Morning or evening hunts better

[KHickam]

Well, I have been out a bunch of times hunting my little 88 acre farm I lease for training dogs in hopes of getting a whitetail - mostly at evening time. So, far I have seen about 7 deer - 5 of them in the evening and two in the morning - 2 times they were buck (same one) and the other times does. I admit I have only been out in the morning one time - but I did see and get a shot at a doe - I have seen more deer in the evening but have not gotten any shots.

In the past I have always thought evening time - last hour before sunset and 1/2 hour after - but just wondering what your experience is on the subject. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

Speaking from my experiences here in NC where deep snow is not an issue, I think time of year (rut) and the particular area you're hunting relative to travel for food are big factors.

On the one hand, during most of the season deer sightings in the morning are deer winding down their nightly excursions and heading back to a bedding thicket for much of a day.
Then after being away from a preferred food source all day, movement picks up during the last hour of available light as they start fanning out for food again.

I've experienced two wild cards to that "normal scenario":
1) During the rut...mostly the first 3 weeks of November here...I've seen bucks cruising for hot Does at any time during the day light hours;
2) And I've proven to myself over the years that the moon cycles do indeed create "periods of maximum animal activity".

I've sat in a dead quiet countryside during the middle of a day and at the magic hour of 2:30pm, have started hearing scattered gunshots on surrounding properties every few minutes, myself taking a good 8 pointer that appeared at 2:45.
The "major activity period" that day was listed as being from 2:30-3:30...and like somebody flipped a switch, they started moving everywhere and an otherwise surrounding dead quiet country side came alive with hunters shooting deer.
So I factor in those "major activity tables" more each season too except during the rut...I spend every possible hour I can in the woods during the first couple weeks of November, no matter what time of time I can get there because bucks are on the move all the time.

But in general, since exclusively switching to sidelocks with iron sights and losing the 'light gathering ability of a scope'...I've become primarily a morning hunter as the light is always getting better, instead of worse. I also like the overall experience better than late afternoon hunting because the day is "starting" instead of coming to an end, and the anticipation / opportunity is open ended for hours instead of coming to an end soon after getting to a stand in late afternoon.

To me, its very enjoyable to "hear & see" the woods wake up and come alive in the morning...see a flock of turkey scratching through, or see a hawk snag (or miss) a squirrel...and I'd rather dress / drag out a deer in daylight instead of after dark with a flashlight...the whole hunting experience in the morning is just more enjoyable for me.

 

[larry wv]

Roundball saved me a lot of typing. As he said it changes. I go every morning and eve and things change . If you hunt a lot you can keep on top of it. But to say one or the other all the time won't work. Good luck. Larry Wv

 

[jethro224]

... things change . If you hunt a lot you can keep on top of it. But to say one or the other all the time won't work. Good luck.

That sums it up real well. :thumbsup:

 

[Bob J]

But in general, since exclusively switching to sidelocks with iron sights and losing the 'light gathering ability of a scope'...I've become primarily a morning hunter as the light is always getting better, instead of worse. I also like the overall experience better than late afternoon hunting because the day is "starting" instead of coming to an end, and the anticipation / opportunity is open ended for hours instead of coming to an end soon after getting to a stand in late afternoon.

To me, its very enjoyable to "hear & see" the woods wake up and come alive in the morning...see a flock of turkey scratching through, or see a hawk snag (or miss) a squirrel...and I'd rather dress / drag out a deer in daylight instead of after dark with a flashlight...the whole hunting experience in the morning is just more enjoyable for me.

I, too, agree with Roundball. If I can plan morning hunts to coincide with the Major Feeds per the solunar table, so much the better! Hunted the AM morning feeds over Thanksgiving weekend and the result was seeing deer every morning, including two bucks, one of which I am picking up from the processor in a couple of weeks.

 

[KHickam]

Lunar cycles! Dang - now you guys are getting too sophisticated for this dumb old country boy from Washington. :thumbsup:

 

[smokehouseman]

As has already been stated, local factors play a big part as to when animals forge for food. In the area where we hunt which is close to the ocean, the most influential factor is tide levels. During extreme low tides the deer will migrate down to forge. During periods of average tide levels they're more influenced by weather conditions.

It seems to me I see more deer in the morning only because I tend to prefer hunting then. Taking an animal down with day light coming on is much safer and more convenient then trying to pull an animal out in the dark or fading light.

 

[Dave K]

Though I do look at the lunar tables and I really do think there is something to them, I have found another thing that works. I have found the best time to hunt is any time you can. Fishing is the same way. :hatsoff:

 

[tg]

I prefer morning hunts, one of the reasons is I can track and dress/pack in the daylight, I know many who do very well with evening hunts. I do not concern myelf with the moon, I did moon a cop once, I cannot recall what the charge was called on the citation :hmm:

 

[John Wasmuth]

I prefer morning hunts, one of the reasons is I can track and dress/pack in the daylight, I know many who do very well with evening hunts. I do not concern myelf with the moon, I did moon a cop once, I cannot recall what the charge was called on the citation :hmm:

:rotf:

 

[rdillion]

I really enjoy the evening hunts. Usually see more deer. But I hate having to blood trail or dress a deer after dark. Lot easier to take one during the morning or mid-day.

