Mid day movement of mature bucks?

[fairchaser]

I'm finding more mid day (12-3) movement of mature bucks. Do you think this is just the coincidence of the rut or do mature bucks select these times to avoid hunting pressure?

 

[Remington700]

I personally think it is to avoid pressure. They are smarter than we give credit a lot of days. Same thing with deer going nocturnal.
I hunt a stand on my property that I can see the neighbors box stand right on my property line. Last time I sat it we saw nothing until they climbed down at 8:30 and left. Deer started moving like crazy. The first deer came in walked right to the stand and looked right at it like they knew.

 

[DeerCamp]

I'm finding more mid day (12-3) movement of mature bucks. Do you think this is just the coincidence of the rut or do mature bucks select these times to avoid hunting pressure?

I believe there are two factors at work.

They have been conditioned by hunters that these are periods where they don't have as many encounters. It's not a coincidence that the woods are the busiest with humans between the hours of 6AM-11AM, and 3PM to Dark, and this overlays exactly with what you are seeing.

Two - deer have unique personalities. GPS studies have really confirmed this. I think it's probably a factor here. The deer that are more inclined to move midday have a smaller likelihood of having already been killed by the hunters.

 

[DeerCamp]

I personally think it is to avoid pressure. They are smarter than we give credit a lot of days. Same thing with deer going nocturnal.
I hunt a stand on my property that I can see the neighbors box stand right on my property line. Last time I sat it we saw nothing until they climbed down at 8:30 and left. Deer started moving like crazy. The first deer came in walked right to the stand and looked right at it like they knew.

There are day's that I used to have to get down at 8:30 to go to work. I always hated to leave.

8:30 is literally my "ok, get ready for anything" time.

I bet half of our mature bucks have been killed between 8:30-10:30 AM.

 

[deerhunter10]

I've had less mature deer on cameras middle of the day this year then ever before. My midday is 11 to 2.

 

[BSK]

I'm finding more mid day (12-3) movement of mature bucks. Do you think this is just the coincidence of the rut or do mature bucks select these times to avoid hunting pressure?

I really think it's a combination of location and hunting pressure. Below is a graph of mature bucks caught on trail-camera during the peak rut month of November for my place over 14 years. Notice the huge lull of pictures from 10 AM to 2:59 PM (each bar above a time is the hour starting at the listed time. For example the bar for 8 AM is 8:00 AM to 8:59 AM). Basically, not worth the effort to hunt between 10 AM and 2:59 PM for mature bucks, unless you've crawled back into their bedding areas. Also notice how nocturnal these mature bucks are.

 

[fairchaser]

I really think it's a combination of location and hunting pressure. Below is a graph of mature bucks caught on trail-camera during the peak rut month of November for my place over 14 years. Notice the huge lull of pictures from 10 AM to 2:59 PM (each bar above a time is the hour starting at the listed time. For example the bar for 8 AM is 8:00 AM to 8:59 AM). Basically, not worth the effort to hunt between 10 AM and 2:59 PM for mature bucks, unless you've crawled back into their bedding areas. Also notice how nocturnal these mature bucks are.

This is what I've always believed but I wonder if this is the same in heavily pressured hunting areas? Also, during the rut, does will return to bedding areas and lay down. This is when and where bucks know they can find their next doe.

 

[Ridgeline300]

The majority of my mature buck kills have happened between 10:30 and 2:00. The 3 best hours of the day are the first hour of daylight, 11:00-12:00 and the last hour in my experience. This is not proven but my theory has always been that the bucks have been out all night chasing and cruising and you have a good chance of seeing a buck the first hour on his way back to bed. After he gets some much needed rest he then gets up to find the next doe around midday, maybe check a scrape or whatever. Then he may lay back down until near dark. I've enough midday success that I guarantee you during the rut I'm sitting at least until 2:00.

 

[Harold Money jr]

I've thought it was because bucks who have some experience know to scent check doe bedding and loafing areas from downwind before the does know they are being checked. If there's a doe who needs further attention then they'll move on in. If there's not then they move on to the next doe group.

