Thoughts on mid-day hunts

[Winchester]

I like mid day during November but dont sit all day much outside of that. One exception is if its unusually cold in late season.

 

[fairchaser]

Agreed.


It's true that - in general - deer are crepuscular. The first graph below shows that clearly. This graph is all-age buck trail-camera events by time of day (8,285 October through December buck camera events over a 15-year period). The peaks in activity at dawn and dusk are quite clear. However, the second graph is the same data but only includes mature bucks (4 1/2+). THAT is the classic movement pattern of a primarily nocturnal animal. Of course, it could be said that this movement pattern is driven by human hunting pressure, and I agree with that. If I had been collecting data from a deer population that had never been hunted by Man, would it look the same? Probably not. If it had never been hunted by Man, the mature buck movements would probably look much closer to the pattern for all-age bucks. But then the question has to be asked, when have deer NOT been hunted by Man? Probably not in the last 20,000 years, so the oldest, most experienced deer being primarily nocturnal would have to be considered "natural."

Agree! I should have added that a buck's maturity also influences his daytime activities. He will move less at daylight and dark than other deer due to hunting pressure and knowing he has a price on his head will move less or in tighter cover. He might also move on different trails than other deer. Thanks for the charts and data. Priceless!

 

[Woodsman10]

Here's my thoughts…..

Some of those mid day hunts (or mine anyways) are hunts where I get in before daylight. And I may sit in the same tree all day. Or move trees, slightly, carefully, slowly during the Middle of the day. Some of those mid day deer could be getting bumped and run off when you are trying to get into your stand in the evening.

My other thoughts…

Over so many years of hunting, keeping journals, and looking at a few trail cameras. I believe that for the most part, in the mornings, deer are casually browsing or picking up acorns back to their bedding areas. I believe, for the most part, from around 10/11 am to 4pm (CST) they are bedded the most. Then as dark approaches they get up and begin easing back to their feeding areas for late afternoon and night feeding. Especially in food plots or ag fields.
This is not a hard rule. But this is how I try to hunt. Hot weather and hunting pressure play a role. Acorns vs no acorns play a role. Time of year and rut play a role.
Properties and how you access it play a role. Some spots are hard to hunt in the late afternoons.

Most of you on here are a lot better than I am. But that's my thoughts and that's how I try to hunt for the most part. Most of my mature buck shots or encounters are in the AM. From daylight until 9 or 10. But I've had plenty of encounters that last 45 minutes of daylight. In my experience the no see deer time frame is from like 12 to 3.

 

[BSK]

Here's my thoughts…..

Some of those mid day hunts (or mine anyways) are hunts where I get in before daylight. And I may sit in the same tree all day. Or move trees, slightly, carefully, slowly during the Middle of the day. Some of those mid day deer could be getting bumped and run off when you are trying to get into your stand in the evening.

My other thoughts…

Over so many years of hunting, keeping journals, and looking at a few trail cameras. I believe that for the most part, in the mornings, deer are casually browsing or picking up acorns back to their bedding areas. I believe, for the most part, from around 10/11 am to 4pm (CST) they are bedded the most. Then as dark approaches they get up and begin easing back to their feeding areas for late afternoon and night feeding. Especially in food plots or ag fields.
This is not a hard rule. But this is how I try to hunt. Hot weather and hunting pressure play a role. Acorns vs no acorns play a role. Time of year and rut play a role.
Properties and how you access it play a role. Some spots are hard to hunt in the late afternoons.

Most of you on here are a lot better than I am. But that's my thoughts and that's how I try to hunt for the most part. Most of my mature buck shots or encounters are in the AM. From daylight until 9 or 10. But I've had plenty of encounters that last 45 minutes of daylight. In my experience the no see deer time frame is from like 12 to 3.

I agree on this Woodsman10. The only differences would be the GPS collar studies show bucks are moving midday. Just not in the open. They do most of their bedding midday, but they get up and move off and on all day. They just stick pretty close to thick cover (where few are hunting) during these short midday movements.

 

[BSK]

Agree! I should have added that a buck's maturity also influences his daytime activities. He will move less at daylight and dark than other deer due to hunting pressure and knowing he has a price on his head will move less or in tighter cover. He might also move on different trails than other deer. Thanks for the charts and data. Priceless!

