The first couple of weeks of archery season, temperatures were well above normal. Weather conditions may have seemed nice, but research has shown that, in part, deer movement is linked to the average outside air temperature.

Yes, deer do tend to move during the early morning and late afternoon hours. However when air temperatures dip below the average, deer remove themselves from their daytime beds. One study suggest that a 5 to 10 degree dip below that daily average temperature will prompt deer to move about.

Another study indicates that scrape activity increases following a three-day stretch when temperatures hover in the 40 degree range or below.

Back to back days when frosts occur, deer movement increases along with feeding activity. As the end of the month draws closer and with cooler days ahead, the energy needs of deer are increasing. At the same time deer are consuming additional calories to build their fat reserves in preparation for winter.

The early morning and late afternoon hours are productive times of the day to hunt. But add cooler weather into the mix and your chances of seeing more deer will improve dramatically.

Another factor that influences deer movement is the rut. When the rut or breeding season occurs is a topic of discussion that includes a good dose of speculation, observations, and tall tales all tied together. And yet the timing of the rut is more consistent than many realize.

A great explanation of the timing of the rut is provided by the PA Game Commission.

In an effort to determine when the rut occurs, the PGC collected breeding data from 2000 to 2007 from over 6,000 road killed does.

The breeding date was determined by measuring the fetus the deer was carrying. Since the gestation period of a deer is about 200 days, measuring the fetus would determine its age. In turn, the conception date of each specimen could be determined.

The data revealed that nine out of ten does were bred from mid-October to mid-December, and the peak of the rut occurred in mid-November.

Also revealed in the study was that sexual maturity in doe fawns was linked to body size, which is related to the quality and quantity of food as well as birthdate. Doe fawns reaching critical size, 80-90 pounds, came into estrus during their first fall, and bred later when compared to adult does.

Peak breeding by fawns occurs in late November and early December. Nearly half of all fawn breeding in the studies occurred from December to February. This explains breeding activity observed by hunters following Thanksgiving.

Ninety-one percent of adult does and 26 percent of doe fawns were pregnant. The number of fawns conceived also varied by the age of the doe. Doe fawns generally had single fawns while adult does usually had twins. Triples were rare.

The seven-year study also provided some interesting facts. Between 20 and 25 percent of does bred took place from the 12th to the 18th of November. About twenty percent of does were bred from the 5th to the 11th of November. From Nov. 19 to the Dec. 25, just over 15 percent of the does were bred. After the Dec. 25 date, breeding falls off dramatically.

The research also proved that dates are the key to establishing a consistent timing of the rut rather than the phases of the moon.

Duane Diefenbach posted in 2014 “How to Predict the Rut in “The Deer-Forest Blog”. Diefenbach wrote, “The rut really doesn’t vary that much from year to year. The secret is you can plan your hunting vacation around the rut months ahead of time and not even worry about the moon!” It is also interesting to note that the 2014 study confirms the PA Game Commissions seven years study conducted from 2000 to 2007.

PA’s statewide archery season began on Sept. 29 and runs through Nov. 12.

While archery season began weeks ago, seasoned veterans consistently say, “The best is yet to come.”

Charlie Burchfield is an active member and past president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, an active member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Outdoor Writers Assoc. of America and the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers. Gateway Outdoors e-mail is GWOutdoors@comcast.net