What time do you usually see deer out?

[foxtrapper]

Just wondering. How often do you see them in the afternoon and at what time mostly?

I considered trying to force my night owl self to allow for a morning hunt, but my game cam pics show a lot of activity from 5-7am, so if I came in to climb the stand at 5am, I'd spook them all away and they may not come back. At 4am, I'd have to wait too long and have to pee by 6, and...spook them all away before legal light. LOL- female dilemmas...

So my usual thing is set up at 3 and sit till 5. One day my dad and I will build a nice treated wood raised blind structure with enough room inside for me and a drywall bucket, and small slots to shoot through. I could even camp out in there if I want ( with the bucket moved to outside...).

 

[BUFF7MM]

I pretty much see them all day long, but I hunt West Virginia, I've usually got one on the ground early in the AM, but I've also had luck within an hour or two of sunset.

 

[lilmike1464]

I try to get out between 545 and 615 so when others around me start to head out they send them my way. Not working as well this year. Deer are so scarce where I'm hunting for some reason, probably because of the timbering on top the mountain.

 

[Inigoes]

In SoMD with no huntin pressure, they are moving around dusk. Its good to be setup at 3, and wait to let the deer come to you.

 

[engineerbrian]

We see them all day too. I generally don't worry if the trail cam says that they are there when I'm walking in, they'll come back.

Heck, just yesterday I kicked up deer walking into my stand for both the morning hunt and evening hunt and at the end of the day 4 deer were hanging.

 

[rseymorejr]

Have you considered Depends? LOL!
In my experience the deer generally start moving around about the time I make it back to my truck.

 

[MeatGrinder]

I am not a morning person either! With a feeder you can, to some extent, create a pattern, as opposed to trying to figure out theirs.

There are guys who get out well before daybreak. But, after that heroic effort, they go in to nap come mid morning. Deer are out there all 24 hours. The biggest that I have taken have all been mid day.

Do what works for you and don't worry about it.

 

[fabsroman]

Got a 6 point buck on morning when I arrived late to the farm. Everybody was out in their stands already, so I just walked out behind the house and camped out. Around 10:00 am, here comes a 6 pointer my way. Turns out a 2nd year hunter had gotten out of his stand to come back to the house and pushed this deer my way. The kid was so pissed because the deer was bedded down 100 yards down the hill from him. Essentially, the deer was between he and I, and he pushed him out of his bed and to within 50 yards of me.

I've also killed deer at noon, 2:00, 3:00, etc. It just depends on what is happening around them. They can be easily pushed toward you by other people. Had a group of about 10 run past me one day as I was sitting in a group of trees on the top of a hill. They stopped at 100 yards. I dropped one. They stopped again at 150 yards to look back. I dropped another. They entered the wood. They came back out of the woods 200 yards away from me headed to another small patch of wood. So, I dropped another. Went back to the house to get my dad, the farm owner, and a couple other guys watching the Florida State v/ Florida game and/or snoozing. I walked in and they said, "Gave up already". My response, "Nope, I have three on the ground." Took a second for it to sink in.

Hunt whenever you can. If you don't get out there at all, you surely will not get anything.

 

[BlackBart]

It can happen anytime, don't overlook humans lunch time.... they make em move but my favorite is from 1500 on.........

 

[JPG]

Just wondering. How often do you see them in the afternoon and at what time mostly?

I considered trying to force my night owl self to allow for a morning hunt, but my game cam pics show a lot of activity from 5-7am, so if I came in to climb the stand at 5am, I'd spook them all away and they may not come back. At 4am, I'd have to wait too long and have to pee by 6, and...spook them all away before legal light. LOL- female dilemmas...

So my usual thing is set up at 3 and sit till 5. One day my dad and I will build a nice treated wood raised blind structure with enough room inside for me and a drywall bucket, and small slots to shoot through. I could even camp out in there if I want ( with the bucket moved to outside...).

Here you go.

 

[foxtrapper]

I considered one of those. But does it have a top? And will deer get spooky about your pee near the stand? I have to get these deer to 30 yds or less cuz using open sights.

