We shared with you this deer’s movements in September and mentioned that his home range might shift as crops were harvested in the valley.

But if he spent more time on the ridge would he travel further up the gap in the ridge into the valley to the north? Or simply shift to the west. The image of home range boundaries tells it all, but the movie shows more.

What I found fascinating is that this deer clearly has a “central place.” That is, no matter his movements he always returns to this center of attraction in the southeast corner of his home range.

In some of the other deer we have followed, come late October they had no pattern or they were perfectly predictable. I’d say this deer is in-between.

Come about the 16th of October he begins to take treks to the west and north. But he always seems to come back to that southeast corner.

His movements the latter half of October just about double his home range area, but he is rarely gone for more than 24 hours from his “central place.”

For some, there’s no place like home!

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