Best Time of Day to Hunt Deer?

riverwalker76 · 11-21-2009, 12:50 PM

What do all of you believe to be the best time of day to hunt deer?

A friend of mine and myself are in an on going debate right now, and I need some 'fuel for the fire' so to speak.

I believe the best time to hunt is between the hours of 3:30p.m. and nightfall with the best time being twilight, or what I call the "witching hour". I've taken more bucks during evening twilight than I ever have during the morning hours. As a matter of fact, I've stopped going early in the morning altogether. I go to my hunting spot around 3 P.M., and since I've started doing this I've taken more deer than I ever did hunting 5 A.M. to nightfall.

What are your opinions?

railbuggy · 11-21-2009, 05:40 PM

Have to agree with Riverwalker.I don't hunt anymore,but most deer sighting when I did were late afternoon to dark.

**sjohnson** · 11-21-2009, 06:24 PM

In over 40 years of hunting, I've seen them at all times of the day, never did find any pattern.

One of the dumbest bucks I ever shot came within 30 feet of the pickup while I was eating lunch. He didn't even flinch as I almost spilled hot coffee all over myself scrambling out to make the kill. Quickly finished lunch, moved the pickup over to him and field dressed him.

He could only have made it easier if he would have jumped into the bed while he waited for me to shoot him

Black Blade · 11-21-2009, 08:08 PM

It just seems that most of mine have been taken in the early morning just before sun up on opening day. Don't know the reason but it seems to have usually worked out that way for some reason.

IRONMULE · 11-21-2009, 08:37 PM

Hello I had most of my sucess both bucks and does during afternoon til dusk, only gotten a very few deer during the morning hours. I perfer the late afternoon hunts.IRONMULE

Thylacine · 11-21-2009, 10:06 PM

Just about any time after dark on the highway.

chopper · 11-21-2009, 10:17 PM

day time

Black Blade · 11-21-2009, 10:25 PM

I was at the gun club this afternoon and I came across this nice little four-point Muley as I left out the back way just as the sun was setting.

This was his lucky day. I wasn't out for the hunt.

mnhunter59 · 11-21-2009, 10:33 PM

I think it depends on the spot. I have a few different places and some are good in the morning while others are good in the afternoon. When the rut is in full swing any time of day is good. I've killed bucks in mid day walking to or from my stand while they were chasing does. I think the best time to kill deer is when your in the woods. I was going to say that you can't kill them sitting on the couch, but I heard of that too..

**sjohnson** · 11-22-2009, 12:49 AM

Talk about chasing does, I finished field-dressing a doe my Dad shot and was waiting for him to find his way to me with the pickup. I'm sure I had doe scent all over me.

Dumb buck gets a whiff and comes trotting up, almost to me.

I didn't know it but a skid down a hill had knocked my scope way out of whack. 3 or 4 shots at 20 yards missed the young man, I was beginning to doubt my nerve!

I sighted down the barrel and nailed him.

He was so enamored of the dead doe he never hardly moved!

Two deer for the price of one trip