Taking deer in the middle of the day (questions about this)

[pope]

I got my first deer last year at about 11 a.m. during late buck. The previous year, if I had been alert, I would have taken a bigger buck from the same stand, same time. Thinking back on all of the great advice and hunting accounts I've read on Hunt-WA, I seem to remember several hunters who have had mid-day success with deer. If you have had such luck, while many folks were eating lunch back at the truck, please recount your harvest, to the best of your memory. What was your set-up? What time of year? Were you in a stand near bedding areas? Still hunting alder flats? Do you recall any details regarding the weather and/or moon phase?

I'm mostly interested in lower elevation blacktail hunting, but whatever your experiences and regardless of the deer you hunt, I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks!

[Jonathan_S]

Here is what you need to know. Deer feed every 4-5 hrs period. A big feeding period is right before first lite. So 4-5 hours after that, deer are going to get up from bed and stretch and have a few bites.

Now during late hunts in the rut, bucks aren't feeding as much as they are cruising for does or running rub lines etc.

Whitetail seem to get up around 1000-1200 ish and feed lightly, maybe transition to s different bedding area. Muleys that I have watched get up midday seem to bed back down in the same spot.

I have killed around 20 deer and it's an even split between morning midday and night.

[Firedogg]

 On a nice cold November morning up in Winston Creek above the Green River I was sitting in a large old tangle of roots from when the area had been originally logged. It got me about 10' up so I look up the slope into the jack firs. During the earlier elk season moving through the area I found myself kicking does out left and right as I moved through and took note of the spot and could see the roots from the middle. Well I sat most of the morning watching several does moving in and out amongst the jacks. They would take a few steps and disappear only to reappear several yards away in the small openings. About 11 one such doe turned out to have a nice 3x3 following her with his nose to het butt. She stopped behind a tree which left him hanging out in a small opening with his tongue going crazy and moving from side to side to try to entice the lady for some lovin'. Well, he stopped moving for a moment and I let the 220 yard shot loose and only saw him either flip or jump in the air. Looked at my watch and it was just before 11:30. Sat for a bit, hung TP in the top of the tree closest to that root ball so I could figure out where I was in the jack firs. Took it nice and slow, take a step, look around the fir, take a step and repeat. Went so slow it took over an hour to get to the little opening I thought was the one (honestly all openings in the jack firs look the same) and just stood looking for any sign of a hit. Nothing there, took another step or two and looked. Holy crap, he was standing there looking right at me about 20 feet away. I could see where I hit him high in the back in front of the rear quarters, his legs were locked. One to the head and he was down, just after 1pm. Nice fat neck in full rut. First shot hit the spine and obliterated about 4" of it leaving bone chips on the tree next to him, causing him to flip around enough that from my stand I could not see him.
 During the late hunt I will be out from dark until dark if I don"t have one. During the regular season I very seldom go in during the day. I have had more deer run into me by guys heading back for breakfast or lunch than I can count.
  They are moving all the time or will get pushed by other hunters moving.

[Bantams]

All pictures were taken during Modern Season, middle of the day.  I've taken 3 of my bucks in late morning (sadly none of these guys above!)  For about a week during the Modern Season every year, we suddenly have bucks strolling all over our farm.  These are island deer, so a little different, but they're still sneaky enough to not get shot - or maybe I should carry my gun versus the camera

[fishnfur]

Pope, it's clear to me after drooling over that last post, that we're definitely hunting in the wrong spots.

Where you going with this anyways?  Very suspicious behavior indeed!

[fish vacuum]

I've shot more midday blacktails than I can write about here. All modern season. A couple were late season but mostly October. They've been on beds in clearcuts, on beds in timber, wandering in timber, strolling through clearcuts. And I don't know what some of them were doing before they just appeared out of nowhere, standing there looking at me.
Thinking about it now, the only trend I can come up with is that I don't think I've got one that was up wandering midday when the weather was nice.

[RudyP]

All pictures were taken during Modern Season, middle of the day.  I've taken 3 of my bucks in late morning (sadly none of these guys above!)  For about a week during the Modern Season every year, we suddenly have bucks strolling all over our farm.  These are island deer, so a little different, but they're still sneaky enough to not get shot - or maybe I should carry my gun versus the camera

I'd like to hunt in your farm! 😬


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[Boss .300 winmag]

Bantams that last pic of yours is a dandy blackie. 

[HunterofWA]

"I'm mostly interested in lower elevation blacktail hunting, but whatever your experiences and regardless of the deer you hunt, I'd like to hear from you."

From my experience I have seen almost all day activity from Black-tails if your in the right spot, usually right on a bedding area or on cloudy days during the early season. It mainly depends on the time of year, for instance, if it has been hot for the past week or so, then when a cloudy day suddenly pops up out of the blue, the deer begin moving around more. It also depends on when the rut is, and the hunting pressure and quality and quantity of the food sources in the area. If there isn't as much food or if it's real cold out then daylight activity will increase most likely.

[fishnfur]

Hunter success rates, broken out by time of day the harvest occurred show something like 50% of whitetail bucks are taken between 10 am and 3 pm (I'll let you check the numbers).  This is a very large number considering the majority of whitetail hunters only hunt the first few and last few hours of light, and spend the middle of the day eating resting, etc.  It doesn't take a lot of thinking to understand that if relatively few hunters take 50% of the harvest during the middle of the day, there must be a lot of bucks up moving around in the middle of the day.

One of the members here, suggested in a post last year, that midday movement was commonplace during the rut, and was the result of bucks out running themselves ragged all night then bedding at dawn for a few hours rest.  Come midday, they're getting up and going out looking for more action.  This explanation makes absolute sense to me.

