[inatree]

Do you prefer to hunt in the morning or the evening? Which have you had the most success during? I have always thought that morning hunts for me at least have been less than productive. When I try to think back, I cant recall any successful morning hunts. I still go, and do occasionally see deer, but I prefer the afternoon greatly over mornings due to my success rates and my perceived deer activity.

 

[MNmike]

mornings and evenings.

It depends on what time of the season and the moon.

Early season, prior to the rut, I prefer to hunt evenings unless it is a full moon then I'll hunt the daytime too. Mornings are when it's rut time.

This doesn't say I will not hunt mornings, I will. But those locations are my "doe" spots.

 

[Clayfish]

For the first 10 years of my hunting I always saw more deer in the evening until last year. I had the best year ever harvesting 2 bucks of which one is on the wall. Both were killed in the morning and I saw more deer than I ever have. I didn't see as many deer in the evening.

 

[inatree]

interesting

It depends on what time of the season and the moon.

Early season, prior to the rut, I prefer to hunt evenings unless it is a full moon then I'll hunt the daytime too. Mornings are when it's rut time.

This doesn't say I will not hunt mornings, I will. But those locations are my "doe" spots.

That is interesting, I will have to try that out.

 

[bigrackHack]

I've had more big-buck sightings and harvests in the evenings, but I like hunting in the mornings more. There's just something about watching the sun come up over my hunting locations that I like.

 

[old Graybeard]

I really enjoy morning hunts the most but I have had luck at all times of the day. In the northern forest areas I have the best luck from 10:00am to 2:00pm.

 

[DuckTech14]

I enjoy hunting the mornings, but the last three deer I've killed have came in the afternoon... Really and truly it doesn't matter to me what time they come in, as long as they do.

 

[Will K]

Am

I have seen more and bigger and done more shooting in the AM than the PM... However, the past few years the PM has been catching up... Why?

Because my work schedule changed and I hunt in the PM more than I used to.

I think deer move when they move - determined by them and there relationship with the environment. We shoot them when we can go hunting :wink:

 

[slinger09]

Morning hunts have the edge but not by much.

 

[jcmorgan31]

I have had more luck in the afternoon and evening.

I am not a morning person at all and usually have to go # 2 about an hour after I wake up. That means I either have to wake up an hour before I want to leave the house, or deal with it in the woods. I dont like stomping through the woods in the dark either. Also, when I hunt in the mornings, I can't talk myself out of climbing down at lunch. A big one might be on his way by.

Hunting in the evening works better for me. I'm wide awake, fed and watered, and can get into my stand stealthfully. There is also a definate end of the day when it gets dark. No more arguing with myself whether or not to get down or not.

I do sometimes like to hunt in the mornings. I love sitting in total silence and listening as the world wakes up and starts moving.

 

[camoham]

about 50/50

last season eve's were aweful powerful productive.

mornings have been good too. early season on thru rut i see most of my bucks early morning.

i hunt it all.

camoham

 

[PAKraig]

I've shot more deer in the mornings in total, but then I don't usually hunt the evening after a morning kill. PA used to have a law that you could only kill one deer per day, that has since been changed. Maybe it was just a good day and the deer would have been moving well that evening too.

Over the past 3-4 years though, I have seen just about as many deer in the evening as the morning, but probably more buck activity in the morning. It's certainly not an exact science. It all comes down to.....hunt whenever you can, as often as you can.

 

[txdukklr]

hadn't even thought about it really i love to hunt them both, cool and crisp.

but thinking about my harvest and my biggest deer

they're all in the afternoon!

 

[twogun]

I've seen a lot of activity between 9:00 and 11:00. I've had little luck at dawn. My father-in-law says deer bed down before dawn and get up and move again around 9 or 10.

 

[DBL LUNG]

I have always had better luck in the evening, but you are constantly losing light. You have that magic 30 minutes or so before you can't see.

But I like morning hunts because you gain light. If something is hanging around your stand I believe you have a better chance of taking that animal, but I have always had bad luck by bumping deer out of the area or out of their beds when going to my stand in the morning.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

[dave-t.]

Evening for most of the season, early and late season, but during the rut mornings have been best for my buck sightings.

I find that bucks travel doe paths in the mornings, trying to find the trail from feed to bed of that first hot doe, and check if his scrapes were hit through the night. It's especially good if it rained the night before, because all of the scents are washed away, and any scent that is present is fresh. He also has to work his scrapes after a rain.

In late season, a real cold spell will get deer moving to feed earlier in the evening and it is my second favorite hunting time of the year.

With all of that said, I'll hunt any time I can, and have seen deer moving at all times of day in all kinds of weather conditions. My best three bucks were killed at 7:15 am, 1:45pm, and 4:45 pm.

 

[BingoFlyer]

I shoot most of my deer in the evening, just before dark.

I enjoy the morning hunts more because I know that if I shoot a deer there will be plenty of light for tracking.

My larger bucks have been shot from just before sunrise until 10:00AM.

 

[MNmike]

that's like me too

Evening for most of the season, early and late season, but during the rut mornings have been best for my buck sightings.

I find that bucks travel doe paths in the mornings, trying to find the trail from feed to bed of that first hot doe, and check if his scrapes were hit through the night. It's especially good if it rained the night before, because all of the scents are washed away, and any scent that is present is fresh. He also has to work his scrapes after a rain.

In late season, a real cold spell will get deer moving to feed earlier in the evening and it is my second favorite hunting time of the year.

With all of that said, I'll hunt any time I can, and have seen deer moving at all times of day in all kinds of weather conditions. My best three bucks were killed at 7:15 am, 1:45pm, and 4:45 pm.

To get them bucks moving in the mornings, you need the rut. IMO you can disturb more bucks before light going in early season. Then you have a possiblity of ruining a stand local prior to the rut.

 

[inatree]

yep

I shoot most of my deer in the evening, just before dark.

I enjoy the morning hunts more because I know that if I shoot a deer there will be plenty of light for tracking.

My larger bucks have been shot from just before sunrise until 10:00AM.

I second that...I do like the concept of hunting in the morning due to increasing light for tracking, etc. But i have had no luck in the mornings.

 

[Chupacabra]

Most of my hunts (pre-rut) are in the evenings, but if I compare the number of morning hunts per kill to evening hunts per kill, morning is far more productive for me. If it weren't for this dang job thing, I would be out a lot more mornings.