Is it better to hunt in the morning or evening?

For the first several weeks of the season, the best time to hunt is the last two hours of the evening. Warm mornings and hot days cause deer to spend more time feeding at night, so by dawn they are bedded down and will be less active during the day. As the evening cools, they'll move around for food and water.

What time of day is best for hunting?

Deer are highly active during the hours just before dark. When they wake up between 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, their first priority is food. They will venture out to the food source closest to their bedding area with reckless abandon. This is the prime time to catch the deer unaware because of their lowered defenses.

Are deer more active in morning or evening?

Deer are a crepuscular species, which means they are mainly active during the twilight hours, dusk and dawn. This is when they move to their feeding areas for the night or back to their beds to sleep during the day. It's when the bucks chase the does.

What is the best time to hunt deer?

Deer are most active in the morning and evening, which is why many hunters consider these hours the best time to hunt deer. With some exceptions, deer mostly sleep during the day and move more at night.

Should I hunt high or low in the morning?

The general rule of thumb to avoid trouble with thermals is to hunt high in the mornings and low in the evenings, as shown in the graphic on the right.

Pre Rut Hunting Tips | Morning vs. Evening

Should you hunt the same spot every day?

It doesn't matter how good the spot is or how many deer you see in there. By the end of the season, it's not going to be the honey hole it started out being. The more you hunt a spot, the more hunting pressure it receives. Even if you don't get busted, you're still leaving behind scent.

What time are most big bucks killed?

Conventional hunting wisdom says early morning and late afternoon are the best times to hunt whitetails. Conversely, the middle of the day -- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- is supposed to be dead. Deer should be bedded until it's time for the evening feed. True enough, deer follow that schedule for much of the year.

Where do big bucks go during the day?

However, it is much more common to see a big deer on its feet in daylight feeding in a staging area. These can be small food plots, pockets of dropped acorns, etc. Find these locations between bedding areas and major food sources. That's the best way to kill a mature buck while it's eating.

How early should I get to my deer stand?

Try to be in your stand and ready to go at least an hour before shooting light, which often means leaving the truck a solid 2 hours before shooting light. This gives you time to cool off from that extra-long hike, get your gear ready and let the woods settle back down before the sun peaks over the horizon.

How long should you hunt in the morning?

Have put about 85 hours in the tree. I can usually sit for about 3 hours on a morning hunt and about 2 hours on an afternoon hunt. I rarely see a deer on an afternoon hunt until about a half hour before dark or right at dark, so the morning hunts are just more fun.

What color can deer not see?

They can pick out short (blue) and middle (green) wavelength colors, but they're less sensitive to long wavelength colors such as red and orange. “They're essentially red-green color blind,” said Brian Murphy, a wildlife biologist and the CEO of Quality Deer Management Association.

Is it better to hunt whitetail in the morning or evening?

Evening hunt pros

More whitetails have probably been killed in the last hour of daylight for this very reason than at any other hour of the day or night. Another obvious advantage to the evening hunt is the ease with which you can sneak into your stand location.

How long do deer move in the morning?

This causes the deer to seek food in more open areas, where they feel insecure during the day. Consequently, they begin to move more during the night. The studies show that fall deer movement peaks from 4:00-10:00 PM and again from 4:00-8:00 AM, with some movement between 8:00 and 10:00 AM.

How do you attract deer in the daytime?

Items like corn, peas, nuts like acorns and pecans, and small fruits will attract deer. Add shrubs and other regular plants to make it look natural. They will be more attracted to this. Create your food plot in an area where there is the least amount of noise on your property.

Do deer come back after being shot at?

“Yes, a mature buck will come back to the area where he was wounded,” says Kip Adams of the Quality Deer Management Association. “Depending on where it occurred, maybe in an open food plot or field, a buck might not move in during daylight hours for a while, but he's not leaving his home range.

Why do I never see bucks?

The more time you or other hunters spend on the property, the less likely you are to see deer, especially older deer. Studies have shown that as hunting pressure increases, mature bucks move less during daylight. They also spend more time in thick cover, where you're less likely to see them even if they do move.

Will a big buck come back after being spooked?

Spooked deer will return to their bedding area, but when they return depends on how much the intrusion frightened them. If they can't pinpoint the threat, they'll likely return sooner than if they saw or smelled you.

Why am I not seeing any deer?

Deer move most in low-light conditions, so be sure you're sitting at dawn and dusk to boost your chances. If you're not seeing deer, you might be reaching your treestand too late and leaving too early. Get settled at least a half-hour before you expect deer to move.

Do bucks chase all day?

Both bucks and does may hang out in and around the chasing ground all day when breeding is imminent. They'll run around awhile, lie down, then run around again. And when the chase is on, they tend to run in an oval or circular route. It might be a short 100-yard circle, or four times that size.

Does human urine spook deer?

H. Koerth, human urine does not frighten deer. On a large lease, mock scrapes were created and different lures were used to attract deer. Scrapes are spots where bucks paw the ground down to bare earth and then urinate in them.

Does cigarette smoke spook deer?

A deer or groups of deer might be unafraid of smoking on walking trails, in backyards, or other areas with regular human traffic. That same scent detected in an area with no human traffic will result in a dramatically different reaction from the deer. We have all known the hunter that smokes.

How do you ruin someone's hunting spot?

How often should you hunt a deer stand?

Hunt a stand one time and, on average, bucks will avoid it for three days. Bucks also changed their behavior relative to food plot use in the stand area. At the onset of hunting season, bucks visited the food plots one of every three times the stand was hunted during legal shooting hours.

Should you hunt the same stand after killing a deer?

As long as you have an efficient way to recover the deer you kill, you can go back to hunting the stand quickly. The key is to keep the recovery down to one quick, quiet effort. Sneak out after you kill the deer by the same route you would use if you didn't shoot one and wanted to hunt the stand again the next day.