This mature 7-point was photographed on a 54-degree day. He’s staying in the shade and won’t move much until a cold front hits. Photo courtesy of Steve Sorensen

The leaves in our glorious southern New York and northern Pennsylvania woodlands are falling, and archery season is well underway. A few bucks have fallen right along with leaves, but despite the early success of a few hunters, deer hunting has been slow for most.

Can fall be too beautiful? It can be for deer hunters. Plenty of people have enjoyed ample time for leisurely fall walks, and football fans have had perfect weather every weekend, but fall weather that’s too warm is not prime time for deer hunting. And by “too warm” I mean temperatures that are comfy for people. Deer hunters are hoping and praying for colder weather.

That’s not to say deer hunting in warm weather is a waste of time. In one sense, the best time to go deer hunting is whenever you can. Hunters who are successful the first week of the season can usually thank a reliable food source or a predictable daily pattern. These deer tend to be the early movers, but most deer movement is after dark when the temperatures drop.

Deer and people are both warm-blooded creatures, so why wouldn’t deer and humans both like the same weather? Even though deer are warm-blooded, they don’t regulate their body temperatures the way you and I do. We perspire to get rid of heat. We take off outer garments that hold heat. We strip down to shorts and T-shirts.

Deer can’t do any of that. They are stuck wearing brand new heavy coats which are more suited for frigid winter weather than the warm October days we’ve recently had. That thick coat with long, hollow, insulating hairs conserves body heat, even though the heat is not comfortable. To be comfortable, they limit their movement so they won’t generate more heat.

In the early season, about 45 degrees Fahrenheit seems to be the trigger for deer movement. At that ambient temperature (and below), deer can move without creating excess body heat.

Temperatures above 45 make deer reluctant to spend energy — energy they’ll use next month when the one-track mind of the male of the species shifts into high gear. Does will come into heat and bucks will turn their noses to the air. Any whiff of a ready doe will make a mature buck that has been through a couple of breeding seasons do whatever it takes to catch up to her.

When a cold front hits as it did this past week, bucks and does have different priorities. The does and fawns continue to feed on this year’s abundant apples and acorns.

For the bucks, it’s time to start thinking about girls. The buck bachelor groups you’ve watched during the summer are breaking up. The three or four bucks in these groups will begin to go separate ways, and you’ll see more lone, rut-ready bucks. Other bucks you haven’t seen have been enjoying their own secretive feeding spots. They begin their search for does, too. When one of these loners gets shot, the hunter will say, “I never knew he was there!”

The shift in deer patterns means it’s time to consider changing your strategy. You might need to abandon the spot that seemed reliable based on summer deer sightings. Now it’s time to set up near food sources the does have shifted to. Yes, it’s hard to give up on a spot that seemed so promising just a few weeks ago, but the most successful hunters have the courage to do that.

Our under-45 daylight temperatures mean daytime deer activity is picking up. If temperatures climb through the 50s during the day, then morning’s mid-30 temps will probably produce more deer activity.

Top bowhunters make sure they are in the woods during the two most optimum times. The second is the November rut, when the bucks do crazy-stupid things. The first is during an October cold front, and that time is now.

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When “The Everyday Hunter” isn’t hunting, he’s thinking about hunting, talking about hunting, dreaming about hunting, writing about hunting, or wishing he were hunting. If you want to tell Steve exactly where your favorite hunting spot is, contact him through his website, www.EverydayHunter.com. He writes for top outdoor magazines, and won the 2015, 2018 and 2023 national “Pinnacle Award” for outdoor writing.