AM or PM deer hunt?

J

jimbo_4

New member
Personally I've always prefered the evening hunt. Maybe I just don't like getting up earlier on my day off than I do when I'm working. Perhaps its because I've NEVER seen a deer when I'm out in the morning, I see them in the AM driving down the road. I do hear more sounds, grunts, sparring that sort of thing. of course that could just be other hunters calling as well, who knows. my question for everyone is.... Which time of day is prefered by you? Or which in your experience tends to be more productive? I must admit, the morning does tend to be a bit more stimulating for some reason. I've only seen one early morning deer out hunting, probably 17 yrs ago in high school and that was because we spooked it on our way out to our spot, too dark still to shoot. Oh, and I'm in the tree now, and have seen and heard nothing except birds and squirrels.
 
I morning hunt more, because the area I hunt produces morning deer. I have never taking a deer in the evening as a matter of fact never seen a deer on property after 2pm. However, I am still going out there this afternoon, had to work this morning. I do have some areas that I can hunt in the afternoon, but have taking more mornning deer.
 
I've shot deer mostly before 10 am. But, I've also shot them in late afternoon. I go out before first light. Probably because that's how I started to hunt, and I'm afraid those earlybird hunters will shoot that big buck before me. But, the main reason (for me) is I really don't want to have to search for a wounded/dying deer after dark. I've always been able to pick up the blood trail in daylight. Besides, I'm too clumsy to be wandering around in the dark woods, dragging a dead animal for several hundred yards trying to find a smooth flat pathway. :D
 
I've always had best luck between noon and 3pm even though I'm the first one in on opening day, usually around 5-5:30am going in. It's crowded at these gamelands I go to however most leave my A.O. around 11am.
 
The last few years I seem to see more deer in the afternoon where I hunt as opposed to the morning. I'll generally go out early in the morning, hunt until about 10:30-11 and depending on how I'm feeling and what's going on I might run into town to have lunch then head back to the woods about 1:30-2pm.

In reality, it seems that there's a halfway decent chance that one might show up at any point of the day where I hunt. A few years back and over the a couple of years I took 3 doe in the hours between noon and 3pm.

Mav
 
years ago dad and i would go out in the early morning. intention to be in the stand by or 10 minutes before hunting time. stay in stand till 10,go back to truck maybe read the paper,eat. take a nap from noon to around 3. head back out to the stands. stay until quitting time. sometimes i would see deer in the morning by 8:30,sometimes none in the morning,but would would see deer at around 4. it was never consistent. (ahh my single days)
 
"Magic Hour"

You are likely to see Deer anytime from morning until dark. The main thing is to spend as much time in the woods as possible. You can never know exactly when that Monster might appear. Personally I love that last hour before dark--" The Magic Hour"
 
I like the PM hunt better. But there are lots of deer killed at either time. In the AM, deer are either already bedded or headed that way. In the PM, deer are getting up and moving around, looking for food and water.
 
Keeping in mind that this post regards not getting a deer...
I prefer to be in the woods and set up for at least a half hour before shooting hours. I will stay on this spot until around 11am and return around 2-3pm and sit til the close of legal hours.
But if I bag a deer the hunt ends until it is cleaned and sitting in a cooler full of ice water.
Brent
 
This morning for me went like any other morning I'm out there, nothing. At least one thing that does make it entertaining to be out there so early is it seams like you hear some goofy things you don't hear at night. Around 9 am or so I started a little with the rattle bag, a few minutes later, some thing was making some noise. Could have been a buck rubbing on a small tree, but didn't sound quite right for that. My next two guesses are probably more accurate, either another hunter heard me rattling and was trying to lure a couple sparring bucks his way with some rattling of his own. Or, a buck was on his side in the middle of some thickets have some sort of seizure. Personally I go with the latter. :D There's always tonight!
 
I'm not real good at sitting in a stand. I prefer to walk and hunt, in open country, or play sneaky-snake in thicker cover.

So, I sleep in, drink coffee until I recover from Body Rejection Syndrome and meddle around from 9AM or 10AM on until the 2PM hungries. I've kicked a lot of bucks out of bed, doing that.

I like to sit in the late afternoon, sort of in what some call the "hunter's doze", and coming alive if something moves. That's been productive, as well.
 
When??

I have killed more deer, and seen more deer in the afternoons. However all my best bucks have been killed in the morning. Better bucks seem to be a bit more relaxed in the morning-over the afternoons. But normally I shoot the better bucks early in the season. The better bucks go nocturnal pretty fast around here. You need to shoot the good buck on the first day or it gets tough. You then basically have to wait until the later MZ season to see the better bucks again. Our BP season in WV is pretty late, and the bucks are really trying to fatten up a bit, plus sometimes there is a fairly good second rut(but not always). Tom.
 
Go figure this one...same area, in fact same (permanent) stands...While bowhunting, probably 85-95% kills in late afternoon/evening. Same numbers only in reverse for gun hunting. Sure wish the bowhunting was better in the morning, to allow for a nice leisurely tracking session around noon, rather than blood trailing in the black of night!
 
I enjoy the morning hunts more and have made around 75% of my kills at that time. Nothin like watching the sun come up and animals start to move. Transcendental
 
Where I hunt I see more deer of the evenings. I have to say that I have taken my biggest bucks of the evening and as a whole taken more deer, mainly from 4:30PM on.
 
I hit both the morning and afternoon pretty hard. I've made kills during both times of the day and strongly believe the more time spent in the woods increases your chances across the board.

I like to sit in the late afternoon, sort of in what some call the "hunter's doze", and coming alive if something moves. That's been productive, as well.
Click to expand...

I agree with Art on this one. The hunter's doze usually kicks in at least once during the day for me but I'm able to stay pretty aware of the surroundings.
 
I hunt both and kill as many in the morning as in the evening. Where we hunt I've got evening stands and morning stands. Yesterday the morning was productive (saw deer, didn't get a shot). Today evening was productive (saw deer, got a shot, deer jumped string and I missed). That is if you consider all that "productive". :D

Typically I'm in my stand before daybreak and stay in it til 9:30 or 10:00. Then hike back to the truck and grab some grub and shoot the breeze with the family. Then back in the stand from 2pm to dark.

From the weekend after Thanksgiving until Christmas we stand hunt morning and evening and then man drive in between. From Christmas to New Year's we pretty much just man drive.
 
That hunter doze is hard on me! I am so at peace in the woods that once I doze off I am out cold! I have woke up hours later and once I awoke around 9pm:eek: just cause I got cold!:D I try my hardest to stay awake and if I get drowsy I get up and stalk hunt some.
Brent
 
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