Morning vs Evening during early season????

humblehunter22

Senior Member
Touching base to see what the consensus is concerning hunting the mornings vs evenings in the early part of the season. Last year for me was by far my best season to date being able to finally get that danged ole monkey off my back and ended up dropping my 2 best bucks to date in my time of hunting. That being said I am looking to expand on that fortune and focus even more on consistency and the "productivity" of my hunts in terms of encounters/sightings while in the stand. It has been my frequent experience that no matter how early I attempt to go into the woods to set up or what I did strategy wise to avoid blowing the woods out for morning hunts it just has always been unavoidable no matter what especially during early season the agonizing sound of hoofs stomping the ground and blowing in all directions. I used to think that oh well it is what it is and would generally try to wait them out once I spooked them before resuming my trek into the woods to where I would eventually set up but even still after they seemed to wander off and disappear I would just about always have them come right back around before sunrise and seemingly peg me down in the tree I was in and proceed to blow and stomp for minutes on end to be sure to sound the "alarm" to notify the "others" in the area of the danger that was present. So my experience at least has been during the early season in the mornings at least for me have been all but spent watching silent empty woods and enjoying the warm temps with nothing to show. This season however I am looking to do the opposite of that and if it means fighting the itching temptation to go into the woods before sunrise and instead delay my approach until either mid day or afternoon so be it my aim is to increase my potential encounters and possible shot opportunities. I understand that it is not the end of the world if you "spook" deer and they are very likely to return later on or others will possibly come through an area but for me personally it seems that for my morning hunts I end up wasting more time and losing sleep than being productive on the stand. So my question is for those of you that religiously hit it hard in the heat of the early season when does it seem to be more productive for you morning or evening and if in the evening what is a general time frame that seems to be optimal to plan on being in the woods around?
 

BamaGeorgialine

Senior Member
Touching base to see what the consensus is concerning hunting the mornings vs evenings in the early part of the season. Last year for me was by far my best season to date being able to finally get that danged ole monkey off my back and ended up dropping my 2 best bucks to date in my time of hunting. That being said I am looking to expand on that fortune and focus even more on consistency and the "productivity" of my hunts in terms of encounters/sightings while in the stand. It has been my frequent experience that no matter how early I attempt to go into the woods to set up or what I did strategy wise to avoid blowing the woods out for morning hunts it just has always been unavoidable no matter what especially during early season the agonizing sound of hoofs stomping the ground and blowing in all directions. I used to think that oh well it is what it is and would generally try to wait them out once I spooked them before resuming my trek into the woods to where I would eventually set up but even still after they seemed to wander off and disappear I would just about always have them come right back around before sunrise and seemingly peg me down in the tree I was in and proceed to blow and stomp for minutes on end to be sure to sound the "alarm" to notify the "others" in the area of the danger that was present. So my experience at least has been during the early season in the mornings at least for me have been all but spent watching silent empty woods and enjoying the warm temps with nothing to show. This season however I am looking to do the opposite of that and if it means fighting the itching temptation to go into the woods before sunrise and instead delay my approach until either mid day or afternoon so be it my aim is to increase my potential encounters and possible shot opportunities. I understand that it is not the end of the world if you "spook" deer and they are very likely to return later on or others will possibly come through an area but for me personally it seems that for my morning hunts I end up wasting more time and losing sleep than being productive on the stand. So my question is for those of you that religiously hit it hard in the heat of the early season when does it seem to be more productive for you morning or evening and if in the evening what is a general time frame that seems to be optimal to plan on being in the woods around?
I like hunting both, but I learned a long time ago not to hunt directly over the food source in the evening. I busted way more deer out doing that and sitting in the stand for an hour after dark is worse than sitting in the dark an hour before daylight
 

humblehunter22

Senior Member
I like hunting both, but I learned a long time ago not to hunt directly over the food source in the evening. I busted way more deer out doing that and sitting in the stand for an hour after dark is worse than sitting in the dark an hour before daylight

