How does deer respawning work?

[Kess]

I'm in MT right now and I've killed the deer. I've been waiting for days for more to spawn and it doesn't seem to be happening. I do a circuit from the farmhouse, to the woodlot, through the town and back checking the places I've seen deer before and nothing.

Is there a carcass limit? I haven't been looting the wolves I kill. Do I need to get rid of those first? What about the ravaged deer carcasses? Do I have to loot those for more deer to spawn?
Is there a wait period I just have to get through?

Again, I appreciate all the assistance you all give. It's awesome.

[Korvos]

Deer seem to come out based on weather, time of day, and general random "migration". Most maps have a few deer spawn areas, but they won't always be there, and sometimes they wander from their spawn point even when they do show up. Though usually not too far.

I believe the general consensus is that downing any animal and not harvesting it makes it take longer to come back. But you usually want to harvest at least the meat if you can, as it lasts practically forever outside.

The static deer corpses you find around the map do not affect spawns, and will last until you have inspected or harvested from them, at which point they decay fairly quickly.

[Kess]

Any idea if wolf corpses affect deer respawn or just wolf?

[Korvos]

Nope, killing other animals should not affect deer spawns. Mostly its just a random element plus weather and time of day.

[Kess]

Awesome