Just for fun, here's a excerpt from a post, I believe it was one of those special RadSav midnight magic posts, that gives excellent insight into a BT's life in the fall.  It has some tie-ins to this conversation: 
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It's almost impossible to pick a plant or a condition where all the answers fall in line with blacktail deer.  I think that is why so many have difficulty killing good blacktails every year.  More than any other animal I have hunted blacktails are weather specific.  Benchleg bucks are a little different, but true blacktails change habits as fast as the Western Washington weather in October - literally.  Blacktail vegetation changes very little from early archery season and the late buck hunt.  Berries come and go, young salal leaves come and go, but their browse changes very little.  And unlike muledeer and eastern whitetail, blacktail have A LOT of choices when it comes to browse and cover.

If you pay close attention to successful blacktail hunters you will notice each hunter seems to take bucks in roughly the same vegetation at roughly the same time of year and during roughly the same weather conditions.  Some guys always have deer in dry weather and sunny days, the next guy seems to kill his buck every year in a complete downpour in heavy timber while the next guy seems to always have thick necked bucks in the Christmas trees with frost on the ground.  Seldom do you see a successful blacktail hunter finding success in all vegetation and during all weather variations.  Once we see success we often get tunnel vision and only seek out bucks in that type of bush or terrain narrowing our window for success.  While seasons dictate this to a degree it is mostly weather related.  There are consistencies in regards to breaks in terraine in all weather conditions, but I find vegetation variations and knowing which ones when are key to success in all seasons.

Take the early velvet season in the first few weeks of archery season.  These hot weather soft horned bucks like being close to light limbed leafy cover and often feed in more open areas.  They feed in the relative open and escape the heat in the shade not far from their feed routes.  Low berry bushes not too far from some acceptable water or cooling source are good bets. If rain comes they abandon the leafy stuff and often just stand in the open until the rain passes.  Sometimes if heavy timber is close they stand under heavy canopy with full vision of open spaces.

Later when the rain comes more frequent and their horns get hard they seldom venture into the clearcuts during daylight.  They hang tighter to the evergreens and bed on breaks and edges where vision is good.  A lot of my best archery bucks were taken at this time of year during this mild rain / drizzly days.  Every single one taken in the tall timber within 45 yards of a middle age clearcut edge and usually bedded in fir needles 30 to 40 yards above a vegetation or elevation break.  If days get warm the deeper these bucks go into the timber.  The more it rains the closer they get to the clearings.  Often times venturing into these clearings before night fall when rains are heavy.  North facing slopes are good producers this time of year if weather and rains are warm.

As the weather cools, the rut approaches and the rains get heavier these bucks start to become restless.  They no longer will stay close to their archery season feed zones.  They will no longer sleep all day in the fir needles.  I like to call this time of year and weather as the Tall Timber Wandering.  They are not in a rush to get anywhere as they are during the rut, but they are too restless to simply bed in the damp dirt.  This time of year I like big timber, heavy canopy, low light, scattered browse and vine maples where breaks in the canopy let in more light.  I also notice the bucks starting to migrate from benches and breaks to more level ground in anticipation of the upcoming rut. 

The pressures of hunting season have started taking their toll as well.  Less and less does their timber wandering pass close by open clear cuts.  Now if close to more open spaces it's more often Christmas trees instead of low slash and berries.  Mornings are colder but afternoon can still warm enough for clear changes in thermal wind direction.  One of my favorite things to do this time of year is throw on the pack, the rain gear and my best pair of mucky bottom boots.  I'll find an area big enough for a half days hunt.  Starting from a road beneath I still hunt, zig zagging my way up and over as thermals are headed down and zig zagging my way down as thermals rise.  Once at the truck I have a hot cup of soup and drive to an area I can hunt dropping in from the top.  I zigzag my way down and over as the thermals are coming up and I zigzag my way back to the truck once the thermals are working down.  I rarely ever step foot in the Christmas trees or alders at this time of year.  This is some of the more enjoyable blacktail hunting as you are on high alert at all times with very little waste in the day.

[cooltimber]

great article!

[fishnfur]

Correction:  I endeavor to never let the facts get in the way of my thoughts.      Here's one of the actual discussions and correct data regarding P&Y class whitetail harvest numbers.  I've seen similar discussions regarding harvest numbers for BT, but the source eludes me.

http://wiredtohunt.com/2011/03/10/hard-proof-for-hunting-the-midday-shift/

More on midday movement: http://www.gameandfishmag.com/hunting/hunting_whitetail-deer-hunting_ra_1108_08/

and:  http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/tactics/rut/hunt-midday-bucks-now/

As we all know, BT deer are not WT deer.  The fact that they share so many similarities and there is so little research/writings on BT habits and hunting that I've come to the point that I just accept that many articles regarding WTs have direct application to hunting Blackies.  You can make your own decisions for yourselves.

[pope]

All pictures were taken during Modern Season, middle of the day.  I've taken 3 of my bucks in late morning (sadly none of these guys above!)  For about a week during the Modern Season every year, we suddenly have bucks strolling all over our farm.  These are island deer, so a little different, but they're still sneaky enough to not get shot - or maybe I should carry my gun versus the camera

Thanks for sharing. You have more blacktails on your lot than NW Trek!

[pope]

Pope, it's clear to me after drooling over that last post, that we're definitely hunting in the wrong spots.

Where you going with this anyways?  Very suspicious behavior indeed!

No, my spot is not THAT good. Holy cow! Where I'm going with this I don't know, just trying to develop strategies that improve my odds throughout the long deer season.

[fishnfur]

I was hoping you'd figured out some magic rule or quadratic equation for stand placement. 

Whole lotta tight lips around here these days.