See, I've never really encountered that issue much typically when I headed out in times past I usually always sucked it up and carried a good few bottles of water headed to my hunting sport around noon or so. Always, Always, Always for me the mornings have been a nightmare for me in terms of easing in undetected. I have left off as early as 3 to 4 hrs before sunrise to get into position and wait out sunrise 30 and still it has not mattered. It has been from the time I "bump" them in my experiences I have had the sorry jokers go as far as follow me dangern right to my tree and blow and stomp every few minutes or so. As well as mentioned I have had them bust me on the way in and disappear and then before sunrise is even around the corner there they'll be wandering into the area basically on a mission to find my tree and stomp and blow a good bit to alert the woodland creatures of my presence. Then basically it's all for naught as its just a spell of sitting around watching empty woods pouring sweat. Which dont get me wrong I enjoy every opportunity to hit the woods but by golly I am looking to refine my methods and start seeing more deer from the tree vs on the way in.
 

humblehunter22

Senior Member
Especially so for hunting public land I am a firm believer of not being "that guy" thats wandering around on foot during hunting hours if I can help it and generally speaking I am a fan of creating separation from myself & the "crowds" I enjoy targeting those "hard to access" areas or "hard to reach" areas simply because you just never know what to expect when you go for a nature walk sort of speak. And doing so on public in the morning time requires a rather earlier than usual approach to prevent disrupting anyone's hunt on the way in if I was to wait for "grey" light to begin my journey into the woods.
 

ssramage

Senior Member
I'm pretty much evening only during the early season. I may hunt some mornings if deer activity warrants it, but I'm picking stands that are easy to get into where I won't be drenched with sweat by the time I setup.
 

Hillbilly stalker

Senior Member
Early season it’s always hotter in the daytime, so deer feed at night when it cools off. Deer do not spook as bad in the dark as they do in the daylight. You will frequently bust deer or run them off when getting to your stand before daylight. Those deer do not run way off for miles. They stand silent and hope to identify the source. In the mean time while your climbing, they are listening. When an animal hears something, it knows exactly where it came from…..not just a general direction. That’s how they bust you as soon as it’s light enough to see. The best thing you can do is get there a little earlier and climb up as quietly as possible, noise discipline is so important, you can even blow a couple light bleats before light, it’s may give them a all clear signal or relax them a little. The key to bow hunting is to scout twice as much as you hunt. When you find a good feed tree, you also can find a good tree that will provide the best cover when you climb.

Some of those guys you see just walking thru the woods during hunting hours are actually scouting during the coolest part of the day. Those same guys are often dragging a corpse that evening. Of coarse they should always practice courtesy and never interfere with other hunters.

If you hunting just big deer, wait and scout about 1-1 1/2 hours after daylight which will give them time to leave the feed trees and bed. Be back to hunt your hot sign 2 hours before dark but be very quiet and play the wind. Big deer are easier to kill in the evening unless you have his bed pinned down, and then he will hear you leave if you don’t connect with him. It’s a big chess match and playing the game is where the fun is at. If you can find that very first tree dropping acorns or perssimons, you just about have to shoot in self defense…….there coming, don’t matter how hot, how windy or anything else….their coming.
 

humblehunter22

Senior Member
Hillbilly I really appreciate the information, at this specific point in time I am not necessarily after any "1" deer in specific or a hitlister I am more focused on increasing the frequency of encounters while "on the stand" during early season. I am comfortable finding them during rifle season I am not trying to get my act together and try to capitalize early on. And during rifle season I am nowhere near as "aware" of the pre dawn incursions just because generally speaking I still manage to see deer but during the early season it seems like once I bust them that is essentially all she wrote. I remember specifically 2 years back I was trying to ease my way along the edge of a section of powerline to cutt off into a secluded bottom I had scouted out and found good signs that to me were worth hunting. So I tried to plan for an early morning approach before dawn 2 hrs prior to sunrise to allow me plenty of time to ease my way in and monitor my noise on the way in. Mind you I was plenty familiar with the access trail and did not need the aid of a light during that 1st leg of the walk in. But still right as rain not even 30 minutes into my walk in and what do I hear but the overwhelming unanimous noise of deer blowing so many so I didnt know whether to laugh or cuss. I immediately dropped down in the brush and laid there for what seemed like an eternity like 20 minutes flat on my gut gear on my back and I go to ease up to check and see what the response would be and sure enough the blowing resumed and I had deer roaming all around me pegging me out in the darkness as mentioned trying to identify the unknown threat and sure as I sit here typing this out over a handful of them sorry jokers literally followed me through the woods to my spot.
 

