Favorite/Can’t Miss Days of Deer Season - Why??

[JXB0805]

I'm curious to hear everyone's perspective on their favorite dates of the TN deer season.

Are there dates that produce for you every year?
Does your favorite dates vary according to the moon?
If so, which moon phase do you prefer, and does it's rising or falling play into it as well?

 

[C1295]

Thanks Giving morning, Its just a tradition. We all get up go out and sit till about 10-11 come back stuff our faces, maybe take a nap spend some time with family then head back for an evening sit.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

Veterans Day and the couple of days before and after. Historically, I've killed some of my better deer around then. Black Friday just because I prefer being in the stand than dealing with people. And I take the time from Christmas eve until the weekend after New Year as my vacation time to deer and duck hunt.

 

[JXB0805]

Veterans Day and the couple of days before and after. Historically, I've killed some of my better deer around then. Black Friday just because I prefer being in the stand than dealing with people. And I take the time from Christmas eve until the weekend after New Year as my vacation time to deer and duck hunt.

Black Friday just because I prefer being in the stand than dealing with people. - lol, right

 

[Hduke86]

For me in Hamilton County has always been the first two weeks of November BUT I've also have had great success during the last 7-10 days of November. I'll just sum it up and say ANY day in November can make your season a successful one. I don't pay attention to the moon really at all but if there's a significant temp drop coming. Im going to be out there the day before it and as much as possible during the drop in temperature

 

[Remington700]

My favorite times are opening weekend and Thanksgiving time. Still early in the season before people mess them up and rut starting to crank up.

 

[Andy S.]

For extreme SW TN, if you are pursuing mature bucks, I highly recommend Nov. 15 - Dec. 15, and focus on coldest days for increased daytime activity. With that said, the majority of really good mature bucks killed by myself and my closest friends are killed Thanksgiving Day until December 10th. If any way possible, I always hunt last 3 days of November and first 7 days of December. The mature bucks are on their feet in daylight and the colder temps are usually here.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

First week of bow season or Dec 7-15 for me

 

[JXB0805]

For extreme SW TN, if you are pursuing mature bucks, I highly recommend Nov. 15 - Dec. 15, and focus on coldest days for increased daytime activity. With that said, the majority of really good mature bucks killed by myself and my closest friends are killed Thanksgiving Day until December 10th. If any way possible, I always hunt last 3 days of November and first 7 days of December. The mature bucks are on their feet in daylight and the colder temps are usually here.

Man I got excited just reading your response, and I concur!

 

[JXB0805]

First week of bow season or Dec 7-15 for me

I'm seeing the trend for that Dec. timeframe.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

For extreme SW TN, if you are pursuing mature bucks, I highly recommend Nov. 15 - Dec. 15, and focus on coldest days for increased daytime activity. With that said, the majority of really good mature bucks killed by myself and my closest friends are killed Thanksgiving Day until December 10th. If any way possible, I always hunt last 3 days of November and first 7 days of December. The mature bucks are on their feet in daylight and the colder temps are usually here.

I say this every year and it will absolutely never stop amazing me how rut timing varies across this state. You are farther west than me, but it seems like your deer are a little ahead of ours. And we are both a little ahead of some of the southernmost portions of counties east of us like Hardin and Wayne. I'm pretty sure southern Franklin is behind us as well. So if a man had the money, time and access he could start hunting the rut in northeastern TN in late Oct and hunt all the way through mid January chasing the rut in our state. Amazing.

 

[348Winchester]

On the northern Cumberland Plateau it's anytime in November and the first few days of December.

 

[Ski]

I only started hunting TN in 2016 and have killed 10 memorable rack bucks here since then, and a couple younger meat bucks. All in Coffee Co. Not really big enough sample size to glean much from but if you sort out the early season kills, most bucks were killed end November into beginning December. My wife & I both killed a buck different years in the same stand on Nov. 12th both chasing probably the same doe because they come into heat same time every year.


Sept. 29 - evening feed pattern
Nov. 12 - evening chasing doe
Dec. 6 - morning tending doe
Nov. 24 - morning tending doe
Dec. 14 - morning rattling horns
Oct. 7 - evening feed pattern
Aug. 30 - evening feed pattern
Dec. 4 - morning cruising
Nov. 29 - morning tending doe
Nov. 28 - morning tending doe

Wife killed one Nov. 12 - morning chasing doe

 

[Mr.Bro]

2 of my best 3 kills on Nov 12th
Best friends best kill Nov 12th.
Most unusual? None of these 3 bucks with a doe.

