Believe it or not, deer don’t keep the same schedule as humans. Some might even say they keep a particularly inconvenient one for the hunter. Well, you can’t expect them to adapt to when you want to go to sleep or see your spouse, so you’re going to have to adapt to them. That’s why you have to know when the deer want to go to bed or chase after does in the rut.
In fact, understanding the deer’s internal clock is essential to a successful hunt. Knowing when the deer are likely to move and when they’re bedded down so you can move to your stand is one of the biggest parts of getting your kill.
This internal clock is not set in stone, either. It depends on various biological and circumstantial factors, and understanding the way everything from the moon to the weather affect the deer’s schedule can be useful to a skilled hunter.
More deer info…
If you’re looking into hunting deer, you need to understand your prey. One of the most important things to know are the sounds deer make. Most of these can be imitated with a good deer call. Also can you identify deer poop?
If you like your hunting to be a challenge, consider using a bow instead of a gun. It’s more personal. This is explained in more detail in this article on the basics of bowhunting.
Table of Contents
Do deer move during the day?
When it comes to daytime, the standard dogma is that deer mostly move at the beginning and end of it. That doesn’t mean deer never move at other times of day, though, just like you might catch a human out on the street in the middle of the night even though most people are asleep. Daytime movement is more erratic, though, and it depends on a number of factors.
For example, because rain interferes with deer’s primary senses of hearing and smell, it encourages them to be more active while there’s daylight when they can rely on sight. A heavy rain can be one of the best times to catch deer moving during the day.
The rut also makes a big difference. Deer keep to a more strict routine when they aren’t mating, but during the rut, movement, especially for bucks, becomes more erratic.
Just consider teenage boys and how willing they are to change they’re schedule for a date. The bucks are much more unpredictable when they’re chasing does, and a lot of times it may be worth it to stick it out in the stand. We’ll get into what times and why later on.
Morning vs evening hunts
Like we said, dawn and dusk are going to be your best bets for hitting the treestand, but each have their pros and cons. Most of it just boils down to logistics. For instance, if you catch a herd of deer moving into their feeding area at dusk, but your buck’s out of range of your bow, you’re pretty much stuck for the night. Otherwise, you risk spooking the deer, and they probably won’t return to that feeding area. Plus, in the evening hours, it’s only going to get darker, and unlike deer, your primary sense is sight.
On the other hand, evening has some advantages over the morning. Especially if the deer aren’t in the rut, evening is when they’ll be going methodically to get food after sleeping all day. Imagine yourself hungrily going straight to kitchen in the morning, food the only thing on your mind. It also allows you to get out to the treestand in the afternoon while it’s still light. In the morning, you’ll be going to the stand in the dark. Your stealth will be considerably diminished this way, and like humans, deer don’t all have the same bedtime, so some may have already hit the sack, and you risk spooking them.
If the deer are in the rut, though, morning does have some perks. Think that dawn is like happy hour for bucks. It’s right before they go to sleep. They’re getting distracted chasing does and might stay out a little later than they’d planned. When the sun starts to rise, they rush back to their beds, more likely to make a mistake and wander into range of your bow.
Morning versus evening depends a lot on your personal preferences, like how comfortable you feel in the dark, as well as some deer biology like whether or not they’re in the rut. Either way, while twilight hours in general are usually considered the best time to catch deer on the move, circumstances may make dusk or dawn a better choice over the other.
Don’t forget about midday
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. We mentioned that a couple of things can affect when they might be on the move.
A big factor is human movement. When are the other hunters getting too cold, bored and hungry to stay in the treestand? If you wait them out, you can catch the deer they disturb on their way out of the woods. Outlasting your fellow sportsmen can pay off big.
The moon is actually has a major effect as well. During the full moon, deer are more likely to be out at midday. This extra movement seems to move later and later as the moon waxes and wanes. During the last quarter, deer may move later in the afternoon while during the new moon, they may move later into the morning than normal.
Can you hunt deer at night?
Deer are a crepuscular species, which means they are mainly active during the twilight hours, dusk and dawn. This is when they move to their feeding areas for the night or back to their beds to sleep during the day. It’s when the bucks chase the does. It’s when you’re most likely to see them, and there’s a good chance it’s when you’ll get most of your kills.
