When do you start seeing buck morning movement?

[JonNc]

Just wondering when others have seen bucks starting to get back to their beds during daylight. My experience like most people say on here is they are generally back in their beds before daylight during early season. At what part of the season do you guys start catching mature bucks on their feet in the morning?

To give a reference, the peak rut around here is around Thanksgiving. In the past I've gotten some daylight morning pics and a couple encounters starting late October/early November.

What sparks this conversation is one spot I found that had good buck bedding this offseason and it's almost impossible to get a evening hunt on these beds due to being surrounded by private and the only public access would put me directly upwind of these beds on a south wind which is when I expect him to bed there. My best shot is to catch him coming back to his bed.

[DaveT1963]

All year.... trail cameras don't lie. I've killed most of my better bucks in the AM.

[stash59]

If it's absolutely impossible to hunt in the evening. What's it gonna hurt to through an AM hunt at it. No matter what time of the season. You may learn it works for that bed, or particular buck. Throwing 1 early season Am hunt at it. Then 1 during rut and 1 late season. May give you intel on when is best for seasons to come.

[Dewey]

I’m not much of a morning hunter outside the rut so I tend to save my energy for evening hunts. I have seen good bucks pre-rut in mornings in the past but found over the years my odds are MUCH higher on evening hunts so that’s what I focus on.

All depends on hunting pressure. Around here that pressure tends to get them bedded well before daylight. Low pressure deer will be more active at just about any time of the day. Generally when you get into the last week of October you can all but guarantee that bucks of all ages will still be on their feet in the morning. Many times they bed for the first few hours and then are on their feet again mid-late morning searching doe bedding.

[cspot]

If you can only hunt the morning in that spot, then what does it hurt.

Only other thought if you think the evening would be better, would be to pick a day that the wind is changing and will be out of the south by evening. Slip in earlier in the day when it is out of another direction, so you don't get winded.

[brancher147]

All year.... trail cameras don't lie. I've killed most of my better bucks in the AM.

Yep. Pay attention to when cold front, high pressure, moon OH or UF line up. Or at least a couple of these line up.

[Ahawk116]

September 30th has been the magic morning for me here in South Carolina, but I’m sure it varies greatly between different areas.

[Hawthorne]

I’ve seen good morning buck movement after rain or morning fog no matter what time of year. If it’s pouring when it’s time to get to your stand in the dark, don’t stay in get out there.

[tim]

In my opinion it all boils down to access. Bad access don’t do it , good acces is do it. Most of my spots suck for morning access in early season and that’s just how it is so I wait till evening so as not to waist a good opportunity.

[Tennhunter3]

If it's absolutely impossible to hunt in the evening. What's it gonna hurt to through an AM hunt at it. No matter what time of the season. You may learn it works for that bed, or particular buck. Throwing 1 early season Am hunt at it. Then 1 during rut and 1 late season. May give you intel on when is best for seasons to come.

I agree with this.

[headgear]

All year.... trail cameras don't lie. I've killed most of my better bucks in the AM.

Do you think this is more of a southern/heat thing than a universal truth? I certainly see some opening weekend/early season movement before the pressure kicks in but beyond that not a ton of AM movement outside the rut. Like you said, cams don't lie and I just get a whole lot of night time movement with a few random mid-day pics.

[moog5050]

Typically last week of Oct here in NY. I have had a few morning encounters earlier but they are rare. By Oct. 25 or so, I have confidence I could see a good buck at any time of the day.

[dan]

About Oct 15th is when I start seeing good morning movement.

[DaveT1963]

All year.... trail cameras don't lie. I've killed most of my better bucks in the AM.

Do you think this is more of a southern/heat thing than a universal truth? I certainly see some opening weekend/early season movement before the pressure kicks in but beyond that not a ton of AM movement outside the rut. Like you said, cams don't lie and I just get a whole lot of night time movement with a few random mid-day pics.

It definitely can happen more in the South & West with water. It is very unpredictable, but I get pics at mineral licks, licking branches and water holes during daylight just about everywhere I hunt. I think what most people see is movement towards ag fields - then I would say no most mature bucks, outside the rut, wont travel to an ag field. But they definitely get up and move around in the core areas/bedding areas as long as they aren't being harassed there.


In fact, on public land, I get quit a bit of pictures around the 9:00-11:00 AM and then again 2:00 - 4:00 PM periods. Getting in on them does take a lot of prep work and thinking ahead. Access is everything and not every spot has good access - but that is true for evening as well. I think it is a small area of opportunity, 10 acres or so, but you can usually get in close enough to shoot to the edges. I absolutely love creek and hidden water holes for early oct. I like licking branches and scrapes on the edges of bedding for Mid-Oct through rut. With water holes, most of the time the bucks will bed close but not right at the water hole (due to predators). And if they can, they will bed where they can watch the water hole from their beds or be directly downwind of it.


Also, I am not afraid to bust a buck, I make it work and stay after it until it does.... no different then what most do in evenings - just a bit more technical (bucks will not ignore the wind most of the time in the AM) and a tad more difficult with it being dark outside. Both of my 2018 TX bucks came in the evening (one early afternoon) but the biggest deer seen were in the AM. The one I killed in early Afternoon I saw twice that morning, got down at 1:00PM and set up a ground blind and killed him a few hours later. I moved about 60 yards.

I find it a bit confusing why people think they can sneak up on a bedding buck in the afternoon and think they cannot in the AM. Heck if you have to wait until pink light and move in than do it. Or use a bright moon to aid you. I absolutely believe lights clue deer in, so i do everything I can to ensure I am not advertising my approach with an indiscriminate light.

Bottom line - I guarantee you most bucks do not stay bedded in same bed all day... they get up and feed, make scrapes, rub, drink, etc.... and in my experience mature bucks on public land will most definitely be more active around 900AM when all the other hunters head to Whataburger or IHOP :) I mean think about it, what people do deer typically encounter on public land all summer? Horse riders, My bikers, berry pickers, fishermen ,etc…. and when do you think most of those folks are active??? Yep early and late in the day so mature bucks simply wait for them to leave and then get up. They have been conditioned all summer long. In Sept I would concentrate on water for AM in most of the areas I hunt. That or an early acorn drop.

[dan]

I would have to ask those who have such great early season morning success how many mature bucks they have shot in the am prior to Oct 15th? Cameras don't lie? Yep. And mine are not picking up morning movement from mature bucks... I used to hunt every morning and evening and kept a journal. Very rare to see mature bucks in the am without some weather occurence causing it. I do believe and have observed some movement in bedding areas in the morning, but they are usually there before daylight and just move around in an area so tight you cant penetrate. Now. There could be something with the heat of the day and cool mornings being better in the south, I do t know. But 1st I would like to see several mature bucks over 4 years old shot in the am before Oct 15 before I start thinking that way. I have taken a good number of mature bucks in early season but not in the mornings despite a solid effort. But this is the midwest. Not Texas.