Is it early morning, morning, evening, or night? Obviously, if you are hunting for the first time, a lot of confusion will be going on in your mind regarding the most suitable time.
In this article, we will discuss different times in a day and the benefits of hunting at that particular time. We will leave up to you to choose which time is the most appropriate for deer hunting.
In addition to time, you will have to focus on some tactics as well. There is no doubt that the right time will maze benefits. However, you will not be able to get the best bow shot without practice and skill. So, do all your preparation and build your confidence with practice to hunt correctly.
To know when it’s best to hunt deer, you should first understand their internal clock. Lucky for you, this article will provide some insight on the best time of the day to hunt deer.
A Deer’s Day
Before we discuss the best time of day to hunt deer, we need to live a day in a deer’s hooves. When do deer start their day? Usually, a few hours before dark is when deer rise in readiness for the day. In some places, this could be around 3 p.m. while in others it could be as late as 6 p.m.
Let’s start with the Early Morning
Early morning is considered the best time for deer hunting. You just need to hunt deer before the sun rises. In fact, experienced hunters mostly choose this time since they find it most suitable to target a deer.
You might be thinking, why? As supported by scientists, deer are light sleepers. That means they do not sleep much at night and keep moving from place to place. They remain most active in the early morning.
If you are planning to hunt in the early morning than find a place one hour before the sun rises, more importantly, early hunting will demand discipline and more effort.
If you are prepared for all these, then you can decide the next step. The temperature in the early morning is pretty low, and deer tend to move more to warm up. So, the possibility of success is more around ninety percent.
Morning Deer Hunting
If you are not prepared for dawn hunting, you can consider morning hours. Some experienced hunters also prefer hunting in broad daylight. The benefit of morning hunting is the better vision, easier setups and track, and indeed more energy and strength.
But is it possible to find a deer in the morning? Yes, you will see deer in the morning as some hunters have proved that deer are more active in the day time.
In addition to the morning, you can also try in the afternoon and evening. The behavior of deer will change depending on the temperature during the day time. So, every time it will have some benefits.
Afternoon Deer Hunting
You might be thinking that the afternoon is not the best time to hunt a deer. You are right. Deer feel lazy during the afternoon hours when the clock hits 12 o’clock. This is the lazy time, and your prey does not prefer to move at this time.
So, you will have to wait a bit for hunting. But you can utilize this time for preparation. You can observe the activities of deer in the afternoon. You can set traps as well as experienced hunters suggest utilizing afternoon time to observe the deer’s activities to make hunting easier later.
In brief, you can say that the afternoon is not the ideal time to hunt deer. It is idle time for them, and they do not remain active during this time. When the afternoon starts, they stay in one place or move to their hiding spot. You can track them or set up traps at this time of day.
Evening Deer Hunting
Evening time is also the best time to hunt deer. They move and tend to be more active in the evening. Evening time hunting will lead to good results. Also, you need to get some extra gear like hunting binocular, hunting backpack for evening hunting as the hunting can be extended to dark hours.
Night Deer Hunting
Nighttime hunting is not preferable, and it can be done only by experienced hunters. Deer do not move much at night. What is the most suitable time of day to hunt deer? Now you know the benefits of hunting at different times of the day. Morning and evening time can be perfect for deer hunting.
Evening time is considered better than the morning, as you will get enough time to set up. Hunting in the evening can be great for experienced and skilled hunters. Even beginners can expect success. Deer are active throughout the day time. Only they become lazy and inactive during the afternoon and also night. So, avoid the afternoon and night time.
Seasons Wise
Hunting deer is no easy task. The tracking, waiting and finally taking the shot. All these skills have been passed down from one generation to another over thousands of years. The activity itself has evolved from being just a means of survival to a sport and for some, it’s even an art.
It’s not just about shooting something, but the rush of adrenaline, control of nerves as your crosshairs align with your target, and the breath you hold before taking that fatal shot makes it more than just a sport.
Let’s look at a few that may help you find the deer hunting season that you’ve been chasing without any luck.
Spring
During early spring, many do give birth to their young ones or are still pregnant. Their feeding pattern will considerably change as they will start to move earlier and bed down later. Since they have fawns to feed, they will have to look for more food before sleeping for a few hours before midday.
Their morning activity will also increase. In mid to late spring, deer are usually known to stick around areas where the food is good. If the area is well protected, they will not move far, which is not more than 100 yards from it.
Summer
As the days become hotter, deer will bed down for long hours. They will mostly feed at night, whereas the young and more restless deer will still be moving late in the morning or early in the evening.
Fall
This is the season for the plenty. During early fall, deer will move as far as possible to get better food sources such as soybean. Around mid-fall is when a lot of hunters take to the woods. As a result, the deer will and to be a bit more organized in their feeding times. These will be just after dusk, around noon, or very early in the morning.
It is at this time when the rut takes place. As most hunters will agree, it is one of the best times to hunt bucks. This is because they are more erratic and unpredictable as they search for mates. Their high testosterone will make them break their feeding pattern and move at odd times. They are also less cautious, which makes them an easy target.
Winter
As it gets colder, deer will need to look for food over larger areas. Their day activity will also increase as it is warmer during the day. You can easily find some deer in the middle of the afternoon since they need warmth.
Moon
The moon also has a major impact on their movement. A full moon means more light at night. Therefore, the deer are able to forage late in the night and head to the bedding spots earlier. They are also more likely to move at midday.
Conclusively, some of the best times of the day to hunt deer are early in the morning, at dawn, or late in the evening, just after dusk. It is at these two periods that deer move with nothing in their minds other than sleep and food. But seeing as hunting at night is illegal, the early morning is your best bet for hunting.
However, do not disregard the midday time around which deer rise to have a snack, especially during the rut. A buck can easily let its guard down and walk into the crosshairs of your rifle or in the range of your bow. That said, happy hunting the next time you’re out hunting deer.
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