A lot of hunters consider night one of the best times to hunt deer. They aren’t moving as much, but they are feeding out in the open. So what’s the problem? Laws. Night hunting of deer and other game animals is illegal in all 50 states, and most ban night vision goggles or artificial lights as well, effectively prohibiting you from hunting at night anyway. If you’re a bow hunter, though, you’re already in it for the challenge, so it shouldn’t be too disappointing you can’t use high-tech equipment to eliminate deer’s primary advantage.
An experienced hunter from Primos Hunting describes all the factors involved in deciding what time of day to hunt.
Thanks
I would say dawn because it’s not legal to spotlight deer at dusk.along with it getting dark not being able to see well or tag carry or process.
Absolutely, however you have gotten in your spot and not hanging out w your buddy discussing it, it why I hunt alone. Everyone has different ideas and will screw up.your hunt. Be ready and get needed down and watch them cross your path
I loved it! So informative?
I’ve shot a lot of deer in my life time that said I’ve killed them in morning and evening hours but no way to tell what year did what best it’s much changing every year but that’s why we love it with a strong passion
Just had opening day hear in Louisiana. Morning hunt, a little cold… jumped a deer feeding. Went back for evening hunt, it was extremely warm and humid, almost ready to call it quits…deer steps out on a bare lane…75 yd shot (primitive weapon). Been hunting over 33 years, it’s like you said, conditions change, situations change…the prediction is unpredictable…lol…persistence and consistency, pre-deer season and during, pays off.
same
Bushnell and Nikon rifle scopes get it done with Ruger and Browning rifles in 308 and 3006 bolt and automatic rifles is our most favorite
Don’t hunt in the morning or you may spook them unintentionally on your way to the stand. Don’t hunt in the evening or you may have to sleep in your stand to not spook them. Don’t be upwind or they’ll be spooked. Don’t be sidewind or they’ll be spooked. And for Chrissake, if you’re downwind then make sure wind doesn’t change direction or you might as well find a whole other region of the country to hunt because they’ll be spooked.
If I was looking to start deer hunting for food, or as a pastime, and read this article or listened to the old codgers out there then I’d probably take up video games or hiking through the woods (ignoring hunters stands/blinds). No wonder our, the true Great Aremican, pastime is dying.
According to most “hardcore” hunters and “experts,” the only time to hunt successfully is to hunt the rut when the bucks are stupid and does are running from stupid bucks. I’d prefer that federal law deny deer hunting during the rut. Hunters would go hungry or turn woodsman.
I know where the deer on my property forage. Today I watched four or five squirrels, a couple of rodents, hundreds of birds, a racoon, and one big whistle pig. The wind was in my face. A chipmunk ran up a tree so close to me that I could have grabbed it. Previous experiences had squirrels on my shoulders or legs while looking for predators.
Based on this article, I would be concerned that my scent carried all over the woods and “spooked” the deer into a neighboring state. I’ll hunt that spot again in a few days because I researched movement and located food plots. I’m not hunting those acorns for today. I’m hunting them for a week or a month down the road. If I “spook” the deer today, they’ll be back in a few days. Biggest bucks I’ve ever seen were when rabbit hunting with beagles. A week later I set up a stand and shot them.
Deer have superior ears and eyes and noses, but they are the some of the most HABITUAL creatures in nature. You hunt the rut when you can’t stalk for habit. Yeah, modern hunting mags/articles are whoring out woodsmanship to validate their BS hunting techniques. I once heard of a couple of guys hauling shopping carts full.of white crappie up a bank because they knew where the spawned. They should have written an article on how to catch crappie.
Gentlemen, stop teaching people how to simply kill deer. If they want to kill a deer then teach them to save up, buy a plane ticket, and kill an African lion. Give them landmines to place in a field. Quarintine them in Laziocracy. I don’t want your Field and Stream hunters in my woods. They leave their beer cans and chewing tobacco tins all over my Jurassic Park. Stop encouraging them.
For those interested in environment and hinting then here are the 5 rules of deer hunting for new hunters:
1. Go hunting.
2. Be patient. We’re talking hours of Audible books.
3. Learn your hunting area. Be there long enough to name the little ctitters.
4. Woodsmanship has killed more deer than the plague killed people. Yes, you can sneak up on deer.
5. Wind in the face means your facing the correct direction.
6. ((BONUS)) Deer like corn and acorns and shoots. They will return to yummy food like fat people return to McDonalds….even if you “spook” them.
7. (((BONUS TO THE BONUS))) The rut is not a cheat code for a bad woodsmanship. 10 point whitetail bucks do not run up to you, fall over, field dress themselves, decide how you want them butchered, and then pay for your venison jerky.
