I have a freind ribbing me about my lack of hunting in the morning over the years. I say he is ruining his hunting area bustin in there in the dark spooking animals, (and tease him that I have a larger trophy wall). I set the alarm for the morning and there are only 2 things that keep me from going. 1 is if it is raining moderately or worse, and 2 is if it is early. Dang I don't get to go out to often in the morning. :bigsmyl:
I'd vote but you don't have a both category.
I hunt morning, evening and all day if that's when the deer want to move.
I can't say I've seen more bucks at one time or the other either.
I like both. Depending on weather and activity sometimes I'll only hunt the middle of the day.
I too am an all day hunter.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I hunt in the a.m. , not by choice ( #%$^&$# work )
morning (as in sunup) is tough to hunt in my area so I guess I would be considerd a evening guy.
I hunt both but can honestly say that I see more deer in the morning.
Over the years I've found that I almost always shoot whitetails in the evenings and mule deer in the mornings...
I rarely hunt whitetails in the morning simply due to the difficulty of getting to a stand w/o bumping animals. Much easier to get to a stand when the deer are in bedding cover, provided you don't hunt too close to it.
Mule deer tend to be morning hunts as I hunt them spot & stalk, i.e., locate a suitable candidate by glassing, put him to bed, then attempt a stalk later in the morning after he's settled in and the thermals have stabilized. This usually means one stalk per day. This is the closest thing to a sure shot in bowhunting, once you get the hang of it.
I did hunt a morning stand a couple days ago as conditions were right and the stand is 50 yards from my barn. Had a 3 point toy buck come by around 0700 and hang around at 10 yards or less for better than 5 minutes. He put on quite a show, rubbing his little antlers. He eventually wandered off, never knowing my H1 and I were in chip shot range. I whispered a thanks for the show and told him to come back in 4 years...
I hunt when I can.Given a choice I had rather shoot in the morning because working with daylight and having more time is a plus.But just like when you hunt, you shoot when you can as well. :)
My wife likes me home for dinner so AM is a large percentage of my hunts. I do hunt the evenings too .
I hunt whenever I can....morning, eve, afternoon...Whenever I can be out there.
I'd say evening 90% of the time.I'll hunt mornings,but it's quite a bit more convenient for me to hunt evenings.
I've seen more big bucks in the evening,but that's also probably because I hunt primarily in the evening so it's just logical that I'd see more then.
i hunt when the deer are on the move and a lot of deer have been taken between 11 am and 2 pm, so i don't limit my time to morning or evening. all day is good!
Morning, evening and all day when possible
I hunt both mornings and evenings. Love the morning hunts, to watch the dark begin to fade and light take over. To hear the morning become alive, makes it worth getting up early for me. Seems though that evening hunts are just as productive. I love 'em both. Can't seem to sit all day; my Wife calls me "fidgit", cause I can't stay still for too long.
I do both as well.Where I hunt I see more deer in the p.m.,but see more bucks in the morning.I am subject to go any time.If I am off work and not hunting I always think that big buck is near my stand right now.The next thing I know I'm in the stand.
Both, but I've become more of a morning hunter as the years have gone by.
I hunt both but prefer the morning just for the simple fact I like to be out there sitting in my stand, when the sun rises. If this bumps a few deer or puts me at a disadvantage so be it. The deer is not all I came for.
Also you are gaining light if you hit one you have all day to find him. Good Hunting
Hey great stuff folks thanks. I guess my point on it is the deer have less of an idea they are being hunted on a property when in those quiet early morning hours there isn't a vehicle pulling up lights in the field, clumsy humnter walking thru the woods and climbing a stand. If you have ever been out there and settled in when another person pulls up and walks in you realize just how quiet you are not and there is no real "sneaking in".
Where as in the usually breezy, background noise afternoon you can more easily sneak in, and when no deer are around at closing, sneak out. Just my 2 cents. Works for me and I would rather get my sleep.
;)
I hunt all day for deer. For elk its a different situation. In the country I hunt (Oregon Coast) if an elk goes a ways after getting hit and you can't find it in daylight finding it in the dark can be dangerous. If it is left out overnight it may very well spoil as they are a big animal and our early season is preety warm. Deer don't seem to spoil if left out overnight so if I hit one near dark I don't worry about it spoiling if I can't find it safely.Also there is the coyote and cougar problem and we have quite a few of them and they are more than happy to eat YOUR kill. One time losing an elk to coyotes is enough to curb your desire to hunt them near dark. JMHO Frank
I have morning stands and eve. stands I hunt when ever I get a chance and I will hunt all day. I might change stands and I might stay in the same stand all day, alot depends on the situation. One thing for sure you arent going to kill anything laying in bed or siting in the truck. If I get off work in time I am an eve. hunter, If I can come in to work late thin I am a morning hunter, if I can get the day off I will hunt all day. I will say this I have been deer hunting for 38 years and I have killed more deer in the morning. The 4 bigest bucks I have killed I have killed between 12 noon and 2:00 p.m. and have killed several deer in the very late after noon. HUNT WHENEVER YOU GET A CHANCE AND YOU WILL KILL MORE DEER. Anytime is a good time.
Am's. But will hunt all day if I can during rut.
Just like mornings better.
Mostly all of my hunts are in the evenings. Deer activity seems more then.
I am not a morning person. I MUCH prefer to hunt evenings, or...late mornings, like 9:00 on. I have seen plenty of bucks mid day.
Amazing how most people on the poll hunt at a certain time frame and see most of their big bucks during that very same time frame !
