Mid-Morning Hunts

[jlmustain]

Anyone ever purposefully gone in around 7 or 8 in the morning in order to hunt that mid-morning period? I'm not talking about running late; I mean that you expect later deer movement and you hunt accordingly.

 

[Jaahspike]

I will tell you that one of my stands that I hunt back in the woods a little ways, the deer get there after 9:00 so I have done that before.

 

[BSK]

Back when my property was all big hardwoods, with no variation in habitat (and back when I bow-hunted), some of the best "morning" movement wouldn't occur until 10-11:30 AM, especially during a big acorn year. I used to wait until 8-9 before getting into the stand.

Interestingly, once we greatly diversified the habitat, that "late" movement pattern vanished. Have no idea why.

 

[WRbowhunter]

If I was going to hunt late morning until dark then yes. Or if I wanted to sleep in or had something to do then yes. But if I was going to hunt from 9 until 12 then I would hunt from daylight until 12. can't kill them at home

 

[volunteer1]

I've been doing more "mid morning hunts" over the past few years. It's mostly accredited to if I am dropping my kids off at school and have the rest of the day clear for hunting with no appointments. If my schedule allows for these type days then I take full advantage when I can. I'll testify that you'll be surprised the amount of deer movement from 12:00 -2:00. Especially during November and December.

 

[benellivol]

Back when my property was all big hardwoods, with no variation in habitat (and back when I bow-hunted), some of the best "morning" movement wouldn't occur until 10-11:30 AM, especially during a big acorn year. I used to wait until 8-9 before getting into the stand.

Interestingly, once we greatly diversified the habitat, that "late" movement pattern vanished. Have no idea why.

More to see, more to do?

 

[Mike Belt]

I've come out of 1 stand and moved to another because I knew it was a late morning area.

 

[Atchman2]

This is a neat thread. I noticed the other day on one of my cameras that the only time I saw deer on it were mid-morning until noon! A strange time to see deer non-rut I would think.

 

[7mminatree]

Do it regularly, one of my stands is an hour and a half hike. And there has always been more movement around midday. Especially durning the rut.

 

[UTGrad]

Yes,

Although I've yet to do an all day sit, last year I went in a couple times around 9:00 am to sit till dark. That way I catch the mid day hunt and the evening hunt.

 

[gator-n-buck]

Yep and I seen deer doing it.

 

[Boll Weevil]

All the time.

 

[catman529]

Deer would have to be on a really predictable pattern for me to do that, I want to be there at legal shooting light and if I expect the deer come by later I will just sit in the tree longer. I had 5 does come thru at 9-930 a few days ago but I was in there early.

 

[51 pointer]

I've shot almost every one of my larger bucks after 10am, I hunt the moon phases fairly religiously, the 200" buck I took in Bellevue a few years ago I got in the woods at 9am, rattled him in at 10:15 or so and was at a lunch meeting by 11:30 I think, 1st light is almost always good but I like hunting evenings now because it's easy on my sleep pattern.....I'm not a great early riser

I haven't even climbed a tree this year yet because of work but weather and wind mainly, I'm pumped to go pretty hard this week

 

[RUGER]

Friend of mine would sleep till he woke up, cook and eat breakfast then take his book and go to the woods.

He would get there around 9 or so and just hunt.

He killed the two biggest bucks he has ever killed in his life doing this.
One in Mississippi and one in Tennessee, two weeks apart.

Made a believer out of me.

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

When I was working graveyard, and I start back on graveyard Wednesday and I'm kinda excited. I get in the woods about 8:30. Seen a bunch of deer that way.

I love it during november and December, i know the wind direction and set up on a Thicket or fresh curover and blind call about every 45 min. Year before last I seen 37 different bucks and alot of them came in using this tactic.

 

[megalomaniac]

Not me... I'm not missing first light.

But I usually DO hunt late morning activity, but do so by hunting one stand early morning, relocating at 10am till 2pm, then moving to a 3rd stand from 2:30 till dark. That has always worked out well for me.

 

[BSK]

It never ceases to amaze me how different the movement patterns are in different locations. Having very extensive trail-camera picture sets extending across the entire deer season from numerous properties, I will see some properties with distinct mid-day peaks of movement, especially for older to mature bucks. At the same time, I'll see other properties that display very little deer movement of any kind at mid-day. I think that's why some hunters have great success at that time while others don't. It all depends on where you're hunting and what the local patterns are.

 

[BluegrassDan]

I have killed more deer from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. than any other time of day. High mountains, deep hardwood forest, no fields or agriculture. Most of them shot right around noontime.

One property usually takes me a good hour to climb 600 feet in elevation over 2/3 of a mile. Many times it is well past sunrise before I reach the top. I've taken four bucks from that spot between 11:30 and 12:30.

I have no worries about hitting the snooze button when hunting that particular honey hole.

 

[deerhunter10]

I like to be there at first light but I hunt all day a lot mid morning action during the rut is amazing at one of out farms the other waste of time for the most part. Killed several mature deer 10-2. Unless I kill early on Saturday and Sunday and Monday of opening weekend of ml I will hunt all day all three days maybe only to move stands. Moon plays a huge role in it as 51pt said though hunt mid morning at least give it a shot you may very well be surprises.

 

[LA man]

Depending on the moon, I'll hunt midday

 

[jlmustain]

With all the heated debate over the solunar calendar, I decided to test it for myself. I went into it expecting it be a waste of time, but I gotta tell ya, I'm not so sure it's a farcical thing anymore. Today, for example. I chose to hunt mid-morning because of the "major" movement period. A field I haven't seen jack in all of a sudden starts producing right on time. In the last two weeks, I've seen no deer. Today, during major movement, I saw five, including a buck.

Obviously my little experiment isn't over, but so far, I can't really continue to simply dismiss the moon.

 

[jlmustain]

I've continued to hunt the solunar major and minor times. Not once have I left without seeing deer. Tonight I felt doubtful, but I saw three bucks, two does, and two fawns. In fact, for the very first time in my life I got to watch two bucks sparring. It was gorgeous.