I've seen as many mature buck on their feet during daylight hours from late Sept. To mid Oct. Than I have during the "rut". Luckily with my job I only work half the year due to 12 hour continuous ops schedule, so I get plenty of days in the woods, vacation isn't really necessary. If I was forced to pick 7 I'd say October 18th through the 25th because so many archery hunters aren't in the woods because they're waiting for the "rut" lol.
If I ever decide to do a put of state rifle hunt I know where I want to go!! November 5? That's disgusting lol I live on the Illinois Iowa border and I hear the Iowa boys complaining to me how their shotgun is after the rut. I always say I wish ours was too.
No deer is 100% nocturnal and I'm positive they aren't spending 14 hours a day bedded down not feeding on anything. Early archery season I'm not as apt to have all day sits but mornings and evenings are as good as any time IMO.
The infusion of hundreds if not thousands of hunters onto the grounds I hunt causes most of the bucks I'm after to severely limit and alter their daytime movement. Extremely difficult to even catch a 2.5 yr old buck on their feet prior to the last week of October.