All of this, the thing that we call hunting, consumes time. But, it is fun. And, it is rewarding. If you want to hunt, anything, then make the decision to become a woodsman first and foremost. Once you begin that forever adventure you’ll forget about hunting, but never want for fresh food on your table.
Love your post. You should write a guide. I would totally read it.
Loved your article!
You sir, are the only true outdoorsman on this site. I wish YOU would do outdoor writing bro. One woodsman to another. That was gold.
Johmy i new at this. We should get together n hit the woods for some tips you could share.
Well said
Excellent post!
This is all good. You got to keep in mind. You love hunting and being in the woods. Seeing all kinds of wildlife. You enjoy what you’re doing. So taking a deer is a bonus. Enjoy your day in the woods and become a woodsman. I like when the weather starts getting cold. It draws all of us woodsman to the woods. So enjoy it and have fun
Awesome view !!
Yes yes yes and LOL yes. You could not be more on point. I just wonder what those before me used for not having audio books. LOL
You’ve established nothing in your rant! If you want to hunt successfully, scout, scout, scout……and de-scent!
Buy a carbon suit, a good one, and only enter the woods de-scented!! Enter only when necessary and minimize your carbon footprint/presence. They know we are there; its trying to convince that not we are not there when you actually are. Once the shooting starts, any little scent of us throws off your hunt. Ozone generators and descent sprays work, but not if you stink or smell of something foreign to them! Don’t use apple scent or persimmon scent all of a sudden thinking they’re going to show up when there are no apple trees or persimmon trees anywhere around. If you’re gonna use that stuff, then start very early PRE-SEASON and not only when the season starts. And most importantly, de-dcent you!!! Take a shower in unscented soap/shampoo before each outing/day’s hunt. Don’t smoke, don’t eat smelly foods, or bring smelly liquids Don’t pee out of your stand (pee directly into a small hole you just dug and cover it up or into a bottle and carry it out) If you pee onto foliage then you just scent marked your location to them. Yeah young stupid bucks may venture in but not anything worth a photo opp!
As far as sunrise or sunset, it doesn’t matter! But, I’ve shot all of my wall hangers in the morning. It depends on your location which may be best as other influences always come into play like foot or machine traffic, weather, moon phase,……….
You don’t need to be a woodsman to be a hunter, but the more you know, the better! I hunt publicly and privately and both take vigilance, homework, and dedication! Just keep in mind, the one you worked the hardest for is the one you’ll remember the most, regardless of the size of its rack!!!
It’s not called killing, it’s called hunting. Talk to guys who have an obvious success rate and ask them what to do. 90%+ will tell you that scent control is everything. I’ve killed many a buck downwind of me because I always utilize scent control and wear carbon suits. But, realize that as the season progresses, wind direction becomes more of an issue because as hunter pressure increases, the slightest wiff of you will make them nocturnal or dormant or both!!!!! Good luck!
I spend so much time in the woods that all the deer and critters ignore me now even had a 8 point basket rack following me to my stand he was maybe 10 yrd behind me to eat the apples and corn I was carrying. Which he did after I got in my stand but he was cautious I do this daily jus to sit and watch the wildlife for a few hrs a day. I’m not greedy. 1 deer a year .10 points 21 in spread 4 and 1/8 at the base prob a 5 yr old since I’ve been watching it for that long. Know your surroundings and what you’re looking for. Good luck
Hang old shirts around summer so they get used to your scent. Take your bible and read. Enjoy the woods and sounds. Go hunting but go for peace.
I agree with all your points except about urine. I used to be insanely anal retentive regarding not whizzing in the woods and around stands and such. A hunting buddy if mine convinced me over time that it doesnt matter. Testosterone is chemically identical in all mammals. Bucks of all sizes will work a scrape after you pee in it. Not every time, but they definitely are not spooked by it at all. Now if you werent descented and you leave scent from your clothes or boots, thats another story. But Ive seen it and filmed it enough over the past 6 years, I dont have to lug the hot water bottle or plastic bottle in the backpack any longer. Once the seeking phase is on, Im an all day sitter. At some point it’s gonna happen. Its actually stopped a few bucks that were on marching orders long enough for a shot for me. One less thing to obsess over. The descenting ritual is plenty…good luck folks! I’m at elevation 28 ft as I respond.
