Whitetails are drainage creatures. So what's a drainage?

Yard Candy

Lil-Rokslider
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I was reading this article about scouting/hunting deer in forest environments and would like clarification on what drainages are. Here's the context/quote from the article:

We’d also learned whitetails are “drainage” creatures, preferring to associate their activities linearly along drainages. No matter how pronounced or subtle the drainage, deer use is higher in such areas than elsewhere. Each drainage has at least one doe social group (clan) living mostly adjacent to it.

I'm inclined to think a drainage is an area where water drains, which would mean cuts or ravines I guess? Or in laymans terms, dips in a downhill slope? But then I think, "If that's the case, why didn't he just say cuts/ravines instead of drainages in the first place?"

Thoughts anyone?
 

huntngolf

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I'd say drainages is just a much more vague term is why he used it instead of cuts or ravines. Many areas on the plains the drainages are simply lower elevation than the surrounding areas so the water will flow through them. I would agree that the deer will tend to travel through these types of areas as much as possible, simply because they are going to be out of sight more often in them due to lower elevation and the tendency for the vegetation to be thicker in them due to the extra water
 

Poser

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A “drainage” is more specific language than a “cut”, “ravine” or “downward slope”

What constitutes a “ravine” could be subjective, but a feature that drains water is much more objective and universal.
 
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Yard Candy

Yard Candy

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I'd say drainages is just a much more vague term is why he used it instead of cuts or ravines. Many areas on the plains the drainages are simply lower elevation than the surrounding areas so the water will flow through them. I would agree that the deer will tend to travel through these types of areas as much as possible, simply because they are going to be out of sight more often in them due to lower elevation and the tendency for the vegetation to be thicker in them due to the extra water

This makes perfect sense! I was just scouting an area last week and there was a low, flat area, I'd almost call it "marshy", with a small river running through the middle of it, and I a handful of deer there.
 
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Yard Candy

Yard Candy

Lil-Rokslider
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A “drainage” is more specific language than a “cut”, “ravine” or “downward slope”

What constitutes a “ravine” could be subjective, but a feature that drains water is much more objective and universal.

Very well said. Thank you for expplaining it that way.
 

Broomd

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Yes, whitetails are drainage creatures. We have a deep cut canyon (and pond) right though the middle of our property. Our road is literally named for it "Whitetail Draw."

With drainage comes vegetation and cover, and also often transition from fields and/or woods. Whitetails typically live the majority of their lives on the edge of everything.
 
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Imo a drainage is where water flows when it rains. Look at a topo map and it's generally easy to see. With that said, where I'm from in the east deer favor the ridges. PSU has done some gps collar studies that offer some real world info. Google the life and times of a buck PSU.
 
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Yard Candy

Yard Candy

Lil-Rokslider
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Imo a drainage is where water flows when it rains. Look at a topo map and it's generally easy to see. With that said, where I'm from in the east deer favor the ridges. PSU has done some gps collar studies that offer some real world info. Google the life and times of a buck PSU.
Just read it. VERY interesting. Also a little creepy there at the end, how he went to a place he'd only been to once before, to die.

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