You can read all over the internet what times of the day are most effective for hunting quality whitetail. Now this can vary depending on the time of year. When I begin the selection of times I am going to take off of work and go on a hunting trip it all starts with the moon cycles. I find the best times other than the rut to harvest a quality buck are during the new moon phase. Why? Because during the new moon there is simply no light for the deer to be able to see which makes movement at night minimal. During this time I have found that big bucks tend to move under about the first and last hour of light I call this prime time. Is this the only time ill see a big buck? The answer to that is no. I have shot deer as late as 11 o'clock and 2pm. This all depends on what stage the deer are in. During the rut you can see bucks all day long as they chase does and begin the mating process. During the pre rut you can get deer that are territorial that will respond nicely to lite rattling or grunt calls. During the full moon there is a lot of light and it makes it easy for the deer to move at night. Does this mean you wont see one during the full moon? Not at all! There are things you can do to increase your odds. During the rut try using some tinks 69 doe in estrus this seems to work great. Find the does where the does are the bucks wont be far behind. I also look at the predicted time the rut is to kick off. The rut can be one of the most exciting and successful times in the woods. It all depends on the types of areas you hunt. For example hunting over a food plot during the rut doesn't always work because during this time bucks focus very little on eating. Instead I target high doe activity areas cause often times this is where a buck will begin looking for a doe to breed. I always get in my stand an hour before light to let the area settle down before light actually comes. Every area is different and you need to know the times when your spot has the best action. The weather also has a huge play on deer if its 80 degrees and humid the deer activity could be slim to none. I usually try and choose a time where a cold front is going to hit as the sudden change in temp. often gets the deer up on there feet to stay warm. This isn't always how deer work everywhere it could be different for your area and the best way to find out what's working is to do your homework hunt hard and try to see what the deer are doing during different conditions.
Rut= hunt the does; the bucks will show up sooner or later. Moon phase; weather; sunny; cold; rain or snow= who cares? When to hunt? Anytime I can and often.
well said. I hunt everyday I can as well this is just the best time to hunt and encounter a big buck that I have encountered from past success, its also more of a guideline to assist you when trying to hunt multiple states and for choosing those days to take a trip out of your comfort box into some of the other states like Illinois.