Let them spend years in the woods. Sometimes all day into the dark. Sometimes freezing. After the hunter makes enough mistakes they will figure it all out. Just like I did. Good luck gentleman and the wind to your face.
Great Post Brother!
This is the best thing I’ve read in weeks.
Every farm, hunting reserve swamp wherever you hunt is different…so every hunt is different…..someone could have coon hunted and run the deer out…for me I enjoy sitting in the woods so a day in the woods is a good day…getting some food is a blessing from God. A bonus.
People need to realize the joy is in the hunt not the kill.
AMEN BROTHER!
I’m only 30, but hunt every year of my life. At this point, I go to connect with silence, to get away from concrete and hear my inner thoughts amplified. To smell all of the smells and walk a few miles to connect with the land. Shooting the deer is just a bonus anymore. In fact the deer are so stupid where I live that I can literally wait till the last day of the hunt, throw an apple on a main trail and sit there all day, almost guaranteed to take some meat home. Iv spooked deer up numerous times, just to watch them make their way back 20 mins later, over n over in fact, day after day. So many times I pissed out of my tree stand just to watch a buck or dow walk straight to it and smell the shit out of it right under me.
Not all hunters leave trash behind. I don’t throw anything in the woods. I actually pick up other people’s trash. This includes cigarette butter. Trash carries your scent and can ruin a woods for hunting. Sadly some people have no respect for the woods, wildlife or other hunters. These people get removed permanently.
Scent doesn’t really affect my hunt too much unless I’m bow hunting. I usually gun hunt from a tree house about 25 or 30 feet up. I use a Remington 300 Winmag. I hunt for food not sport. I’ve got enough racks so I shoot them in the head or upper neck. Less chance of bruising the meat. Been hunting there for 30 years and take my limit every year
Truth right there….
Great read…experience adds luck to the skill side…..as we all hunt a bit differently I have had much better luck with the spot and stalk….hours on my belly or crawling….scent, color, movement and sound all play against me…..wind can make or break the chase….blowing the wrong direction don’t even bother….don’t be the guy who chases his buck right into another hunters range…..take your time and take the right path to them…..
Great comment, spot on. Patience seems to be lacking and therefore less hunters for the future.
I agree 100%. These guys
that ride their 4wheelers back in the woods to watch a ridge during the rut, kill a deer, then post on Facebook & brag about being a “hunter”. A good “hunter” is a great “woodsman” . Learn to be a woodsman 1st. And you will never have a bad hunt, a good hunt will be being in the woods, seeing deer & other critters & them not even know you were there. THATS a good “hunt” & what a woodsman does. The harvest of the animal will be a bonus
You are correct sir. At almost 70 yrs old, I have taken deer since I was 6 yrs old. I was always in the woods hunting every thing from doves to hogs. I have yet to kill a deer at dusk, or dawn. I have never taken a deer before 9:00am. I prefer to be in the woods when all of the deer camp hunters are going back to their mega thousand dollar campers for a nap. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t deny them the opportunity to own whatever they can afford. But, when they are headed back to camp, they make enough noise to wake up the deer, and some of the dead. Lol. That’s when I get my deer.
Dear Johnny.
I first want to say how much I enjoyed reading your opinion on basic hunting rules and the need for becoming a woodsman first.
The truth is I’ve never hunted a day in my life, I was raised in a city so country living and all that comes with that had seemed so foreign to me until I read your basic belief in knowing your target inside and out, where they eat, when they eat, the effects of ever changing elements around you and so forth. I learned that although I’ve never hunted I do have the basic skills to become a good one!
Patience, persistence and researching your target has always been my belief in successful sales and I’ve been in sales pretty much all my life.
If I want to get that big client, the one I can brag about at the Christmas party, the one that earns me a plaque that I can hang on the wall and brag about to anyone who’ll listen then I have to dig deeper, know more and be patient.
I call it the basic laws of attraction, it’s finding that common ground of familiarity and building trust in each other, enough to do business at least. Hunting is the same, you need to know the land, know their habits and become one with them so they trust their own instincts enough to stick around while you take that one in a million shot. I may not be in camouflage gear and crawling around in the undergrowth but I am is a city and the city can be a jungle out there.
Please continue to share your knowledge, you never know how it can change a persons perspective like it did for me. Thank you.
I appreciate what you had to say!
