Daylight movement

[BSK]

Is it just me or are others seeing an inordinate amount of daylight movement by all forms of wildlife this year? I'm seeing armadillos in daylight, bobcats in daylight, and to be honest, the VAST majority of my trail-cam videos over food plots show daylight feeding by deer. Anyone else?

 

[tellico4x4]

Definitely. Had a bobcat run across road at 10:30 yesterday morning. Seeing deer & squirrels all hours of the day as well. Believe it's the total lack of mast in our woods that have them on their feet more. We have squirrels in 12-15 yr old planted pines looking for food, crazy.

 

[BSK]

Definitely. Had a bobcat run across road at 10:30 yesterday morning. Seeing deer & squirrels all hours of the day as well. Believe it's the total lack of mast in our woods that have them on their feet more. We have squirrels in 12-15 yr old planted pines looking for food, crazy.

Interesting theory. I noticed the wild squirrel activity as well. I put a camera on one of my favorite traditional scrapes two weeks ago. Strapped the camera to the same tree I always do and pointed in the exact same direction I always do. After two weeks all I had was about 500 videos of squirrels going up and down every tree-trunk in the video frame, multiple, multiple times. I have gotten squirrel videos here in past years, but nothing like this.

 

[TboneD]

Did a quick scouting trip yesterday afternoon here in Wilson County and found few if any white oak acorns. Also it appears that weevils(?) have been really bad this year because from what I've seen at least, a lot of the red oak acorns are completely worthless. And the deer and squirrels are gobbling up the good ones so fast I'm not certain they'll be many left for gun season. As for the squirrel, I haven't noticed much in hickory cuttings or nuts, either. Took my nephew once last month and never heard the first squirrel chewing on a hickory nut, so I guess they're really having to move to look for mast.

 

[BSK]

Did a quick scouting trip yesterday afternoon here in Wilson County and found few if any white oak acorns. Also it appears that weevils(?) have been really bad this year because from what I've seen at least, a lot of the red oak acorns are completely worthless. And the deer and squirrels are gobbling up the good ones so fast I'm not certain they'll be many left for gun season.

We have no acorns, no hickories, and no persimmons. I don't know what the squirrels are going to eat this winter.

I did notice deer apparently searching the ground under beech trees. I'm assuming their finding tiny beechnuts to eat.

 

[TboneD]

BSK, yes, I just edited my post right before I saw your response regarding the hickory nuts.

 

[tellico4x4]

Also have 10-15 big walnuts at an old house place and not a single nut on them either. Never seen that in the 20 years I've had the place. Am seeing a few persimmons though.

 

[Volbuck777]

I'm seeing a good amount of daylight movement also my plots are full of deer but it sure isn't because the lack of mast here in Sevier county. Acorns are everywhere and the persimmons are loaded down to the point the branches are breaking. Also most everyone I've talked to within a few counties here on the eastern side have seen better horn growth than normal and a lot more fawns.

 

[TheLBLman]

About the only daylight increase I've noticed is armadillos. I mainly see them at night. Last week I saw 4 during mid-afternoon, and 3 of them did not survive my sighting.

For years, I've been noticing a progressive increase in daylight activity of coyotes & bobcats, but this seems nothing new to me.

I will say my deer cams on fields have been picking up almost no deer the past two weeks, despite there being some clover and some native forbs available. There are a few acorns, and the deer are much better at locating them than I. Also, no turkeys in my fields much. This is highly suggestive they are finding acorns, although I suspect beechnuts may be a big part of this equation.

 

[TheLBLman]

Am also seeing more squirrels, but had figured this was in part due to the squirrel population being at a relative high.

In many years when I believed we had essentially no acorns, some have magically appeared in late October. I'm hopeful the mast crop may not be as bad as it looks, and do know the deer & turkeys have largely abandoned my fields, so they must be finding something new to eat more in the woods.

