Don't Discount Midday During Deer Season

by
posted on December 16, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

Dawn and dusk have magic, but you may well score more often at midday.

"Whitetails under pressure can become almost entirely nocturnal," a biologist pointed out. "It's not natural habit; it's learned behavior. Natural selection at work. Hunters kill first the deer that move at dawn and dusk, during legal shooting hours." He shrugged. "We teach deer to lie low in daylight, like we teach rooster pheasants to run."

A Southeast Deer Study Group reviewing hunter activity reported that only 58 percent of hunters on stand at dawn remained there into early afternoon. Some got up to stretch their legs and walked about. The others headed to camp or a restaurant or home, for lunch. But not only does a midday exit deny these hunters a crack at late-moving game, it stirs up bedded animals that often pass by hunters still on stand.

But sitting past prime time seems counter-intuitive. If deer didn't come by your stand when they were up and moving, how can you expect more action at midday? Going to the deer is an option, but it's tough to sneak through brush chosen by animals to hide them as it signals your approach. Old bucks bed where prevailing winds or thermals deliver scent from paths hunters use. In crisp litter and crusty snow, your step is noisy. Through lattices of brush, hidden deer catch your movement with eyes you never see.

As the sun climbs, such truths weigh heavily on hunters. They're ready to leave the treestand, or that promontory where they've sat since dawn's first blush. They could switch to still-hunting and tiptoe into tight places. They could stay on stand. But they don't. Many hunters think it's a waste of time. Hunting at midday is difficult or boring and, they think, unfruitful.

Well, it can be hard. But it's not always unfruitful. In fact, four of the last five bucks I've killed—whitetails and mule deer—have fallen between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

One dark day last November, as snow squalls lashed the prairie, I groped for reasons to persevere. Stinging, horizontal snow blew across my front as I eased through a patch of head-high weeds on a field fringe. A solid form—just a dark spot in a slot—caught my eye. I wiped snow from the binocular. There! The backline of a buck! A short sneak earned me a bigger window. I knelt and made the 80-yard shot with my 6.5 Creedmoor.

At dawn and dusk, animals are alert because they're up and visible and moving into places not yet proven secure. By midday, hunting pressure has eased off. Game drops its guard.

You'll find more reasons to hunt during midday—and learn how to do it—in Wayne van Zwoll's feature article, which can be found right here.

Latest

Lead Photo 02
Lead Photo 02

Head to Head: 7x57mm Mauser vs. .30-06 Springfield

I’ve had more than a few requests for this Head to Head, so I figured it was high time to pit two of the early 20th century’s most popular military cartridges against one another. Let's dive into the 7x57mm Mauser vs. the .30-06 Springfield.

NRA Hunter Education FREE Online Course Now Available in Louisiana

The National Rifle Association of America’s award-winning free Hunter Education online course is now available in the State of Louisiana, the latest addition as NRA works to make the course available to hunters in all 50 states.

Moultrie Updates Line of Game Feeders

Moultrie has expanded the capacity of its line of feeders, and bettered the cameras' integration with the company's connected technology to streamline the feeding process.

Building the Ultimate Elk Bow

Elk are remarkable creatures that dwell in some of the most hellish landscapes on earth. An elk bow needs to be tough, light, and ultra-accurate. Here's how to build the right one for you.

First Look: Spandau S2 20-Gauge

Spandau Arms, a brand of SDS Arms, has announced that the  Spandau S2 Shotgun is now available in a 20-gauge model in both a Mossy Oak Bottomland and a traditional wood finish.

Count Some Quail, Tally Some Turkeys

The Arkansas turkey season ended in May, but there’s still good reason for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts to keep the birds in mind when they head out to their favorite hiking trail or drive the backroads of The Natural State. Outdoorsmen who scare up coveys of quail are welcome in the survey as well.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.