Mornings or Evenings for deer hunting?

[Kat]

Do you prefer hunting in the morning or the evening? And does your preference change with the weapon you’re using? I myself prefer mornings for both bow and gun. I love sneaking in under cover of darkness and watching the daybreak, and I would much rather follow a bloodtrail and drag a deer out in the daytime. The number of deer I see is about equal during the morning and evening, although I do tend to see more bucks in the morning. Actually, of the eight deer I’ve killed so far, only one, (the one in my avatar) was taken in the evening. I’ve also been staying on stand a lot longer than I used to. Last year I stayed til 11 or noon usually; this year I may try to do a few all day hunts during the rut. But if you can’t hunt all day, which do you prefer?

 

[Shredder]

Sems like it depends on the year but I tend to prefer morning hunts over evening hunts as well. Last fall, the deer I killed were both in the morning and the majority of my sightings were in the mornings.

 

[Ghost]

For me, there is nothing better than a frost covered morning in November. Watching the woods come to life and waiting to hear the crunching of frost covered leaves.

 

[iowachip]

I have better luck in morn,but i dont tell my wife that, i hunt in the evenings to get away,

Vaction in a Cold corn feild,

 

[simplesimon]

Prefer the morning. I see more deer actvity in the morning than I do in the evening and also leaves time to spend with the family if you harvest one the morning.

 

[Fletch]

Whenever I can be in the stand. Generally mornings, however, for the reasons stated above. Afternoons are usually easier since the winds are predictable and stable and an undetected approach to the stand is easier to pull off. I've seen about an equal number of big bucks in both mornings and evenings, but see the most deer in the a.m. Particularly in stands near bedding areas during the rut. Man I can't wait!

 

[Guest]

Depends on which area I am going to hunt.It is kinda split between the properties I hunt.Some areas are more active in the morning and then others in the afternoon.The wind plays a big part and it seems it is more predictable in the afternoon and easier to get to stand unnoticed.I do like hunting in the morning for the sight of seeing the woods come to life.

 

[Bowhunt]

I prefer mornings during November and early season I love hunting in the evening on alfafla fields!

 

[KSQ2]

I've shot more deer in the evening, but I like mornings the best, makes for a more enjoyable time blood trailing and field-dressing, etc. To me though, ANYTIME spent in a stand is my favorite time!

 

[Windwalker]

I'm with ghost nothing like watching the world come to life in the morning

 

[iowachip]

talking about the world comeing alive, i love to stay out after hunting is done and over with, and watch the night life come out

 

[NWBuck]

It's a time of season thing for me. Early October I'd prefer evening and may choose to not hunt in the AM at all. Come November though, mornings are the ticket.

NWBuck

 

[Liv4Rut]

It all depends on the weather for me, if it is a cold drizzly day with overcast, during late october - mid november I would take nights anytime if that was the situation. If it was crisp cold and frosty the mornings are my favorite. I guess no matter the weather, as long as im out there no matter if it is morning, midday, afternooon that is my favorite time to hunt

 

[scout]

The vast majority of the bucks I've killed have been in the evening. I suppose thats because I hunt afternoons more/longer. The main reason is being able to get in undetected. Lots of cover noise going on. Once you get cold in the mornings you can't warm-up in the stand and end up less alert or head out @ 10 am! Evening hunts turn dark before the bone chilling sets in. For me it's that last 15 minutes of light! I'd take it over the first 15 minutes anyday of the week.
When you can hear a deer chewing bean leaves 150 yards away in the still of night, when sound travels like a lazer beam, I find it hard to convince myself I've snuck anywhere! I've waited for morning twilight rather than walk into a pokey bush in total darkness. Lights are for tracking and emergengy situations. As for tracking deer in the dark. Well - massive hemorage solves that problem. You can't shoot and HOPE you hit the mark. I strive for the slam dunks or pass. (dun lernt da hard way)

 

[hillrunner]

I agree with NWbuck, In early October I see a lot more movement in the evening, and would prefer to hunt then, But nothing beats a crisp November morning!

 

[JNRBRONC]

I'll wake up early to crawl into a stand any day of the week even though my "harvest percentage" leans towards evening hunts. I really like being out in the early mornings and seeing things come to life, but it is also satisfying to have that last 15 minutes of extreme action before the sun goes down.

 

[Kat]

Scout, you are right about getting cold in the morning. I also do the ‘slam dunk or pass’ on my shots, but have only had one major hemorrhaging blood trail to follow, this was a shotgun shot at 30 yards which took out the top of a bucks heart. All the others were textbook heart/lung shots (shotgun and bow) and one jugular shot (shotgun, that was a good bloodtrail too,) but the heart/lung shot bloodtrails were pretty much sparse to nonexistent – they all bled internally; when I opened them up they were flooded. Luckily, they all ran less than fifty yards. This doesn’t mean I won’t shoot that monster buck at sunset, just saying that a perfect shot doesn’t guarantee a good blood trail.
I’m switching broadheads this year, hopefully the bloodtrails will be better now.

 

[PAHunter]

Around here,I perfer mornings which are 80% of my hunts,mainly because I work steady 3-11.To me it seems like most deer are more at ease in the mornings than evenings for the most part.Probably due to,the long undisturbed nights which puts them in a more relaxed state in the morning.And your more likely to see deer all morning,whereas the last 1/2 hour seems like the norm for evenings around here.They seem more cautious in the evenings,due to all the daily disturbances.What evenings I do manage to hunt,are usually too hot and buggy in the early season.And it never fails where you get your ocassional kid on a A.T.V.or horseback riders in the area.So I'll take the peaceful morning hunts any day,only exception being the rut.I'll hunt both mornings and evenings at this time with some vacation time I managed to save. Hopefully it will be a blood bath.

 

[okla hawkeye]

I am into the evenings. I have seen some BIG deer in the mornings but always seem to connect at night.

 

[SaskGuy]

Any time is good with me and I can't really pick a favorite. I always seem to get real excited about morning hunts b/c I love watching the world come to life with the sunrise and I'm always confident I'll see a good buck in the morning, this doesn't always happen but I'm always confident it will. Evening hunts are great too, most of my evening spots are evening spots for one reason, I can't get in undetected in the morning, that's why I go into them in the afternoon for a sit. I have to agree that that last bit of light before dark is an exciting window of opportunity. I hunt both and like to hunt both but I'd prefer morning, just that morning atmosphere gets me excited. The thought of a poor hit in the evening scares me a little, i don't want a good one to make it back to the big timber where he could go anywhere and the only place I could be the next day is work. Once again I hunt both and like both but I prefer the a.m, most of my evening spots are that because of necessity, if I had all day, every day to go after them, I'd never miss a morning.