 

[dogtown]

Roane county has a good amount of white and red acorns, earlier there were lots of persimmons but they dropped earlier than normal. A few walnuts and hickory

I had a a few 2 and 3 year old bucks working scrapes in the daylight last week which is different.

 

[Ski]

I've been seeing a lot of daylighting by all critters, but I've yet to find the first scrape in TN yet. Deer are plenty active and I'm finding rubs, seeing bucks every time I'm out, but no scrapes. It's just a weird year all around.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Critters everywhere during daylight being seen and on camera. Not many videos during dark, mostly all daylight. Deer, turkeys, bobcats, groundhogs, squirrels and armadillos. Haven't seen any scrapes and surprisingly no rubs. I also can't believe we haven't had any 3.5 or older bucks move in yet. Just a couple 1.5's and 2.5's. Will be anytime though. Several of those critters have hit the dust

 

[Ski]

I also can't believe we haven't had any 3.5 or older bucks move in yet. Just a couple 1.5's and 2.5's. Will be anytime though. Several of those critters have hit the dust

I was beginning to get nervous that it's just my place showing abnormally dead buck activity. But it seems maybe not. I mean it's still early but by this time I've usually at least got one trickling in for the fall. I can't recall another season when bucks weren't filtering in by now.

 

[hbg1]

I've been seeing coyotes at all times during the day, have killed 3 in the past week.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I was beginning to get nervous that it's just my place showing abnormally dead buck activity. But it seems maybe not. I mean it's still early but by this time I've usually at least got one trickling in for the fall. I can't recall another season when bucks weren't filtering in by now.

Agreed. Last year, we had three 3.5's or older by now….and that's an abnormally low number - still recovering from a severe 2019 ehd die off. The herd in general is back to normal now, but the bucks just haven't shown up. Hoping there wasn't another flare of ehd this year as dry as it's been.

I'm not particularly worried. I suspect the next 2 weeks will show more filtration of bucks

 

[Ski]

I hope you're right about still expecting them to show up. I'm sure you are. They always do. I just enjoy this time of year because it's like Christmas with anticipation, waiting to see what shows up.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I hope you're right about still expecting them to show up. I'm sure you are. They always do. I just enjoy this time of year because it's like Christmas with anticipation, waiting to see what shows up.

I know! Couldn't wait to check a few of the cameras in the spots I had some show up this time last year (by the 15th), but just had nothing but does and fawns. 4 more cameras to put out and it will be a waiting game

 

[TheLBLman]

I've been seeing coyotes at all times during the day, have killed 3 in the past week.

I've been seeing a steady increase of daytime coyote movement during the day now for many years. My thinking is they have evolved to spend more time hunting turkeys.

I still believe they feed more on rodents, rabbits, and anything they can scavenge (like roadkill).
But they are putting the hurt on young turkey poults, at least until those polts are nearly full grown.
They (and bobcats) also can easily kill a strutting Tom in the spring.

 

[Trnr]

I can neither confirm nor deny daytime movement where I hunt because I've only got a single cell camera out. I place it in September and use it to monitor when bucks are shifting where I hunt. What I can say is over the last 3 days I have seen an abnormally high increase in buck movement into this area, compared to years past. Seems like they're about a week and a half ahead of when I would "expect" them based on previous observations. Also found it funny that while cleaning up the yard, my 10yr old was banging dead branches out of a tree with a fallen limb and 2 bucks came in from different directions and put on a sparring show for us lol

 

[BSK]

I've been seeing a lot of daylighting by all critters, but I've yet to find the first scrape in TN yet. Deer are plenty active and I'm finding rubs, seeing bucks every time I'm out, but no scrapes. It's just a weird year all around.

I have a camera over a traditional scrape. Normally, it is opened by Oct. 1. Nothing as of Oct 11. But I did get a yearling spike buck in the background desperately trying to make some rubs. Doesn't look like he made much impact on the little saplings he was working over though!