ChuckC :knothead:
Monday-Friday I hunt the evening
Saturday's I hunt all day
Bowdude, I definately agree with you that hunting in the am is a lot harder and I'm sure I've educated a few deer in my day. I spend way more time thinking and planning my morning stands, and the routes to get to them, than pm stands. Like others have said, the am experience is worth the tradeoff.
If your are not hunting you are not learning. I hunt both. While hunting whitetails we have stands and blinds for both morning, evening, and different winds.
Morning and afternoon; normally mornings at 6:30 we are already in our ground blinds; afternoon at 3:30 PM we are back in place. The best we have taken are afternoon bucks.
over here in NZ any time. :archer: when i get out
In Utah our bow season starts in middle August. So I hunt in the morning when it is cool. I also hunt in the afternoon and evening, when ever I can. Just love beening outdoors.
I hunt evenings. I just got back from a 'kind of'hunt. A paint stallion got in with my mares; and I spent nearly three hours; and walked about 4 miles rounding them up - etc. In the process; as they are on the river for pasture; I saw a load of deer. The horses really work well for driving deer. :(
I got back just now; at 9:30. If I wanted to get up; feed the dogs and get to a spot to hunt; I would get little- if any- sleep.
So- for me its a matter of what is practical. I am not and have never been: a morning person. I love mornings; and enjoy them at least 4 or 5 times a year! :)
I will hunt in the afternoon and evening every day of the month long hunt; but going to bed late( I don't hit the pillow and fall to sleep) and getting up early: is not my cup of tea.
I have seen a lot of elk and deer this season; and even hunted one morning !!
But I am an evening hunter; and I rarely am punished for it.
I have a new computer and for whatever setting; I cannot hit the poll buttons and go anywhere; and ditto for the instant gremlins..
If I could have voted it would have been for evenings..
All day. I've killed some of my deer at 11am-1pm. Of course I've also had success in the morning and the evening.
I hunt as much as possible. I never miss a morning
when I am able, or an evening. Midday if I am able.
Overall deer sightings are best in the evenings,
but the best bucks I have seen and taken have been in the mornings. During the late season, almost no one hunts in the morning, and the deer have learned this. This is when almost all my hunting is morning only.
BOTH AND ALL DAY.
Danny
I just love those 945am till 3 pm days..or maybe sit till dark from ten..
I hunt both. I hate waking up early, and tracking after dark is tough so they both have their disadvantages. Sometimes I'll go in mid-morning, got my first bow-buck that way (overslept that time). Behind my house if I go in before light all I do is push the deer that have been feeding in my yard and fields and they don't come back for the evening hunt. If I go in after light I can catch the deer returning from a nearby alfalfa field, nibbling on acorns as they go. Depends on the situation and the terrain (to quote my marine Dad).
I hunt both and all day when I can. Prefer morning as trailing at night is frustrating for me as I don't pick up blood as well as I once did.
From end of Oct.-Thanksgiving try to spend all day when I can.Late season I prefer morning as it seems that deer move more when it warms up some.
Regardless I hunt when and as long as I can.
I like hunting either, but hunting in the evening always feels to me like I'm fighting the clock. In the morning, I can relax into the woods and enjoy stuff, but hunting within a few hours of dusk, I'm always more tense than I ought to be.
It's dumb but as the huntable light slips away, it's like I'm constantly fighting the urge to 'hunt faster'. Heh.
I can't honestly vote on this one. Some years i do better in the mornings and some years i do better in the evenings. I'm usualy in the woods whenever i feel like it and just love to watch the sun come up in the mornings. I bump deer all the time in the dark and yes, it bugs me, but i don't hunt them anyway. I catch the next group that come through and the stagglers that pass by in the middle of the day. Time flys by while on the stand for me and anymore if its pooring down the rain, well i'm on the porch or by the fire...
I don't hunt in the rain much anymore due to aches and pains.
I didn't think the question limited you to one or the other. I prefer evening; however, I'm also out there mornings and all day at times. I think my deer sightings are pretty equal between mornings and evenings, but there is no question that I see more big bucks in the mornings.
I usually try and hunt all day, and frankly see more deer between the hours of 10am to 3 pm.
Both for me, hey Monty the only reason you like those hrs is that you always get that 1:00 buck.
I used to be able to pop out bed without an alarm and be in the woods an hour before light. Getting tougher every year to get out from under the covers, but I force myself out when I know the deer are moving. Once i'm out there though, I wonder why I thought it was such a chore. Where else would I want to be!
I have shot more deer in the morning, especially when it is bitterly cold. Deer seem more sluggish. I love nice calm peaceful evenings and have seen more large bucks at this time, just haven't connected with as many. Heck, I'll hunt any time.
Burnsie
I voted evening, as I like you do not like to get up. That may seem funny as I work 5am. to 1:30pm., so I am up at 4am, every morning. I have killed all my big bucks after 1pm as well and 80% of all others in the pm. I voted am as when I have had my best big buck sighting, but because of thermals and such have a hrader time killing them. I also believe that early season(oct.13th-Nov 1st.) here in my part of NY hunting mornings does more harm than good as it educates deer and buggars them too much. I will say though from the 3rd. of Nov. until the 20th. i am in the woods pretty much from sunrise to sunset with maybe a break for lunch or such. Shawn
I also should note that is why I hate turkey hunting anymore, mornings are just not for me. Shawn
I hunt both but I have shot most of my deer during bow season in the pm. I think it depends on where you hunt. I have talked to hunters who are both sides of the fence and some who are in the middle.
I'm afraid of the dark, I only hunt when the sun is at it's brightest! :eek:
plus I need my beauty sleep.... :scared: