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Post by Foggy on Oct 25, 2021 18:40:21 GMT -6
OK....what is your experience on the best time of day to shoot a GOOD buck?
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Post by Catscratch on Oct 25, 2021 18:52:48 GMT -6
Shot this one after several hrs of sitting in the morning rain. Sometime after 9:30am if I remember right.
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Post by Catscratch on Oct 25, 2021 18:55:00 GMT -6
I've got a ton of videos just like this one that I've taken between between 10am and 1pm.
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Post by Reagan on Oct 25, 2021 18:59:43 GMT -6
My best buck was at 10:30 in a bedding area. Had several other mid day encounters in that area.
My next three biggest were killed in the evening
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Post by wklman on Oct 25, 2021 20:50:25 GMT -6
Early morning for me. That's during the rut in rifle season. Now bow I'd say evening is best.
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Post by Freeborn on Oct 26, 2021 6:08:03 GMT -6
Best buck I have harvested was 9am, the past 6 bucks have all been evening bucks, right at dusk.
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Post by Sandbur on Oct 26, 2021 7:22:06 GMT -6
The best time is the first good shot that you get!
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Post by Catscratch on Oct 26, 2021 7:44:44 GMT -6
I'm guessing the info is always going to be heavy leaning. I spend a lot more time hunting in the morning and evening than I do mid-day. I imagine most hunters can say the same. So, it would stand to reason that most deer are shot when most people are hunting (mornings and evenings). That doesn't mean those are the best times to hunt, even if that's when most bucks are shot.
To be honest there are places I hunt that I never see deer before 8:00am, and places I hunt that I never see deer after the first 30 minuets of daylight. I can get pretty antsy thinking about chores and stuff that I need to do if I haven't seen anything for a couple of hours.
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Post by Foggy on Oct 26, 2021 8:37:52 GMT -6
I'm guessing the info is always going to be heavy leaning. I spend a lot more time hunting in the morning and evening than I do mid-day. I imagine most hunters can say the same. So, it would stand to reason that most deer are shot when most people are hunting (mornings and evenings). That doesn't mean those are the best times to hunt, even if that's when most bucks are shot. To be honest there are places I hunt that I never see deer before 8:00am, and places I hunt that I never see deer after the first 30 minuets of daylight. I can get pretty antsy thinking about chores and stuff that I need to do if I haven't seen anything for a couple of hours. Yep....I get restless after a couple hours too.....so usually need some kinda change. The real reason to get this survey for me......is that I would like some data to show my grandsons about the best times to hunt. They dont always take my word as gospel. Grin. I've been working to get them to stay on their stands until the last minute of legal hunting. I think quitting 15 minutes early is leaving the best time of day from your opportunity. So much happens at zero dark thirty.....IMO.
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Post by Catscratch on Oct 26, 2021 8:42:24 GMT -6
I'm guessing the info is always going to be heavy leaning. I spend a lot more time hunting in the morning and evening than I do mid-day. I imagine most hunters can say the same. So, it would stand to reason that most deer are shot when most people are hunting (mornings and evenings). That doesn't mean those are the best times to hunt, even if that's when most bucks are shot. To be honest there are places I hunt that I never see deer before 8:00am, and places I hunt that I never see deer after the first 30 minuets of daylight. I can get pretty antsy thinking about chores and stuff that I need to do if I haven't seen anything for a couple of hours. Yep....I get restless after a couple hours too.....so usually need some kinda change. The real reason to get this survey for me......is that I would like some data to show my grandsons about the best times to hunt. They dont always take my word as gospel. Grin. I've been working to get them to stay on their stands until the last minute of legal hunting. I think quitting 15 minutes early is leaving the best time of day from your opportunity. So much happens at zero dark thirty.....IMO. Never, ever, ever quit at zero dark thirty!
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Post by Freeborn on Oct 26, 2021 8:48:35 GMT -6
I'm guessing the info is always going to be heavy leaning. I spend a lot more time hunting in the morning and evening than I do mid-day. I imagine most hunters can say the same. So, it would stand to reason that most deer are shot when most people are hunting (mornings and evenings). That doesn't mean those are the best times to hunt, even if that's when most bucks are shot. To be honest there are places I hunt that I never see deer before 8:00am, and places I hunt that I never see deer after the first 30 minuets of daylight. I can get pretty antsy thinking about chores and stuff that I need to do if I haven't seen anything for a couple of hours. Yep....I get restless after a couple hours too.....so usually need some kinda change. The real reason to get this survey for me......is that I would like some data to show my grandsons about the best times to hunt. They dont always take my word as gospel. Grin. I've been working to get them to stay on their stands until the last minute of legal hunting. I think quitting 15 minutes early is leaving the best time of day from your opportunity. So much happens at zero dark thirty.....IMO. I have shot several bucks within the last minutes of shooting time, that's 30 minutes past sunset.
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Post by Foggy on Oct 26, 2021 9:00:39 GMT -6
Yep....I get restless after a couple hours too.....so usually need some kinda change. The real reason to get this survey for me......is that I would like some data to show my grandsons about the best times to hunt. They dont always take my word as gospel. Grin. I've been working to get them to stay on their stands until the last minute of legal hunting. I think quitting 15 minutes early is leaving the best time of day from your opportunity. So much happens at zero dark thirty.....IMO. I have shot several bucks within the last minutes of shooting time, that's 30 minutes past sunset. Yep, I maintain that you dont start packing up to leave until you cannot see to shoot. Better to slowly organize about 1/2 hour earlier.....then focus on those areas that could have a buck waiting in the brush. Good time for optics. I shot a small buck about three years ago right at the last legal moment to make this point. They were all on their way out.
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Post by Sandbur on Oct 26, 2021 9:19:52 GMT -6
I once shot a bucket within the last two minutes of a sixteen day rifle season.
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Post by smsmith on Oct 26, 2021 9:26:23 GMT -6
If you're hunting afternoons, you'd be better off to get out there 30 minutes late instead of leaving 30 minutes early. Every day I hunt I look at the sunset table, then add 30 minutes so I know when legal shooting time is over. Just because you can see to shoot doesn't mean it's legal to shoot. If you're hunting a field edge or somewhere with a light background (RCG swamp for example) then it's quite possible to shoot well after legal hours.
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Post by Sandbur on Oct 26, 2021 9:32:37 GMT -6
As to the original question. The answer depends on when and where you are hunting. Early bow season near a food source might be early and late.
A rub line might need other times.
Precut and especially rut, I like 8-11 AM on a trail parallel to a food source. A bottleneck can be anytime during the rut. Early morning might be better until it gets rolling good.
Got a doe in heat or very close and it can be anytime.
Foggy, like your Grandsons, I am often a person who quits a bit early. I hate tracking and dressing deer in the dark. I also tend to be up very early and am ready to quit about early..
I also like to hunt in the woods and not on food sources. In the conifers, it gets dark a bit earlier.
My Dad was once walking to his truck at quitting time and heard shooting across the field. A hunter we knew was crawling over a fence and a young hunter in his party shot and killed him.
Maybe another reason to quit a bit early and walk out in the daylight if other hunters are on the field.
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