 

[BlackBart]

I considered one of those. But does it have a top? And will deer get spooky about your pee near the stand? I have to get these deer to 30 yds or less cuz using open sights.

deer can definitely smell pee, laundry detergent, perfume, BO ect........... I always took a gallon milk jug with me and yes it had a cap.... most urinals do as well. Go to some medical supply place or a good pharmacy, tell them your grandfather pees the bed or something...........

 

[danb]

I see the most deer when/ where I cant shoot them.

Other than that, I'd stick with hard evidence. I dont worry about spooking them, they usually come back if you are in decent cover and in a spot they want to be (eg food). Heck, I've shot deer and had more deer come back.

If they are on the trail cam 5-7, id wonder where they going and where there at at 730. Late season, if allowed, corn or treats can make their mind up for you.

 

[tomandjerry00]

110% location, time of year and weather dependent.

Averages out to probably 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BossmanPJ]

I usually don't see a lot in the morning where I hunt. The afternoon is much better because they are moving to the cornfield in the evening.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

There are lots of "other issues" involved in answering your question.

Many have been identified by others:hunting pressure being a big one. I like the late afternoon before a major weather change (when snow and or a major drop in temp is coming is great). They need to load up on food so they can bed in cover.

Truly though, I've seen them come in at all times and literally in all weather although they're very spooky when it's windy because they can't scent reliably. Interestingly, when you're on (or more importantly in) a stand, they have a sneaky way of crossing behind you.

Scent control is important. Some would say critical. That said, I've watched someone smoking, peeing and successfully shooting a deer...all at the same time. there may or may not have been a cup of coffee involved too.

My buddy and I were once sitting in a blind, smoking stogies, when a buck walked within 15 yards and looked right in at us as if to say "what the heck are you two doing in there?". (NO, not that! Get your minds OUT of the gutter.). Get the pee jar/portable urinal. Use it. It won't be what makes or breaks a successful hunt. Just don't drain it near your stand.

 

[44man]

as a rule I see them from dawn until 8ish and then when other hunters go to lunch and then in the last hour of light. you can see them anytime someone else is moving them around though.

 

[lsw]

I don't hunt but I see them in the narrow wooded area behind my house (Randallstown area; we're lucky enough to have 100 yards of woods on either side of a watershed-protected stream that runs behind our block) all times of the day.

Just a few weeks ago I was out in my yard around 7:30pm and in my neighbor's yard saw the biggest buck I've ever seen in the metropolitan area. The deer around here are pretty tame, so he wasn't scared off immediately even though I had turned a light on. I counted at least 8 points.

 

[mark71211]

Depends on the time of year and where I'm hunting. Let's say I'm in my favorite spot down past Salisbury in a pine thicket and this time of year. In the morning they move from 8:30 -10:30 then for the evening it's 3:30 till dark. During early ML I have shot bucks from that spot from 11-1

 

[Melnic]

There are some that believe in the solunar tables.
I think there is more to it than that. I've spent time looking at solunar table app as I spot deer outside of hunting and it. In general, most of the time it matches but not always. One time at midnight coming from Wheaton ice rink I spotted about 20 deer in the neighborhood as I was driving out of Wheaton. It was at the beginning of a Major Peak in Solunar table.
I feel that urban Deer sort of follow their own schedule as far as location of where they go based on human movement or lack there of as discussed above in previous posts.

We are adjacent to a park and not that far from a creek. My son twice went into the woods last week during the day during a Solunar minor peak and found deer within 15 minutes. That being said, where they go and when they move has a big part in it. Saturday Solunar said peak was 12:29PM, and next major peak was not starting till 4:56PM, but I heard about 20 individual shots in the public hunting area I was between 3:45 and 4:45.

I'm new to deer hunting but if there is a good book to read, I know my son and I would spend the time to read up on Deer behavior.

I don't know if the deer were out in fields because of the warm sun that afternoon then came in after it started to cool or what. I have to believe there is some logic in what they do based on the environment and what has been happening for the previous say 24 hours.