What time of day is best to deer hunt?

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.

Is it better to hunt in the morning or evening for deer?

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 are deer most active?

Deer are most active during the twilight hours of dusk and dawn. Most sleep during the day. They typically feed in the early morning hours before sleeping and then again in the evening and through the night. However, deer can also be active during the day and even midday, especially during rut and around the full moon.

Is it better to hunt in the morning or afternoon?

Hunting the gray light of dawn and dusk is often your best shot at success. Watch the wind to ensure you don't blow your cover, and stay as silent as possible the nearer you get to your hunting site. Whether it's by choice or circumstance, hunts during mornings or evenings often yield the best results.

Is it good to hunt deer middle of the day?

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.

Best Time of Day to Hunt the Rut for Big Bucks

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.

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.

What time of day are most bucks killed?

Dawn and dusk might be the most active time for deer, but it's not the only time. Just like you might get up to get a midnight snack, it is possible to see deer moving about at midday.

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.

How far do bucks bed from food?

They have to get up to hydrate themselves, eat, and use the bathroom. However, once mature bucks feed when the sun is up, it is typically only within 100 to 150 yards from the bedding area. With that being said, if you can locate a solid food source to a bedding area, you are almost guaranteed to spot a buck.

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.

What do deer do in the middle of the day?

Often in the middle of the day, deer will simply bed in the area where they have been feeding. Please note that if denser cover is relatively close by, they will gravitate toward that. Conversely, don't be surprised that even a big buck will plop down in relatively open cover.

What time do bucks come out in the evening?

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.

How long should you deer 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.

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.

How do you ruin a deer hunting spot?

One of the easiest ways to ruin a prime whitetail property is to invade a sanctuary bedding area. Deer are sensitive and they have a need for safe spaces, especially during the rut or when the hunting pressure is high.

Do bucks chase does all day?

A great all-day stand for gun hunting is a point-to-point crossing. Hang a lock-on or ladder just inside a strip of trees that juts out into a weed field and creates a pinch with the timber on the far side of the field. Bucks trolling for or chasing does will move all day in this type of cover.

What time do big bucks come out?

Regardless of weather, bucks move most at dawn and dusk.

As I said before, bucks move the most at dawn and dusk, period.

Should you hunt all day during the rut?

The rut only comes once a year. If you have the opportunity to get out and hunt all day it's simply a must this time of year. Pack some food, water, a book, anything that will help you stick it out. Get in a habit of scanning the area once every few minutes because it's easy to lose focus after long hours on stand.

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.

What brings in bucks?

Use a grunt call to lure in bucks within earshot. Every half hour or so, let out two or three medium grunts with your buck call. This call will get their attention and bring them in. For the deer, you can see in the far distance, try a hale grunt to get their attention and lure them in with a handful of tending grunts.