Deer Hunters…Morning or Evening?

[rnorris]

#6545

I hunted this weekend, Michigan’s whitetail opener. I hunted one morning, and one evening. I am reminded that I enjoy evenings much more. Something mental….in the evening, the odds of deer contact get better as it gets later. In the morning, odds get worse…..at least thats what is in my head.

I do see and kill more deer in the evening. How about you guys?:?:

[bruc]

#52399

Right now during the evening. During the rut maybe morning is a little better.

Bruce

[Troy Breeding]

#52439

I too like the evening better than the morning. Guess you can say I’m lazy about getting up in the mornings. However, like Bruce, when the rut comes in I hunt every morning and evening. Sometimes if I’m seeing alot of movement during the rut I will be in the stand all day.

Troy

[Steve Sr.]

#52449

Im a strong believer in not disturbing the area (just wish the other hunters in the woods did the same) and hunt the easiest area to get to without spooking (or thinking I’m not. lol) many animals.

This has me hunting the areas I dont have to walk through standing corn till its gone and am blessed with a smaller woods halfway accross the property where, on one side or the other, there is beans that I can get through on the years the beans are south of it, and on alternating years the beans are around it and I CAN make it to the bigger woods. (Deer all but wipe out the outside 20 rows of beans…..easy walking. 😀 )

On these alternate years I can hunt mornings AND evenings since I can GET TO (quietly) the larger woods where I really WANT to be since the main bedding area runs the full length of the back side of it. These are the years I prefer but….no complaints.

Pre corn removal I’m hunting the smaller woods exclusively like this year. I have no option (again just my opinion) but to hunt only evenings till the corn is picked due to the sunrise blasting me in the stand near the small woods on the creekbed (but waiting for a CLOUDLY AM!) but in the evening I have shade.

Once the prerut starts the corn is normally down but even if not, I have to get to the better areas in the AM. While I have shot bucks in the evening, my records show both kills and sightings of the more mature bucks to be later in the AM. In those times I just grit my teeth, go early and plan on a LONG sit expecting 10AM to be close to when things start to go into overdrive.

Mature buck sightings in the evening (about 80 percent of em) are, for me, VERY late in shooting hours.

Sorry for the complex answer but it isn’t, IMHO, a consistant enough thing to quote one or the other without considering ALL the habitat changes that occur for me annually.

Wind also dictates which I will choose and I check the “detailed” forecast daily. Some of my stands are HOT HOT HOT in the evening but I cannot hunt them without a specific and constant wind.

The moon phase seems to have some effects but not consistant enough in my records to put a finger on one or the other of any of the particular moon phases for a “quote”, but worth recording, none-the-less. Your area may have different results.

So……..the short answer?

Hunt. Go when you wish to hunt, or feel like it, or whatever indicator you use. Time afield is never wasted.

I’ve been educated many, many times learning my “well thought out plans” were going to be dashed to the ground and stomped on (and snorted at. 😀 )

This is where my thoughts on a “bucket stand” rear up and IF there is an option, I just move.

Last night was an example. Saw a doe and fawn around 6 and at around 7 a big ol lone doe came in. Wind was PERFECT and she was heading for the funnel and ditch crossing very close to me.

Problem was she was coming straight at me(there is about 4 directions they normally come from, *sigh*) and kept coming till about 15 yards away, chomping on the weeds on the creek bottom.

I WAS positioned downwind of this very area but when the wind shifted, I didnt notice ( 🙄 ) the gentle backdraft created by the wind whipping AROUND the woods and circling back……….right to her.

As many times before, I THOUGHT the shot was soon to be and a few more steps had her having to make a choice to turn broadside or descend the creekbank giving me a 12 yard “top of the back” shot. (I’m on the opposite bank with a still leafed out bush behind me, nothing in front of me).

Her head snapped up and………***stomp, snort……….crash, crash, crash………snort, snort***

Time to swing by McDonald’s on the way home. 🙁

Right after my pulse returns to “normal”. 😀

Without such times afield…..I doubt I would hunt.
God Bless
Steve Sr.

[strait-aero]

#52572

Well…I go both the mornings and evenings, depending on my work schedule and what it allows. I hunt whenever I can and hope conditions are good.
I take a week to hunt at the end of October, first week of November for the rut and these days I sometimes hunt all day long. I’ve killed a few bucks in the heart of the day.
But in answer to your question, Steve…..I prefer late afternoon-evening hunts. Wayne

[Two rivers]

#52616

I have some stands that are set up for morning hunts and some set up for evening…. some set ups you can only hunt one or the other. early season I have found evening hunts can be a little better for most big bucks. but come pre rut it turns to morning. after a heavy frost, rain or snow you will find them freshing there scraps. and rattling is far better in the morning. rut is a any time deal you never know what will happen at any time. I like shooting deer in the morning that way you have day light for blood trails but you dont always get to pick the time they walk by…..

