Favorite time of day to hunt?

[grouse]

Right now, morning hunting is even more appealing than usual. Until standard time comes back (Sunday) shooting hours start a few minutes after 7:00a. I hunt on land where I have a house so I can sleep until 6:15 and still be in my stand in plenty of time. I'm also retired now and life is pretty good.

[paulaboutform]

Pretty much the exact same sentiments as the o.p.. The evenings do seem more productive here as well but I love the early morning hunts. I'm also not a fan of wandering around in the dark in grizzly country....a bit of a puckering experience.

Paul

[ROGER THAT]

Mornings the Best Time To Hunt For Me

[sproulman]

I n gun season here in pa when crews drive mornings are best..Its hard to archery hunt in mornings as you can spook deer more ..Afternoon hunts to dark are best no doubt about that ..I have bright Vichelo headlamp and GPS to mark waypoints and if i get buck usually i come out in dark ...I use deer cart to haul my Bucks out of worst cover you will ever see ..

coyotes scared me tonight barking I hate that..

[Mmiller385]

I love that 9-12 hunt. I have killed more bucks during that time frame.

[Onetimeonly x-->]

Do you have a favorite time of day to hunt? I have never been a journal keeper but I think I see more deer in the evening. It seems to me that when the shadows start to creep over open areas deer start to move more predictably than at any other time of the day and it can be magical.

That said, morning is my favorite time of day to hunt. It is usually wet and I can be quiet and unseen as I walk to my stand (I never use a flashlight). My leakproof, well insulated coffee mug comes out when I get settled in my stand and I can sit and enjoy watching the world wake up. Crows and cardinals start calling, ducks fly by, raccoons head back to their dens and squirrels start to drive me nuts. And I might see a deer or turkey also!

Another reason I like mornings is if I hit a deer I have plenty of time to track it, if necessary. Where I hunt, shooting hours are from one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. A deer hit in that last half hour can end up being awfully hard to find, and the risk of losing it to many factors is great.

Any time of day is a good time to hunt (I've killed deer at noon) but I enjoy mornings the most. I would love to hear your preferences.

Evenings for me, although getting many more camera shots in the morning lately. Flashlight for me also, light or no light the deer know your there. Smell and the sound of the underbrush as you walk in. Would hate to become a statistic and I'm on private land. Hunt safe and collect them before the yotes do...

[acreek]

On days during the rut when temps get no higher that 45-48* Fahrenheit, I love hunting between 11:00 am and 1:30 pm. The woods explodes with big bruisers cruising around and chasing does. Saw a big one at 11:45 yesterday in fact, even though temps had climbed past 50*. Otherwise I prefer mornings. With this year's warm temps, I've only seen two deer during late afternoon sits, one was a shooter 10 though. Go figure.

[newbie]

I live being in the woods as they wake up... nothing better.
Having said that i prefer afternoon hunts. Getting to my stands requires crossing fields where they normally are feeding. im set up between bedding and feeding. I just plain dont jump deer in the afternoon and see a ton more.
tracking at night is no big deal if you have the proper light. I bought a neutral colour light about 4 years ago and blood pops with this thing.
Plus if i need a hand the seasonal farm workers are usually done in the bunk house for the evening and they jump at the chance to see/watch and help.

[grouse]

"Plus if i need a hand the seasonal farm workers are usually done in the bunk house for the evening and they jump at the chance to see/watch and help"

A farm with a bunkhouse? Do you hunt on the Ponderosa?

[newbie]

"Plus if i need a hand the seasonal farm workers are usually done in the bunk house for the evening and they jump at the chance to see/watch and help"

A farm with a bunkhouse? Do you hunt on the Ponderosa?

never had to hunt there.... just place your order and wait.

[grouse]

"Plus if i need a hand the seasonal farm workers are usually done in the bunk house for the evening and they jump at the chance to see/watch and help"

A farm with a bunkhouse? Do you hunt on the Ponderosa?

never had to hunt there.... just place your order and wait.

It took me a minute to get that one. I'm not onto fine dining.

[Scarecrow]

Went back and did a little calculating based on my hunt log spreadsheet. I guess I am going to like the morning more from now on...... I see 1 buck for every 2 does in the morning. In the evening I see 1 buck for every 6 does. I like the morning ratio much more!!!

[grouse]

What might be even more instructive would be how many bucks you see per morning outing and how many bucks you see per evening outing. You may be seeing so many more total deer in the evening that you still see more bucks in the evening. That is if your focus is bucks. I'm more of a meat hunter and, though I get more meat from a buck, I would rather see does frequently and get the opportunity to harvest one, than to concentrate on just getting a shot at a buck. To each his own, it's all good either way.

[Sopchoppy]

I have always preferred morning hunts but especially since I passed the Medicare age. Dragging deer out of the woods in the dark is not the problem unless it's like 2 nights ago. Put a Gold Tip thru a doe about 45 minutes before dark and she ran straight down hill about 40 yards but slid another 20 on a steep incline covered with leaves. That's tough on an old man pulling 2 steps at a time. I still would have had to pull uphill in the morning but the howling coyotes wouldn't have spooked the ole man.

[Doe Master]

I am not a night owl so morning hunts have always been easy to do .
Most of my hunting has always been done in the bush not on fields . So for me I would be busting deer out for an afternoon hunt . Also same reasons many have given here . Far easier to track in daylight and you can see if your quarry is just moving ahead of you .
For me leaving a deer overnight is not a possibility with coyotes .