 

[rabjr]

Well, I have been out a bunch of times hunting my little 88 acre farm I lease for training dogs in hopes of getting a whitetail - mostly at evening time. So, far I have seen about 7 deer - 5 of them in the evening and two in the morning - 2 times they were buck (same one) and the other times does. I admit I have only been out in the morning one time - but I did see and get a shot at a doe - I have seen more deer in the evening but have not gotten any shots.

In the past I have always thought evening time - last hour before sunset and 1/2 hour after - but just wondering what your experience is on the subject. :thumbsup:

I've probably taken 90% of all my deer after noon time and most of the ones taken in the morning were probably within the first 2 hours. The biggest buck I have taken though was shot at 11:30 am and the second largest was taken at 3:35 pm.

I have to admit I have come to hate morning hunts. I don't get much sleep as it is and it takes a hour to get these bones moving in the morning. And I've come to believe, you have to be slightly insane to crawl out of a warm bed to go sit in the cold. :haha: I much prefer late mornings, to last light. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

"...And I've come to believe, you have to be slightly insane to crawl out of a warm bed to go sit in the cold..."

:shocked2:
What??
You mean we DON'T have to do that ??
That's not normal ??
I could have gone hunting at some other time??

I too like the getting-up-early-in-the-cold part less and less the older I get...but I swear, with todays warm clothes, coveralls, and "boot blankets", after I get suited up and settled down inside that thick natural blind which also serves as a windbreak, I have to fight to keep from falling back asleep I'm so warm and comfortable.
Its just the " gittin' up and goin' " part that's toughest

 

[dbutch]

Gun hunting deer --morning best

bow hunting deer-- evening best

turkey hunting--morning best

duck and goose-- hunting all day long

Favorite time to be in the woods------when I can!

 

[rabjr]

"boot blankets"

Hell I wear slippers, and that ain't no s-hit. :haha:

 

[RC]

"...And I've come to believe, you have to be slightly insane to crawl out of a warm bed to go sit in the cold..."

:shocked2:
What??
You mean we DON'T have to do that ??
That's not normal ??
I could have gone hunting at some other time??

I too like the getting-up-early-in-the-cold part less and less the older I get...but I swear, with todays warm clothes, coveralls, and "boot blankets", after I get suited up and settled down inside that thick natural blind which also serves as a windbreak, I have to fight to keep from falling back asleep I'm so warm and comfortable.
Its just the " gittin' up and goin' " part that's toughest

:haha: it's even harderrrrrr to get out in N.Y.!
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!


Swampy
slippers??? CAMO???

 

[rabjr]

"...And I've come to believe, you have to be slightly insane to crawl out of a warm bed to go sit in the cold..."

:shocked2:
What??
You mean we DON'T have to do that ??
That's not normal ??
I could have gone hunting at some other time??

I too like the getting-up-early-in-the-cold part less and less the older I get...but I swear, with todays warm clothes, coveralls, and "boot blankets", after I get suited up and settled down inside that thick natural blind which also serves as a windbreak, I have to fight to keep from falling back asleep I'm so warm and comfortable.
Its just the " gittin' up and goin' " part that's toughest

:haha: it's even harderrrrrr to get out in N.Y.!
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!


Swampy
slippers??? CAMO???

You know I wear slippers, Martina always yelled at me for doing so remember?

 

[RC]

"...And I've come to believe, you have to be slightly insane to crawl out of a warm bed to go sit in the cold..."

:shocked2:
What??
You mean we DON'T have to do that ??
That's not normal ??
I could have gone hunting at some other time??

I too like the getting-up-early-in-the-cold part less and less the older I get...but I swear, with todays warm clothes, coveralls, and "boot blankets", after I get suited up and settled down inside that thick natural blind which also serves as a windbreak, I have to fight to keep from falling back asleep I'm so warm and comfortable.
Its just the " gittin' up and goin' " part that's toughest

:haha: it's even harderrrrrr to get out in N.Y.!
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!


Swampy
slippers??? CAMO???

You know I wear slippers, Martina always yelled at me for doing so remember?

yep...remember :thumbsup: ....course you do get yelled at alot!....hard to keep track... :blah:

 

[rabjr]

Only time I wear boots is on the Island. And only then cause of ticks.

 

[Vaino]

This was my 60th year of deer gun hunting and in all these years only took three deer toward evening. Quite a few were shot in the earlier AM hours but most were shot between 11AM -2PM. I think the area, the temperatures and number of hunters determines what are the best times. One year an unknown hunter was already on "my" hogback stand at 6AM so I went to another stand. Happened to check if he was still on the hogback at 1PM and seeing he was gone, thought I'd sit there for awhile. Twenty minutes later shot a nice 8 pointer, gutted him out and before I started to drag, hung the male parts in a tree. Saw the same hunter the following year while on the hogback and he related how he went to lunch, returned at 2:30PM and saw the "white flag" hanging from the tree and then saw the gut pile. I told him it was a nice 8 pointer. Used to hunt very wild country in northern Wisconsin and continually moved from one ravine to the next and shot deer at all times of the day, but there weren't any other hunters. A lot of variables asre "best time of day"....Fred