[William Warren]

#53035

I’ve had the most success with evenings but I know deer can be found moving at mid-day. I’ve seen deer moving mid-morning as well, I assume moving from feeding areas to bedding areas.
I’m with Two Rivers on rattling, it is best in the morning for me. I prefer a frosty morning with only thermal currents moving any air. It can’t get much better than that 😀

[Dan Sweeney]

#53462

Yes.

[Joseph Miller]

#53489

My father-in-law and archery mentor used to say that the chances of seeing a deer in the morning are not as good as seeing one in the evening but they are way better than seeing one while you are in bed.
Joe

[james gilmer]

#53540

BOTH! I do like am hunts more as you are not blood trailing in the dark! I also note if you sit till late morning the deer activity can be awesome between 9 and 11 am!

[Polar Bear]

#53878

For right now all day. Duck hunters in one area I hunt have to leave at 1pm. They push a lot of deer when they leave. Now if the deer would just cooperate a bit more.

[anointedarcher]

#54688

Hey Roger I am an evening guy all the way. I do like mid morning hunts, see a lot of bucks mid morning. But the early morning hunts for me are kind of a bust. Actually I only hunt the mornings when my son or grandkids come over and hunt with me:D

[WICanner]

#55394

I hunt both – but

I tend to like mornings better because:

I find it easier to setup closer to or adjacent to, bedding areas as the deer are not in them yet. Moving into position is easier with the cover of darkness.

The deer seem more relaxed in the morning from moving about freely all night. Just my opinion on that.

The closer to the rut it is, the later the deer return to bedding, which can then be anytime at all during the morning. I look at this as increased opportunity to hunt. Over the years, the biggest bucks I have seen have been during this late morning period, sneaking back to bedding.

Blood trailing and recovery is easier in day light, as is taking care of animals in hot weather. I’ve stayed up cutting up deer shot in the evening, much later than I’d like, because it was too hot to hang them.

The temperatures are cooler for a longer period of time. 3 hours hunting from 6 am until 9 am is vastly different temperature wise than 4 pm to 7 pm on the same day. I am sure the deer notice this too.

I find it interesting that people feel they see less deer in the morning than at night. I am not sure I buy into that. For me, it’s about 50/50 over all. But in the morning, I try to stay out hunting until at least 10 am. Maybe they are not staying out as long?

[Ripforce]

#56892

So far no consistency where I hunt, I have seen deer in the morning and deer in the evening this week, weather has been real quiet and summerlike mid 70s in the PM! The best days it seems is when the wind is blowing coming off Lake Huron! Good breeze Wed afternoon LimbLover saw deer and so did I! Dead still yesterday only saw a bird watcher ( a story all to it self) and lots of squirrels!

[milesm12]

#62080

I tend to go more of an evening because that is what my work schedule permits, and I guess I would say that I prefer evening hunts because I seem to have better luck then…but I usually try to get to the woods whenever possible because I am completly ate up with it!!!

[3blades]

#62885

Evening is when I seem to see more deer but for me I can’t seem to get up for a morning hunt. 😆

[wildschwein]

#10032

I kill more Deer in the evening, but I do hunt both. Not sure why.

[George D. Stout]

#14024

I like mornings better than evenings since the deer are usually more relaxed and just mincing their way back to bedding areas. In the evenings they seem to be more alert and honed in on sounds and movement as they move to feeding spots. When the rut approaches….I like mid-day, between 10AM and about 3PM as the bucks tend to run amok at that time. Of course I can choose since I’m retired….after forty-seven years of working full time. )))). I will also add that I rarely hunt until it’s dark; too many times in the past I had to trail a deer after the sun had gone down. I much prefer daylight tracking….even short runs.

[Reg Darling]

#14079

I’ll second what George said and for the same reasons. This year, i’m seeing more deer between 8:00AM and 10:30 AM than any other part of the day, but late morning and early afternoon will get busy when the rut gets going.

[Jeremy Holden]

#15439

Well, I’ve only been able to get out twice now since our season has started. I still work George. Someday I’ll be in your shoes. I’m sincerely happy for you. So for me, I love the morning also but I’ll take whenever I can. I’m trying not to be picky. However I’ve yet to see a deer when I’ve been out. The season is young though and the rut is around the corner…

-Jeremy

[Lee Vivian]

#17717

I echo George and Reg…..I prefer the morning…something about being there when the woods come alive…..seeing the sun come up…having a coffee on the drive to the area….although I have seen and taken more deer at midday that any other time…usually because hunting public land in PA…and sharing the woods with other hunters..I find that when most hunters go back to their vehicles to leave or have lunch, they tend to nudge deer into moving…I pack in a lunch, to take advantage of these times….

Something about hunting the evening depresses me…it’s getting dark, the day is over, and the drive home awaits. Also, I agree with George…I don’t care to track an animal in the dark, or leave it overnight to track the next day.

During the rut..I’m out all day…..as often as possible. At this time I am not working due to a labor dispute at my plant, so I can hunt every day if I choose……it’s nice being out without running into other hunters during the week.

Lee

[zooster]

#21775

I,too, much prefer morning hunts. If I’m fortunate enough to get a deer, I have plenty of time and daylight to field dress. I see more deer in the morning as well.

[Author]

Posts