 

[Biggun4214]

Several years ago we had a 14 point buck that we consistently got pictures of all season long. The pictures were always 3-5am. About a week after season we got the only daylight picture of him

 

[ROVERBOY]

A friend said his brother had a cam up on a Ky. lease a few years ago, and got pics just a hour or so after he would leave. One of the bucks was 140" or better. Moving through around 12:00 thereabouts.

 

[Mr.Bro]

I really think it's a combination of location and hunting pressure. Below is a graph of mature bucks caught on trail-camera during the peak rut month of November for my place over 14 years. Notice the huge lull of pictures from 10 AM to 2:59 PM (each bar above a time is the hour starting at the listed time. For example the bar for 8 AM is 8:00 AM to 8:59 AM). Basically, not worth the effort to hunt between 10 AM and 2:59 PM for mature bucks, unless you've crawled back into their bedding areas. Also notice how nocturnal these mature bucks are.

Bingo! This is exactly what I saw this year as with every year. 2nd and 3rd week of November. 3 all day sits and 2 sits from 9am till dark and 1 sit from dawn to 3pm, finally gave up that day. Total big bucks. Zero.
Mature bucks? Don't know all I look for is big racks.
Mid day sucks. But nothing else to do so why not.
10 cameras on four farms show the same thing.
I'll be back on the farms this weekend.
Good luck to all that are still at it.

 

[Ski]

I hunt several properties where I'm the only hunting pressure the deer get, and only a few days per year. I see spikes in midday movement on days leading up to and during high chase days, so pretty much relative to an estrus doe.

It's my belief that hunting pressure is not near as much factor in deer behavior as lots of folks tend to believe. I do believe if the hunting pressure is intense enough It can influence behavior, but I think that threshold is pretty high. For the most part deer behavior is driven by natural drivers.

 

[Rockhound]

Mature buck is a entity that doesn't exist here so yea any movement is nonexistent

 

[Soft Talker]

I've thought it was because bucks who have some experience know to scent check doe bedding and loafing areas from downwind before the does know they are being checked. If there's a doe who needs further attention then they'll move on in. If there's not then they move on to the next doe group.

Steady checking doe groups

 

[Joe2Kool]

I really think it's a combination of location and hunting pressure. Below is a graph of mature bucks caught on trail-camera during the peak rut month of November for my place over 14 years. Notice the huge lull of pictures from 10 AM to 2:59 PM (each bar above a time is the hour starting at the listed time. For example the bar for 8 AM is 8:00 AM to 8:59 AM). Basically, not worth the effort to hunt between 10 AM and 2:59 PM for mature bucks, unless you've crawled back into their bedding areas. Also notice how nocturnal these mature bucks are.

Nice data BSK.

 

[Joe2Kool]

I bet half of our mature bucks have been killed between 8:30-10:30 AM.

That's been my experience also.

I've noticed on my various trail cams that activity is seasonal. One camera gets lots of activity during the summer and early season while another doesn't. But come November, it switches.

 

[bowtechgump]

I firmly believe during the rut mid-day is the best time to catch a big buck, or cruiser, without a sweetheart on the prowl. They can catch the wind/scent by following a new trail through a thick area. I also feel that you're far better served to go in early (before everyone else) and sit until 2 in the afternoon, than to leave and get lunch to just come back. It all falls down to pressure and using others pressure to make a way for you to benefit. They are amazing animals that do whatever it takes to survive.

 

[backyardtndeer]

I'm finding more mid day (12-3) movement of mature bucks. Do you think this is just the coincidence of the rut or do mature bucks select these times to avoid hunting pressure?

I believe that bucks you catch moving more during those times during the rut are doing so to find does that are unattended to. They finish with one and move on to the next. Totally coincidence, and the drive to find that next doe.

Of course some could get bumped by other hunters walking out, but those probably wouldn't move any more than they had to to find a place to hide.

 

[Ridgeline300]

3 of these 5 were killed midday. 1 in the middle was killed at 10:55, the 1 on the far left against the wall was killed at 11:30 and the 1 on far right was killed at 10:45. If it was a law that you could only hunt 4 hours a day I'd hunt from 10 til 2 in November and December.