Hillbilly stalker

Senior Member
Bow hunting is all about scouting. Learn the food sources. Where I am at, it’s muscadines first, then Red oaks and then White oaks and pin oaks. It takes a little while to learn how to read a feed tree, is it coming in….blistering hot….or going out ? There are too many snakes to be trouncing around without a small flashlight, for me anyways. Remember deer are wearing a fur coat, so if you can drop off in a good creek bottom or river bottom, the temperature is usually ~5 degrees lower, that makes a world of difference to the deer.
 

Kris87

Senior Member
I never hunt mornings in September unless I'm perched far away just to watch any bucks going back to bed.

I've killed all of my biggest GA bucks in September and all in the evenings. Too much risk to booger one up in the morning.
 

Hunter922

Senior Member
Depends on the property and what the camera is saying. Have killed mature deer in the AM and PM in early September. Agree that the deer don't change what they are doing because the season started, they are more active in the PM and over night because that's what they have been doing for the last 5-6 months.
This year will be different for us. We are giving up our long time Cobb property this is our last year on it. So it will be a Gold Tip slinging party from the first Am hunt on the 10TH til Jan. 31ST at last light.. Betting line over/ under is 18 for the two of us....
 

Raylander

I’m Billy’s Useles Uncle.
I’m a PM guy early season. It’s difficult for me to get in without bumping them in the AM on my property..
 

Sixes

Senior Member
Another evening hunter only until about the first week in October if it has cooled down by then.

There is no way that i would go in 3-4 hours before daylight.

#1. I'd be asleep snoring
#2. I'd be so sick of sitting there, that it would be time to climb down at daybreak.
#3. Deer will still bust you thru smell in the dark just as easily as in daylight.
#4. I'd be asleep snoring. I know I put that twice.

In my 35+ years of bowhunting, I've seen more deer around 930-11 than real early. The ones I see early are usually at daybreak or just a few minutes after. But come mid morning, unpressured deer seem to get up to snack.

If I hunt any mornings early, I usually go in right at or after daybreak to a stand that is already in place.
 

Sixes

Senior Member
I try to be in the stand 2.5 to 4 hours before dark no matter the time of year. I shoot for 330-400 the whole season
 

humblehunter22

Senior Member
Another evening hunter only until about the first week in October if it has cooled down by then.

There is no way that i would go in 3-4 hours before daylight.

#1. I'd be asleep snoring
#2. I'd be so sick of sitting there, that it would be time to climb down at daybreak.
#3. Deer will still bust you thru smell in the dark just as easily as in daylight.
#4. I'd be asleep snoring. I know I put that twice.

In my 35+ years of bowhunting, I've seen more deer around 930-11 than real early. The ones I see early are usually at daybreak or just a few minutes after. But come mid morning, unpressured deer seem to get up to snack.

If I hunt any mornings early, I usually go in right at or after daybreak to a stand that is already in place.


Only public land am I a fan of such an approach. Usually always like to get the creme of the crop parking spots and i like to take my time on my way into the woods as well i definitely dont hurry up to wait kind of thing ill just ease my way through trying to be as sound tolerant as possible. Prior military so my sleep schedules already off kilter anyways so it doesnt really bother me as much nowadays. Private land ill just hang around until maybe an hour before sunrise and go get in the stand.
 

OffTheBeatnPath

Senior Member
I’ve had good luck with both! It typically depends on the property and food source like stated above! If I can slip in somewhere from above deer that have been feeding in a bottom and let my thermals rise in the morning , that is what I prefer to do. But it really just depends on your entrance, the lay of the land, and preferred food source. I blew a lot of deer out in mornings and afternoons In my younger years thinking I could hunt wherever morning or afternoon, I’ve had a lot more success when I paid attention to a lot of the factors mentioned above
 

humblehunter22

Senior Member
I’ve had good luck with both! It typically depends on the property and food source like stated above! If I can slip in somewhere from above deer that have been feeding in a bottom and let my thermals rise in the morning , that is what I prefer to do. But it really just depends on your entrance, the lay of the land, and preferred food source. I blew a lot of deer out in mornings and afternoons In my younger years thinking I could hunt wherever morning or afternoon, I’ve had a lot more success when I paid attention to a lot of the factors mentioned above


Exactly what I am trying to accomplish is from the careless tactics and approach that has more times than naught proven to be wastes of time spent in the stand. Vs paying a bit more attention to the conditions, the resources and my approach in hopes of increasing encounters and potential opportunities of success.
 
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