As I've said before, I believe those mature bucks ARE moving midday, just not anywhere where they can be seen. And I'm definitely not going to crawl into their bedding areas to hunt them midday (or place/check a camera).

 

[Woodsman10]

I agree on this Woodsman10. The only differences would be the GPS collar studies show bucks are moving midday. Just not in the open. They do most of their bedding midday, but they get up and move off and on all day. They just stick pretty close to thick cover (where few are hunting) during these short midday movements.

So what you think is their distance moved vs displacement during this mid day movement?

Like he could have good bedding with browse all around. Meander around eating coral berry, privet, honey suckle, or whatever and move 100 yards but only change his displacement on the landscape by 30 yards.

 

[mtnbuck]

Mid-day is for lunch and naps. If he doesn't show between daylight and 10:30 maybe 11:00 he doesn't get shot. I rarely hunt the afternoon either. LOL.... If I'm out of town or state I might sit all day.

Curious why you don't hunt afternoons often

 

[BSK]

So what you think is their distance moved vs displacement during this mid day movement?

Like he could have good bedding with browse all around. Meander around eating coral berry, privet, honey suckle, or whatever and move 100 yards but only change his displacement on the landscape by 30 yards.

This is exactly how it works.

 

[Rackseeker]

Curious why you don't hunt afternoons often

I'm afraid of the dark.

 

[Stalkhunter]

I use to hunt dark to dark, but it gets harder as I get older. Plus at dusk shooting my eyes are not what they use to be.

 

[mtnbuck]

I'm afraid of the dark.

lol that's great

 

[MickThompson]

Curious why you don't hunt afternoons often

I love evenings but lots of hunters don't like tracking and dealing with a deer after dark

 

[Urban_Hunter]

One thing I've noticed in KY is the does tend to show up mostly +/- 15mins of sunrise and sunset. You can nearly set your watch to it.

I'm sure by complete coincidence, I set the feeder to go off exactly on sunrise and sunset

 

[DoubleRidge]

I use to hunt dark to dark, but it gets harder as I get older. Plus at dusk shooting my eyes are not what they use to be.

I've noticed in recent years that about 5 to 10 minutes before end of legal shooting light ends I cant see good enough to shoot...I'll still sit there till its black dark hoping not to bump deer on the walk out but I can clearly tell my eys are not what they used to be.

 

[Sitsbytree]

Never a bad time to hunt except in the rain. I hate the rain. I'll hunt it, but don't like it.

 

[megalomaniac]

I no longer hunt midday, just found it didnt produce often, and im not going in tight to where they are bedded, as im more likely to do more harm than good. The one exception... if a doe in heat shows up on cell camera, im going straight to that spot as fast as possible, no matter what time it is.

Now I HAVE shot more than my fair share of good bucks from 9a till 10a, so my morning sit doesn't end until 1030. I like to be at my evening spot by 2-215p. Midday is for brunch, moving stands, trimming lanes, etc.

 

[BSK]

I no longer hunt midday, just found it didnt produce often, and im not going in tight to where they are bedded, as im more likely to do more harm than good. The one exception... if a doe in heat shows up on cell camera, im going straight to that spot as fast as possible, no matter what time it is.

Now I HAVE shot more than my fair share of good bucks from 9a till 10a, so my morning sit doesn't end until 1030. I like to be at my evening spot by 2-215p. Midday is for brunch, moving stands, trimming lanes, etc.

It's crazy how many of the afternoon mature buck kills I've had right at 3 PM.

 

[ImThere]

I hate hunting evenings. I nearly have to be forced in to it! lol. But I will sit from early until 2 pm a lot. I don't like tracking in the dark, no telling what impact you have for the immediate future of that stand. Then I have to either race to the processor or plan on staying up late to cut it up. Just not as enjoyable as doing it all in the daylight hours. I've had pretty good luck in the evening but I've let more walk than killed just because I didn't want to do the work. I've got more pictures than meat on evening hunts.

 

[Rackseeker]

When I use to hunt the draw hunts at LBL midday was a good time to be on stand. When most hunters were moving around.