My dad turned 87 this year and he started taking me hunting with him many years ago. He taught me gun safety and what areas made good places to hunt whatever game we were hunting. This was long before the internet/cell phones/trail cameras/scent eliminators and all the other stuff that companies push at “hunters” in order to be successful in bagging a deer. I developed a love for hunting/fishing and the mountains because of him. I have enjoyed getting into the woods and becoming a part of them for many years now. Chances are pretty good that if you spend enough time in the woods that you hunt you will begin finding food sources/rubs and scrapes. These are the things that will increase your chances of filling your freezer and becoming a woodsman! Enjoy your time in the woods and appreciate the beauty that nature has to offer!
After the morning hunt,, I like getting back in the woods around 1:30 before most people come back out after eating lunch. Most of my bucks were kicked out to me by another hunters returning to their stand. Hunt the swamps near agricultural areas.
Yea thanks im learning a lot this will be my very 1st yr hunting so i can use all the tips i can get
Johnny, great comments. If you listen to all the experts you’ll decide to stay home and eat at Mickey D’s.
Bobby, good luck,. Get out there and be patient. Bring lots of reading material and learn to read with one eye while the other watches for ?.
The hardest thing is setting in this stand my ass hurts and it’s boreing as hell but I love to hunt
Hunting one of the greatest species on the face of the earth is a gift .God created this beautiful animal For the sole purpose for men to survive and harvest in my belief. go out hunt enjoy it .the season goes fast and if you do not harvest a deer this season I love planning what I’m gonna do different next season to get that big buck . God bless America and white tail deer ???
I’m a fairly new hunter as this is my second year out. Unfortunately, my dad had to give it up before I was old enough to be taught as a youth. I’ll be 47 and am self learning to be able to teach my son who expressed an interest. With that being said, I have and continue to put many days and an unbelievable amount of hours into hunting. I have more than not spent entire days just watching the many other animals in the woods/forest than seeing any deer movement. The deer I do see sometimes sneak behind me or are not in range or any number of other reasons that I don’t get my harvest. It can be disappointing and discouraging but I am out for the hunt, the thrill of a harvest and all the other things for which hunting is supposed to be. Last year was bow only. This year I bought a 30-30 to go during rifle season and am looking forward to next year when I plan to try with a musket. I do archery because it is definitely a more balanced way for deer and hunter (I believe) to be on equal footing. I tried rifle this year due to no harvest last year and figured I needed a slight advantage with no better luck. Lol. Anyway, I was able to harest a young doe in early archery this year and am still working on filling 2 tags(1buck) here in PA. I hunt public state game lands and forests and just love (for the most part) working for what I hope to get. I’ll be continue to go hunting as often as possible because that is what I believe is the only way to hunt. If you’re not out you don’t get your shot. Even shots I have had a chance for if it can’t be a perfect shot I don’t try it. Any how I think my rambling has gone on enough. I just really wanted to thank you for your statement. Happy and safe hunting to you.
Reading all this good info. 60yrs young. Bought my first bow, got my 20, 30, 40 and even 50 yd targets marked out with sweet feed on the ground. Trees tend is up, i plan on walking in early am, departing and coming back pre evening as a strategy. Hole to get a 20-30 yd shot with my Matthew’s Single Cam S2. Outside of that range I really don’t think I have a chance and I don’t want to just injure one. But I am looking forward to showing my son who bags multiple deer ea season that I too can get the job done. 🙂
I’m 60 also, well in a week or so. I’ve been hunting almost 40 years. And I’ll can say is it’s not the kill it’s the thrill of the chase. Yes I love to eat venison. But I love nothing more then being in a stand in a western New York fall. No man has created a cathedral better than what the Lord has put in front of us and I mean that. May I just say one thing even with modern bows unless you have it really maxed out make sure that you have enough kill in your bow at 50 yards. Please don’t overestimate your skill
I’m a deer hunter from. Eastern North Carolina and hunt a private tract in a small town called Plymouth. Now I’m gonna tell you guys that the hunting pressure around here is intense. Our rifle season kicks off around the 15th of October and runs slam until new years day with bow opening in early September and muzzle loader in early October. During the 3 months of rifle dog hunters run hounds every single day!! Patterning deer is impossible here!! There’s a million ways to hunt deer and be successful (which thank God I have been) but I also want to state that it certainly isn’t anything like you see on TV. I don’t care about scent free suits no odor soap or any of that stuff. Come to my town this season and I promise you that if you’re not a smart deer hunter who can perform under the toughest of situations you are going back to wherever you came from with no deer meat. This town my friend has produced some of the most savvy still hunters in the world. Come on down with your scent free suits after you’ve bathed in no odor soap and washed your clothes with no odor detergent and grab a tree.
