Youre favorite time of day to deer hunt?

[gabedard]

All times of the day-learned early to always be on high alert-keep my sling in my pack - rifle at the ready
Missed a couple of big buck opportunities early in my whitetail schooling and adjusted my approach accordingly - we hunted heavy timbered property with crops about 1/2 mile away so probably kill the greater number of deer early to mid morning

 

[Brokennock]

When do I prefer to hunt, or when do I see the most deer? Two different things.
I'd prefer to hunt from about 10:00 or 11:00 to about 15:00 or so, skipping the getting up at 0dark:30 thing, lol, and still having tracking and field dressing light at the end of the day.
But, I see the most deer in my areas between 08:30 and 10:30. But obviously need to be there quite a bit earlier so as to settle in and let the area forget I came through.
Unfortunately it seems it is not uncommon for me to encounter deer in the dark on my way in. But, I rarely see deer from right at legal light a half hour before sunrise until 08:30 or so.

 

[bang]

30 minutes before sunrise to 30 after sunset.

 

[Squatch84]

My experience is pretty split. Half I've gotten in the morning and half I've gotten in the evening, so I usually stay out all day because I'm not inherently lucky lol.

 

[Timber Wolf]

Early to mid-morning. My usual routine is to wake from a little nodding doze after getting still in the stand to see deer in front of me, bang. Shot one after deciding it was not worth freezing to death in the stand one morning. I got down and was walking out just to see a deer feeding. I dropped down in the road and laid still a while. After a few minutes I rolled over and poked my rifle out of the rut to shoot. Guess that’s why they call it “hunting”.

 

[Art Caputo]

My favorite time of the day to deer hunt is the early morning hours...Before the sun shows itself.

 

[watopeka]

For me in half hour before sun up till dark.
but most kills are between 10 and 2. I find were i hunt the deer move at that time. This fall 11.30
For the end of day hunt, its a neck shot or let it go by. Looking for animals late at night is the worst

 

[Rawhide67]

Early bow and muzzleloader in the Adirondacks, I focus 90% of my time on evenings because that's been the most productive over the years. I used to head to the stand around 4pm but have had numerous encounters with deer, including bucks, already up and moving at 4pm so I go earlier now, if my schedule allows.

Gave up on mornings a long time ago as I just didn't see many deer. Also, I hunt mature forest public land. Not alot of deer around anyway.

 

[beardedhorse]

It depends on area and season and pressure. For Eastern Plains whitetail and mulies in October, the bucks usually come in towards dusk on state land properties. When hunting elk and deer on the Western Slope of Colorado in SeptemberI am concentrating more on elk and will shoot deer when they present themselves. Tend to pattern movements of deer to pressure of other hunters, too. Some of the public areas I hunted during ml deer out east restricted firearms to shotguns, including smoothbore fowlers and trade guns. 120 gr of FFg behind a patched .715 round ball leaves a very short tracking chore and no loss of meat. Depending on the draw I may try to separate bear, deer and elk into different seasons. Whatever you get down first you are obligated to pack out and take care of that animal and not be tempted to fill the other tags while packing out. A forest fire east if where I hunted this September forced hunters from a closed unit to invade the one I drew tags for. Absolutely ruined the season with influx of more hunters into an already crowded area.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I mostly see them moving in early a.m. and late afternoon. But studies with tracking collars have shown greatest movement during mid-day. A puzzlement. When I have taken a day long stand there is no movement in the middle of the day that I can observe.

 

[Howie1968]

Afternoons until legal shooting hours end. Ive worked nights for 35 years so i rarely hunt mornings

 

[FishDFly]

I mostly see them moving in early a.m. and late afternoon. But studies with tracking collars have shown greatest movement during mid-day. A puzzlement. When I have taken a day long stand there is no movement in the middle of the day that I can observe.

Dr. James Kroll confirms that, especially during full moon periods.

 

[Zing]

It depends where I hunt but I prefer morning hunts and it seems the 8am time frame is the best here in western TN. When I hunted public land in NC, the afternoon hunts where the best. There is a magic hour, you just have to be there when it happens.

 

[GAHUNTER60]

It depends on where I'm hunting. I have some places (food plots) where the last 30 minutes of daylight is best. I also have some woods stands in natural funnel areas between fields that are best in the a.m. I simply adjust my location accordingly.

Hunting the same piece of ground for the last 25 years helps, as I know every nook and cranny of my hunting area and have learned deer habits there.

 

[rodwha]

I’ve had mixed results as far as the deer i see at various times. But when I hunt it’s an all day ordeal. Everyone else wants to go back to camp at lunch. I bring something and stay out. Can’t say I’ve harvested a deer because I’ve stayed, but I’ve seen some. I just love being in nature and watching the critters. It’s very relaxing to me. Often times I shoot nothing just because I’m enjoying it.

 

[TerryK]

Generally I hunt with a crew of guys, and we drive deer most of the day. I don't like the later drives because I'm pretty tired by then.
Mornings seem to be more productive.

 

[hanshi]

I've killed quite a few deer in the late afternoon. Some were taken in hay fields and using hay bales for a rifle rest. I used to be able to hunt all day but that ended many years ago. I've field dressed them in the headlights of my truck or by flashlight. But health problems and the weariness of doing all the work in the dark stopped me from evening hunting a long time ago.

I much prefer mornings for any kind of hunting. Most of my deer hunting has been in my native Georgia. I love watching the woods come alive, birds start start singing and all the critters that are putting in their morning walks before going home to rest until night. I've seen more in the am than the pm along with squirrels, bobcats, coyotes, foxes and more. I like to watch the woods wake up rather than watch the woods go to sleep. I prefer using the afternoon for handling the game, cleaning the smokepoles and getting some rest. If I had to guess I'd say that 3/4 of my woods time occurred in the am.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Rifleman, I think a lot of the mid day movement comes from other hunters moving about the woods especially if it is very cold out. The hunter gets cold and maybe has not seen many deer or none at all and says to their self had enough. That's why I hunt from well before day light until dark, with a bit of preparation for the days weather, lunch and snacks, plus I like the solitude and enjoy the other animals that wonder bye, and maybe a nap on stand I stay in the woods, comfortable and content.

 

[Bob McBride]

Rifleman, I think a lot of the mid day movement comes from other hunters moving about the woods especially if it is very cold out. The hunter gets cold and maybe has not seen many deer or none at all and says to their self had enough. That's why I hunt from well before day light until dark, with a bit of preparation for the days weather, lunch and snacks, plus I like the solitude and enjoy the other animals that wonder bye, and maybe a nap on stand I stay in the woods, comfortable and content.

I love that too. Had a Coyote run right up to the stand yesterday while I had my hand in a ziploc baggie full of salted nuts. Of course, as soon as I moved my hand she busted me and ran off 50 yards before stopping to check and see what startled her. That stuff is the best (The animals you meet, and the salted nuts).

 

[appalichian hunter]

The first morning of early muzzle loading season as I was getting under my roof felt something walk over my boots, now mind you it is black dark out and I usually do not use a flashlight had one in my pocket fetched the mini mag in record time, and there was about a 20 pound racoon standing next to me. I bid him good morning and we both went about our merry business.