[leserz]

i have only gone deer hunting 2 times. last time was in 1975. i have liven in areas there deer were not any where around. been told from a kid that deer bed down in the afternoons. now i live where deer all over the place. i noticed that deer are active in the afrernoon 1:00 pm 3-4:00 pm lits of hunters i talked to and read about only hunt early morn and late in the day. this movement during the day normal? or no one told the deer there not supposed to be running around after lunch ? :brows:

 

[possum]

I've seen a lot of good deer and even taken a few of my better bucks during the middle of the day.

 

[Dirt Clod]

Good question

Some deer hunters do modify their times on the stand. That's one reason why the more comfortable box stands are becoming more popular. It's a lot easier to sit up there in one of them all day than on some old, back-breaking leaning stand. One thing you might want to Google is how deer may be affected by the moon phases. Some hunters believe that deer will move more during the middle of the day when there's a full moon. The thinking here is that the deer will move to feed and/or bed twice each day as part of their routine, with those movements varying from overnight to mid-morning and early-afternoon to after dark along with varied moon phases and weather conditions. There's a lot of theories about deer movement out there, but the one that always holds true is you have to be there to pull the trigger.

 

[green_head_getter]

deer have to eat roughly 8-12 hours...something like that...so when there is a full moon, as long as it isn't blistering hot...deer will move alot during mid-day...This being caused from the deer feeding during the bright night. But most of your feeding habits are in the morning and in the evening...usually because deer are about to stop feeding...or start again....because deer are nocturnal and do most activity during the night time hours. Either way...when the hunting pressure is on...i have seen many deer move mid day...they pattern hunters like we pattern them..at least thats what i believe

 

[Buck-Ridge]

I've killed most of my better bucks an hour before dark till dark. My hunting partner kills almost all of his in the morning. He has killed several midday.

 

[Manybeards]

Have personally killed them in all parts of day. One thing is for sure you can't kill them if don't go :wink:

 

[The Weatherman]

I have killed deer in the mornings seem like the best time in the morning is around 1 hour after sunrise. Most of my deer I have killed was 30-45 minutes before dark in the evening. I love the evening hunt....and when I say dark I mean able to get my last shot off.

 

[HANDGUNNER]

I've killed about as many early morning as late afternoon.......in all kinds of weather......

the last 2 days, I've been in an area during my rounds at work, about 1400-1430 hrs and seen the same doe and yearling, in the same place, both days...eatin simmons!!!!!

 

[lowellarcher]

I have seen more mature bucks right in the middle of the day than I have at any other time. The past several years in a row I have been setting up stands after morning hunts and have had 120'' and bigger bucks come walking by while hanging off the side of a tree. That has been 1:00-2:00 in the afternoon especially when it's getting closer to the rut. Although the biggest buck I have ever had within bow range(I missed) was at 6:00pm on Oct. 6th several years ago.

 

[Buba Garrett]

Lots of Bucks like to move in the middle of the day, seems they know when the folks head out of the woods

 

[johnf]

I love hunting in the morning, but have never taken a deer befor noon. My biggest deer was shot at 3:15PM.

 

[turkey pond bucks]

I have always heard that the more time on the stand the better the success rate.:up:

 

[zane]

I have always heard that the more time on the stand the better the success rate.:up:

Words to live by

 

[Dirt Clod]

Remember that the deer can pattern us just as well or better than we pattern them.

 

[Dirt Clod]

Are deer nocturnal? I thought they were referred to as a crepuscular form of wildlife. In other words, much of their movement and activity is done around dusk or dawn. Just wondering about the post up the thread???

 

[johnf]

Are deer nocturnal? I thought they were referred to as a crepuscular form of wildlife. In other words, much of their movement and activity is done around dusk or dawn. Just wondering about the post up the thread???

Deer can be unpredictable at times. Just when you think you've got them figured out they'll do something crazy like come out just as you leave, when you know it's too late, or will be moving early in the afternoon when you know they won't be.

When I shot that buck at 3:15 I had been in my spot for 15 minutes. I usually plan on getting to my night time spot at least 2 hours before I think deer will be moving. Much to my surprise within 2 minutes from the time I sat down I started seeing deer. I had seen close to 20 before the big one came out 10 minutes later.

 

[snydedawg]

I've shot more deer in the afternoons than in the mornings. I like to hunt mornings, but have more success late in the evening.... depending on where I hunt.

I have a friend who for years has always slept in and gone out about the time most folks were coming in for a snack and a nap.... and he always... ALWAYS... seems to take a nice buck every year!!! He doesn't always see the numbers of deer that others do, but when he does... it's NICE!!! He also has more patience than most of the rest of us!! He is perfectly content to sit in his stand and not see anything! But it seems like when he does.... it's Mr. Buck!!! Where we hunt there aren't many real big deer... lots of deer just not monsters, but he seems to have more good racks than anyone else in the camp.

 

[WinchesterModel70]

I have killed way more deer in the afternoon/evening than in the morning. My biggest bowkill, a 132" 8 point, was chasing does on Oct. 12th 2004 at around 3:30 pm. I don't hunt exclusively in the afternoon but I bet its about 80% of the time. I saw that same buck about 3-4 evenings before the day I shot him right at dark at about 5 yards but couldn't get off a shot. I also have a 120" 10 point I killed at 3:05 pm. I had been in my stand for just 6 minutes. I love the evening hunt!