Sometimes the key to success lays no further than simple knowledge of your grounds. This is the truth to whitetail hunting in Plymouth north Carolina in the eastern section of the state
Hunt at all times…They’re always Moving In Michigan…Done it all and always see them….When in Rut….anytime. Doe’s are always out and need too be taken, good meat and way too many….so unless it’s a Mass Rack Wall Hanger, Take Does and let little Bucks grow In Michigan…and Elsewhere!!
I guess the author has hunted deer, but it sounds more like a collection of cliches. Johnny Boatright is RIGHT.
If it’s during the rut hunt all day long same with the firearm season even if you are getting cold stay on stand during the gun season and let everyone else leave and move the deer around
I’m a Pennsylvania hunter for 45 years and knowing the deer and deer habits in your neck of the woods is crucial to a successful hunt and for you it may include scent reducers, calls, etc.. Doing your early season scouting from May to September is also a great way to get to know your local deer patterns for that year, they sometimes do change from year to year. Put the time in on learning the deer in your backyard and you will fill your freezer and have a great time out in the bush. Great hunting to all!!
I have to read once in a while just to see if it’s the same old B’s or if they invented some more,and glad to see many of you have called them on it and saved me the trouble.This season will be my 40th hunting whitetail my kills are too numerous to put a number on it and have my share of trophies on the wall.This is not meant to brag but just the lead in for my observation.I am self taught and have always hunt alone,I learn from my own mistakes because I know it’s all on me,and simply just the years of aquired knowledge your own dos and donts and trust what you know.Its not always skill sometimes your just lucky and I have killed deer at all hours of the day and have never harvested one from the seat of my couch,put the time in.The eyes are not your primary sense out there I will say that it all starts with the ears you’re usually going to hear them first rain obviously puts you at a disadvantage but birds can be spooked up and squirrels don’t just bark at humans.its not rocket science and you get better by being out there .You are truly doing yourself a disservice if your reading these so called experts how to guides when they’re probably putting out a couple grand for guided hunt on a managed farm and what they write goes against everything you know,happy hunting fellas
There was things said on here that i wish people would start fight for…hunting is a tradition, something that means alot to well alot less people than it should…every year seems to get worse…i just hope it doesnt reach a point when im pointing at whitetail picture showing my grandchildren what they were…i hope the dnr remain on the the woodsman side instead of insurance companies because it is a very important right ,and tradition that families still cherish and live for…people can watch hunting videos and read every hunting magazine there is….and still be sitting in a chair on the top of a oak ridge on edge of a cut corn field,not in a blind or covered at all for that matter because they think they have everything figured out…if u want to hunt and you like it find a experienced mentor preferably who has owned thier own land and spent the time and work to improve the deer population and health…u think hunting is fun wait till u see the results of your own time and hard work to do your part preserving this traditon
I’ve hunted over 40 years and taken book bucks off of private and public land. Big deal. Let’s each scout and hunt to the level of our enjoyment, not above, not below. If we all do this, are respectful of our fellow hunters and obey lo al laws we can all enjoy our deer seasons
Well guys I’m a TN good ole boy and I been hunting for 39 years and the best of them years I hunting the TN mountains little place called Grandview. If them big time so call pro hunter’s want to come try all BS they try to get other hunter’s to go do I’m telling you now it’s not going to work. Use the wind find pinch points find the feed and yes know the ground you hunt I have killed some good bucks and I have hunted a whole season and not see a thing just in other good ole boys truck. But these guys who go to all these hunting clubs just cause the owners want them to write something good bout the club to get other hunter’s come spend big money!!! It will be a cold day in hell before I pay to hunt on a big time hunting clubs. I pay for my tags and my bullets and gas to get to my hunting grounds that’s all I’ll pay for. The new guys who are wanting to learn to hunt go and have fun and learn your way and remember to always make sure of your target if you shot a spike the time out then that’s a trophy for you like my daddy told my when I was a boy you can’t eat them horns. That said always hunt by the rules of your state it’s up to you if you want to hunt trophy deer or you want hunt deer for the table. I’m one man and this my 2 cents on the matter but wish y’all good luck and fun times. Boots on the ground is best way to learn your hunting grounds hope all hunter’s can get the they are after this season. Happy hunting
My husband & I just bought a 40ac property on the river with a 5ac pond. We just started hunting so our son(11) can learn. I love having our own property to hunt and we have an abundance of deer. 15 days into the season I got up at 6:30 & told my hubby I was going to sit in the blind, which we put in the middle of an old hay field. He decided to go with me & our son wanted to sleep in. The sun is coming up as we walk out so we had no high hopes of seeing anything. We get in the blind & 10 min later an 11 point walks out. He didn’t even have his gun loaded yet! Luckily the buck didn’t get spooked when he loaded. Hubby takes a shot & drops him on the spot. We’re new to hunting & still learning but what we’ve learned most of all is that you just never know what’s going to happen. Our son also learned a huge lesson that day, too; don’t sleep in or you just might miss out! Lol He’s still waiting on his 1st buck as well. He’s passed up many large doe, spikes & even a large 4 pt. I’m so proud that he doesn’t want to just shoot anything that walks by & respects the hunt.
