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Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 3:16 pm
by live2hunt
Just curious what time of the day you have had your best luck/experiences in the deer woods? Has anyone ever seen any statistics on what time of the day the most deer are taken?

My best hunts took place between 9am and 11am but I have always seen more deer in the evenings.

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 3:26 pm
by BigHills BuckHunter
Interesting topic.

Early season through pre rut it's evenings.

Chasing and breeding phase best luck is from 10:30 to 1pm

Searching phase just past the pre rut the earlier morning hours are best for me especially if temps drop below freezing.

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 3:44 pm
by Stanley
I believe the lions share of the bucks are taken in the evening. More hunters would be my thought process.

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 9:10 pm
by dan
If your talking "mature" bucks, and your talking hunting out of a stand, its evenings hands down. During the rut you see a lot of nice bucks cruising midday, but the older bucks mainly move in the evenings and at night.

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 11:38 pm
by Swampbuck
dan wrote:If your talking "mature" bucks, and your talking hunting out of a stand, its evenings hands down. During the rut you see a lot of nice bucks cruising midday, but the older bucks mainly move in the evenings and at night.


Dan, do you find that the even during the rut the big boys are still more active in the evening?

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 11:56 pm
by BassBoysLLP
BigHills BuckHunter wrote:Interesting topic.

Early season through pre rut it's evenings.

Chasing and breeding phase best luck is from 10:30 to 1pm

Searching phase just past the pre rut the earlier morning hours are best for me especially if temps drop below freezing.


Evenings are king imho. Although my observations are in line with big hills.

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Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 12:13 am
by Edcyclopedia
Personally I've had 90-95%, if I recall correctly, of my deer encounters (within bow kill range) during the PM while on stand.

Stalking with a gun it's been mid-day.

However, two of my successful deer hunting buddy's swear by the AM hunts during rut...


For me I'm up early but for some reason struggle w/ ambition for pre-sun hunting and as I get older the desire continues to diminish.
So I just have a good breakfast and go out in gray light after nature has taken its course... (TMI?)

You asked! :mrgreen:

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 12:14 am
by wmihunter
Swampbuck wrote:
dan wrote:If your talking "mature" bucks, and your talking hunting out of a stand, its evenings hands down. During the rut you see a lot of nice bucks cruising midday, but the older bucks mainly move in the evenings and at night.

Dan, I'd like to hear more discussion on this as well.

Dan, do you find that the even during the rut the big boys are still more active in the evening?


[ Post made via iPhone ] Image

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 12:44 am
by BigHills BuckHunter
dan wrote:If your talking "mature" bucks, and your talking hunting out of a stand, its evenings hands down. During the rut you see a lot of nice bucks cruising midday, but the older bucks mainly move in the evenings and at night.


At first this threw me off a bit. But then I remembered all the Pig bucks I have seen shining during the rut. On some of the hotter years a lot of our rut action was at night come to think of it.

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 12:55 am
by dreaming bucks
ya, I know in the past, a bunch of my friends & me would notice that we were not seeing much of anything for mature bucks during the whole day sits...... but then we would go out at night shining, & there was big bucks everywhere, nose to the ground searching.... pretty frustrating really. but it seems like the past 5-10 years have been pretty warm temps during the rut, so we just figured it's the warm weather keeping them from chasing during the day....

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Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 1:05 am
by Milk Weed Seed
Most of my action / buck sightings are in the evening. Heavily in favor of evenings. There are stats to prove most bucks are killed in he evenings.
I like to be on stand in the morning better though. Just like watching everything come alive in the morning with the sunrise. Funny thing is I'm not a morning person outside of hunting.

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Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 1:42 am
by headgear
Best action any time of year has to be the evenings, during the rut I see a lot of mid morning and mid day action and evenings are good too.

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 1:48 am
by bowmike
I see more deer in the morning and most of my kills are in the morning but not that you mention it only one of my encounters with a mature buck has been in the morning. All of the better deer that i have seen, or not connected on have been past 4.

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 3:31 am
by MOBIGBUCKS
Evening has been the best for me hands down.

Re: Morning? Midday? Evening?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 4:28 am
by dan
wmihunter wrote:
Swampbuck wrote:
dan wrote:If your talking "mature" bucks, and your talking hunting out of a stand, its evenings hands down. During the rut you see a lot of nice bucks cruising midday, but the older bucks mainly move in the evenings and at night.

Dan, I'd like to hear more discussion on this as well.

Dan, do you find that the even during the rut the big boys are still more active in the evening?


[ Post made via iPhone ] Image


I see more young and middle aged bucks midday during the rut, but still see more mature bucks in the evening... Nothing wrong with a 3 year old booner though, right? the mature bucks do get wound up enough that they to make occasional moves midday, but best chance on a mature buck any time is just before dark... They don't live to be 6 or 7 years old if they don't learn not to move around in daylight.