]

Originally Posted by alleyyooper

Some links on deer yarding. Seeing a group of deer in a corn field is not yarding..

Deer and Deer Hunting - Why Do Deer Starve Themselves in Winter?

Maine Fishing and Outdoor Magazine - Northwoods Sporting Journal - Maine's Outdoor Publication

Why Are Deer Yards Important? – Quality Deer Management Association (http://www.qdma.com/what-we-do/articles/deer-biologymanagement/deer-yards/ - broken link)

Al

There sure are alot of wrong people.