 

[thale51]

My favorite time to be out there is anywhere from Nov. 15th through the first week or so of December. I still struggle with exactly what week to take my vacation in November. I've killed several nice deer Nov. 15th-20th, as well as the week after Thanksgiving. I hunt SW Madison County and Haywood County.

 

[30-06 type of guy]

2nd week of November an rifle opener til the following Saturday. 2nd week of Nov is hit or miss on a shooter but the deer are pretty active for me then. Rifle opener thru Thanksgiving weekend has been 100% on a shooter since 2019

 

[BSK]

Nov. 10-21. See the most daylight chasing during those days (peak breeding in my area).

 

[Ski]

2 of my best 3 kills on Nov 12th
Best friends best kill Nov 12th.
Most unusual? None of these 3 bucks with a doe.

Killed a buck in Ohio on the 12th last year. That's 3 shooter bucks for my house on that day in just the last few years. Now I'm curious. I'll have to dig back through my harvest history and see if any others through the years were on that day.

 

[kaizen leader]

I'm curious to hear everyone's perspective on their favorite dates of the TN deer season.

Are there dates that produce for you every year?
Does your favorite dates vary according to the moon?
If so, which moon phase do you prefer, and does it's rising or falling play into it as well?

Openi archery, opening muzzle loader, and opening rifle.

 

[hoghunter65]

Opening day muzzleloader, rifle, last day of muzzleloader, rifle.

 

[JXB0805]

I only started hunting TN in 2016 and have killed 10 memorable rack bucks here since then, and a couple younger meat bucks. All in Coffee Co. Not really big enough sample size to glean much from but if you sort out the early season kills, most bucks were killed end November into beginning December. My wife & I both killed a buck different years in the same stand on Nov. 12th both chasing probably the same doe because they come into heat same time every year.


Sept. 29 - evening feed pattern
Nov. 12 - evening chasing doe
Dec. 6 - morning tending doe
Nov. 24 - morning tending doe
Dec. 14 - morning rattling horns
Oct. 7 - evening feed pattern
Aug. 30 - evening feed pattern
Dec. 4 - morning cruising
Nov. 29 - morning tending doe
Nov. 28 - morning tending doe

Wife killed one Nov. 12 - morning chasing doe

Awesome info, thanks for sharing!

 

[deerhunter10]

November 11th-20ish. Then December 12th-15. We have killed 3 of our biggest deer December 12th.

 

[DoubleRidge]

If I dropped a bell curve on my list of mature buck kill dates the peak of the curve would be November 15th. So my answer would match BSK with the date range being Nov. 10-21 where we see the most daylight chasing or cruising...first three weeks of November consumes the majority of my vacation days.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I never miss the 3rd Saturday in September. It's early archery season on some WMA's. Watching the sunrise over the ridge after not having been in a stand in 8 months let's me know that all is right in the world.

The other dates I like are the first full week in November. I've killed some nice bucks during this time period and buck sightings are through the roof. But, my favorite time for killing really mature bucks match what some others have said; Thanksgiving thru Dec 7. That's from East TN west to the TN River. Not only do I see some of my most mature bucks at this time, but other hunters interest starts to wane and the woods become less crowded.

 

[Mr.Bro]

Killed a buck in Ohio on the 12th last year. That's 3 shooter bucks for my house on that day in just the last few years. Now I'm curious. I'll have to dig back through my harvest history and see if any others through the years were on that day.

I can look back in old trail cam pics and see many real nice bucks on the 12th.

 

[Crappieaddict]

Rifle opener

 

[Chiflyguy]

Any day it's above freezing.
Don't miss that crap.

 

[Ski]

I can look back in old trail cam pics and see many real nice bucks on the 12th.

Yessir that's how my wife got her buck. I had him in that spot on cam the previous year. Got him with the same time same place theory. Sometimes it works sometimes not, but it did that time.

 

[BSK]

If I dropped a bell curve on my list of mature buck kill dates the peak of the curve would be November 15th. So my answer would match BSK with the date range being Nov. 10-21 where we see the most daylight chasing or cruising...first three weeks of November consumes the majority of my vacation days.

I basically stop working for MZ season and the first week of gun (Thanksgiving Week). Of those 22 days, I'll probably hunt 17. And then that's it for my season. Maybe a weekend or two in December, but I don't expect to see anything then. The rut is over.

 

[XCR-2]

Halloween. Especially that evening.