I’m 75 years old and started deer hunting seriously 35 years ago. I just put deer number 45 in the freezer. My rifle of choice is 243 Winchester. I save the 30.06 and the 270 for moose. Deer hunt as you most enjoy it, as long as it is legal and ethical and done with fair chase in mind. Lots of good adventures and a couple of gong shows but what a wonderful pastime. That’s how I roll in northern Alberta eh. Enjoy.
This is my second season deer hunting in southern NH and I am still basically clueless. This all was some good reading. The most important thing I personally will take from this is… “you can’t hunt deer from your couch”, “boots on the ground” etc. No matter what all else I do that sentiment is what’s going to teach me what it is I am doing. So, thanks everyone for sharing your wisdom.
I love reading all the comments on posts like this. Everyone is an expert, in their own eyes. “Do this” or “don’t do this.”
I started “hunting” with my father, grandfathers, and uncles when I was too young to actually understand the concept. All I truly knew, was that it was too early in the morning, or too cold, or too hot, or too boring. The first deer I shot, my rifle was about as tall as I was. I’ve been hunting every year, 35+, ever since.
Some people hunt in tree stands. Some in ground stands. Some watch a food plot, some watch a feeder. Some still hunt. Some stalk. Bow, muzzle loader, pistol, rifle. Scent lock or freshly washed clothes. Ghillie suit or blue jeans and a flannel.
I’ve hunted almost all these ways. Different things work different times. Different things work for different circumstances. Different things work for different people. Nobody’s “hunt” or techniques are the same, just as nobody’s skill levels are the same. Might I point out the differences in abilities of fishermen?
The ONLY thing I’ve found to be true when it comes to hunting, ANY particular animal…is that you have to be where the animals are. Rut, moon stage, wind, smell, camouflage, bullet range, shooting skill…all come second to actually being out in the woods. You can’t shoot an animal from the couch watching a football game.
“Don’t smoke in the stand.”
“Don’t pee near your stand.”
“Don’t drive through the field.”
“Don’t cough or sneeze.”
“Don’t move to much.”
“Don’t stay in the same place too long.”
“Don’t put corn in the feeder the same day you plan to hunt.”
“Don’t clean a deer in your hunting lanes.”
Etc., etc., etc.
I’ve heard all the rules.
Funny, how the afternoon of opening weekend this year, I shot the biggest buck of my life with a cigarette hanging out of my lip.
Take what works for you, throw out what doesn’t, and enjoy the hunt. Don’t get too wrapped up in what every “expert” tells you. With enough time and practice in the woods, you’ll figure out your “rules.”
Good luck and happy hunting.