 

[BSK]

Last year, older bucks from the bottomlands didn't start shifting up into my hill country until around Oct. 18th. However, that was unusually late and I believe driven by the very late harvesting of standing corn in the bottomlands. In previous years, the shift occurred mid-September. I'm getting worried this year. So far, little to no shifting into the hills as of Oct. 11. Crops in the bottoms were all harvested by late September. But we shall see the next time I check cameras, which should be around the 21st.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Have my target buck, for this year, on 3 different cameras at about 7:30 am. Have several pics of him during daylight but only have 4 pics of the deer at night.

 

[muddyboots]

I'm seeing 20 to 30 deer every afternoon I get to hunt. They are hungry. I think this year will be feast or famine.

 

[Ski]

Have my target buck, for this year, on 3 different cameras at about 7:30 am. Have several pics of him during daylight but only have 4 pics of the deer at night.

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are going to be perfect. If you can, I'd be getting on him as soon as I can before he moves on.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are going to be perfect. If you can, I'd be getting on him as soon as I can before he moves on.

I am tempted to get a few sits in with the crossbow, but really thinking I am going to try to just hold off until we can hunt rifle, cwd unit that will be Oct 31st. Just hoping he hangs close by until then.

 

[Bgoodman30]

Yes I don't think it has to do with anything other than deer are having to move further and wider to find food. Therefore being caught on way to back to bed at daylight.. My #1 target has been all over the farm daylight and dark... I'm stuck working in FL hope I get to hunt him in a couple weeks but it might be MZ.

 

[Ski]

Finally got bucks showing up on one of the properties. One mature and a decent 3yr old both showed up yesterday, one at 4:30am and the other at 6:55pm. The mature guy seems to have added a 9th point and expanded his frame a bit both in width and height. He's the one in the pics.

I heard what I'm pretty sure was him growling/grunting in the thicket this morning. Had the squirrels & blue jays in fits. Several does came out of there and kept looking back, but he never did pop out. Still haven't seen the first scrape and very few rubs. Strange for this time of year. No lack of food at this spot. Acorns everywhere and it's surrounded by recently harvested ag fields.

 

[TheLBLman]

So far, little to no shifting into the hills as of Oct. 11. Crops in the bottoms were all harvested by late September.

I'm just curious as to the approximate linear distance of your particular seasonal range shift.
Never mind that the weekly range patterns of most deer cover a lot more acreage than most hunters think. At least this is the case outside of suburbia.

I'm constantly having hunters tell me "I have a buck over on my place that . . . . . " and then another hunter on "his place" about 2 miles away is showing me pics of the exact same buck, each hunter seeming oblivious as to just how far that buck each is calling "his" travels around the area.

I think many hunters, in their minds, seem to think a particular buck is somewhat bounded to the acreage that hunter owns or hunts. Never mind a particular buck, at any time of year, may be REGULARLY having his picture taken by different hunters on different properties over a mile apart.

I suspect true wilderness deer, such as in the Cherokee National Forest, may frequently travel over 5 linear miles, from one week to the next, as can those living in river bottoms (and/or other habitat not subdivided by high concentrations of houses, people, and their dogs.

 

[Ski]

I think many hunters, in their minds, seem to think a particular buck is somewhat bounded to the acreage that hunter owns or hunts. Never mind a particular buck, at any time of year, may be REGULARLY having his picture taken by different hunters on different properties over a mile apart.

Oh I don't know. Buck movement is pretty well documented. I'd tend to think most folks hunting mature deer would be aware. But maybe not?

What I see most often is that folks tend to focus on their hunting ground because they're not privy to how & when a deer moves outside of it. For instance, when I say I've got a particular buck on my place, I mean he uses it to some extent. I'm well aware that he travels far beyond my boundaries but I can only hunt him when he's on mine so that's what I focus on. The game I'm attempting to play is two fold. First I want to encourage him in some way to spend more time on my place, specifically during daylight hours, preferably within range of a stand. Secondly, I try to predict when he'll be there. I can only assume other hunters in other stretches of his range are playing the same game, but there's nothing I can do about that so I don't give it much thought.