The Hunting Beast

I am planning on hunting some wooded islands this upcoming season as morning sits. This is something new to me and I was wondering if I should set up in the middle of the islands or on the edge. The ones I scouted have acorns so I am thinking they will come in and graze on the acrons before bedding for the day. Do they mainly bed on the islands or on the edges of them? Maybe setting up on the edge so I can shoot into the islands and out of or should I set up in the islands and get them when they are feeding on acorns? Thoughts?

Where are the islands located? Lake? Marsh? What surrounds them?

ahh, I am sure that would help... marsh w/ cattails surrounding them

I hunt a lot of marsh islands. The deer tend to bed at the points. The best islands will have a point or two that have some dogwood or brush clumps in the cattails along the edge of the island. Bucks will generally bed in those spots. I have seen them bed right on the island in some cases, but 90% of what Ive seen the deer bed within 50 yards of the island where there is brush structure in the cattails...
I would also like to mention that its been my experience that if you can get to these islands in the evening quietly rather than the morning your success rate will likely be higher. Most of the time when I go in for a morning hunt I chase deer off the island. My experience is that most of the time outside of the rut big bucks bed well before daylight.

Thanks for the advice... So hunt the edges of the island in the afternoon... do they usually head toward the edge of the islands in the evening to browse before they head out to another food source? If I am not spending my mornings big buck hunting in the marsh should I concentrate on the islands I saw multiple beds in the spring and hunt those in the morning... (never shot a marsh deer and wouldn't mind the first one being a doe, gotta get that buck tag for 2011 season anyways)

Basically I would hunt mornings more based on a few factors.. One being hunting mornings by getting in real early on days the moon chart says high morning activity. Otherwise I might try a morning if its a spot I can't get into quiet enough in the evening.
Or Rut / pre-rut

I used to guide deer hunters in the Marshes around home. Hunters who pay for a 3 day hunt insist on hunting both mornings and evenings. 90% of buck sightings / shots were in the evening. We would kick deer out of there beds going in in the morning most of the time.

About all I hunt are islands. I would advise getting out in a canoe or boat and watching the islands right now(from a distance). Deer will come out into the water and you can sometimes get line on some nice bucks and where they are hanging out in the water eating water vege's. Otherwise, I am still checking out things on the islands even though it is pretty thick. I agree with Dan, hunt the evenings until you know you can get to your spots without spooking anything. Otherwise, I hunt mornings a lot during the rut if i can get there quietly. I shot a nice buck in the morning on an island in 2007 and a better buck on the same island in 2008. Scout your islands in the off season and you'll be prepared.

Funny how different species do the same thing in similar habitats. I hunt sika on pine islands in the middle of big salt marshes and that's best in the afternoons as well. Mornings I'm pushing deer off the islands when I go in, they're in there rutting and wallowing all night cause it's the only high ground around, but then they head out into the marshes for daytime to bed. The absolute best time for me is a windy afternoon that is forecast to die out to calm around dusk. I can sneak into the islands without the deer hearing me, but near dusk when they start moving it gets calm enough I can hear them coming through the marsh and grasses.