I hunt and manage my own small private tract. From many years of scouting and cellular trail cam footage I can say that knowing your hunting area and daily movement of your deer is most beneficial. But this information will only take you so far in season if you are only scouting for deer out of season. Deer are no doubt creatures of habit but just as nutritional needs change from fall to winter so to does movement. So don’t bet your bottom dollar that all those deer you saw on that late September scouting trip are going to be there on a November morning for opening day of rifle season. Learn about the deers routine and movements which are taking place DURING the months of your choice of hunting methods. If a trophy buck is your hearts desire as a young or experienced whitetail hunter, watching the does while in your stand, and only watching them, until she leaves the area is critical to your success in bagging your buck. You’re not gonna to get a shot at a big buck by killing the doe which is likely finished running from him. Keep in mind, for anyone who may tell me they shot the doe then dropped the trophy buck that was on her heels, I’m not talking about nor am I banking on pot luck. More likely than not in mid November rut there is a nice buck hot on her trail. If so, he will reveal himself within feet of her tracks anywhere from two minutes to two or more hours. What we can’t possibly know is how far behind her he may have been. This depends upon how long the chase has gone on and how ready or not she may be to recieve him. So then, patience is your gameplan for success while hunting in mid November rut when your chances of even seeing a huge buck is at its highest point of the season. Bow hunters will tell you that particular time is during the white oak acorn drop in September. This is also true. But for myself, in 40 years of deer hunting, the rut is king. For one thing my 30-06, 150 grain will reach way farther than any bow so I can utilize my advantage of distance from my adversary. So if you happen to wonder upon a hot hot scrape treat it as if you have just happened upon a rattlin rattlesnake then immediately back up and punt, change plans for whatever it was you were a doing then slowly reverse your course in the same direction you came in from. Pick your tree at least 60 yards away with the prevailing south westerly winds in your face downwind from the goldmine you have just discovered and mark it, remember the tree and terrain, gps it, or whatever you need to do to find that very tree again in the dark and be able to find your way out back out aftee dark. After all precautions are taken so not to disturb this actively worked scrape only one thing my left to do. Climb-hunt, climb-hunt, and last but not least, climb-hunt some more. Let the doe spend all the time she wants in the area then walk away. Be patient and keenly aware of what could come out next at any given minute of the day. If and when you see him don’t hesitate, take a deep breath and squeeze one off cross haired mid thorax 6 to 8″ behind the shoulder. The quick and humane lung/liver kill shot is very important so if you can’t hit a deer in the vitals then practice on targets until you can. These beautiful creatures deserve as much from any hunter.
One more thing, don’t never ever carry anything into the woods to place in the surrounding area that hasn’t already been there for months. Don’t take an apple into your hot spot, get to your tree then bust it against a white pine and scrub it up to and down till it’s nothing but pulp thinking it’s gonna draw your buck in because deer like apples. Trust me it won’t. Unless ofcourse you’re hunting in an apple orchard.
Like most have already said, wind direction, human scent, showering, clothing, it all plays toward your advantage for a confidant, rewarding and yes a successful hunt if the time is taken to check these precautions off your list of things to do right before the hunt. Last but not least, respect your most challenging of big game animals. It’s makes the taking of the wondrous animal a whitetail deer most certainly is that much more rewarding.
I prefer morning hunts because if I am successful it leaves all day for retrieval and hanging and skinning . I hate retrieving in the dark and then having to hang and skin after dark as it makes for a late night .
If you continue to do as you have always done, you will continue to get what you have always got…. if your not seeing deer, change.locations or tactics. A climbing deer stand is the best investment I have ever made. I use a Simmit Viper because i feel safe sitting with a rail around me. Try to get some background cover of some type around or behind you once in the tree. I try to hunt 20 to 30 feet. If your not seeing deer, move your stand. Bucks, especially bigger one’s tend to travel low spots an thicker cover. Bucks also prefer higher ground when bedding…. high spots in swampy areas surrounded by water are deer magnets. The top 1/3 of a hill or high ground is good, but often the biggest bucks will bed close to the highest point on hilly terrain.
I’m a cancer patient, also suffering from motor and non motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. I’m going to a Neurologist in January of 2022 for this. My wife made me go home from the hospital she was in on the 6th day of this year’s gun deer season in Arkansas, November 18th, 2021. When I got home, I went hunting behind our house at about 125 yards from my bedroom, to begin my 42nd deer season. I plopped down between 2 stacked fallen trees and a cedar bush, mostly just to rest. A few minutes later, a grey squirrel started barking feverishly. I scanned the area, slowly and minutes later shot my prettiest and largest antlered buck ever! He is a tall, thick racked 17 point, with a large 10 point main frame. I honestly just wanted to get into the woods to relax and enjoy the views, not ever expecting this outcome! My son and father in law got him out of the woods for me and a tractor hauled him to the barn. The Lord blessed me that day, and I forgot about my cancer and Parkinson’s for a while. He blessed my wife as well with her release from the hospital just days later! My in-laws are getting him mounted for me for my Christmas present! A semi sneak shoulder mount, with his head turned to his right .The wind was in my face on this hunt, and currently is now as well. Great posts everyone, and continued good luck! Any day in the woods, is a great day!
Sounds like an incredible buck!
Best of luck to you with your health –
I love your spirit!
Thank you!