I was just wondering what you guys hunted during opening week? Do you hunt afternoons only or mornings as well? I am trying to pattern a big buck on my 150 acre farm and don't want to spook him. Thanks in advance.
Do you have any trail camera? That is your best bet for patterning him with minimal disturbance. Usually, during early season, it is too hot for afternoon hunts and I stick to morning only unless the weather is cooler.
I try to only hunt afternoon's early season unless I have a spot I know I can get in and out without disturbing them.
I hunt both morning and afternoon. I never stop scouting for deer. Every time I take a stroll on our property I am always looking for deer sign. Even the day after deer season goes out. That way I always have it in the back of my mind where to set up a new ambush for the next year. My fiancée knows about as much as I do now cause when we walk I point things out to her. LOL I also use cameras to actually get a visual on what deer I have where. Don't be scared to scout deer. People have been in the woods since the beginning of time, and so have the deer. That's how we patterned deer growing up before cameras. Just don't hang around one area too much.. Hope this helped.
I have 8 trail cams set up as well as an acre "holding plot" and 40 acres of soybeans. I currently am checking the cams once a week but I am about to cut it down to once every 3 weeks just to freshen up the 6 mineral sites I have out. I have only been hunting for 4 years and this will be my 4th season. Since getting started I have become obsessed and have yet to get a buck. I now have 4 mature bucks on the property and I am ready to take any of the 4. The current plan is to try to get one in the holding food plot I planted this year on the way to the soybean field in the afternoon. I planted 1 acre of cowpea/soybean/milo/sunflower mix and 1/4 acre of whitetail institute clover. All is coming up really well I'm starting to get concerned the deer might eat it all before the 40 acres of bean get planted in the near future. I am going to start some mock scrapes in late late July to see if I get any results with them. I am always spraying myself down before I go retrieve cards and I always wear scent free gloves when I change cards out trying not to leave any scent. I don't think there is really much else I can do until later in the summer I cant scout from a distance on the bean field with some binos.
If your going after a buck, then yes afternoons only if want a chance at him. He will be bedded down before sunrise unless he gets bumped by something. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'm a big watcher of hunting shows. I record 8 shows a week most are bow shows. I can't say how many of them has said in the early season evening hunts are best. Like a few have said in the summer it's hot and bucks general go to bed early morning hours. So if you hunt in the afternoons you can slip in undetected and hunt them when they wake up. If you go out on morning hunts your walking to your stand an hour before sun-up and that's when the deer are all still up and you can spook them or let them know someone is in the woods. The passed 3 yrs I've only been doing afternoon hunt's until rut and then I stay in stand morning and night. Doing this the last 3 yrs I have shot a big buck within the 1st 3 days of the season every yr. I know some will say check your cams and hunt when you see the most animal movement but why risk letting your target buck know your in the woods? Get out there when he is sleeping. Afternoons Only...
If you have 40 acres of soybean glass it prior to season, if I was after a mature buck I'd only hunt evenings unless some Intel told me a morning ambush would work.
I also watch just about every bow hunting show ever made. Thank you so much for the info. I will be glassing pretty hard at the end of summer and will be going out in the afternoons. Thanks again!
Watching a hunting show to learn to hunt is like watching a nascar race to learn to drive. Unless I have bucks on camera I don't hunt early season, but like others have said if you walk up to a stand near a food plot in the dark of morning you are going to be pushing deer
I am not saying watching bow hunting shows makes you a great hunter. They probably hunt on land with NO pressure what so ever. BUT I don't know anyone else that bow hunts so I use every informational outlet I have to gain knowledge on bow hunting. Including asking you guys for your advice which I am grateful for.
Ill hunt mornings and afternoons. Both have worked great especially the stand i have in a pond(yes its literally in the middle of a pond) especially when its warm out. Latter in the season I'll move to a location more towards bedding and food since they don't visit the water as much.
Some afternoons I hunt in the early season. Even less mornings for me in the early season. I have never shot at a buck in the AM on an early season bow hunt. Afternoons, especially the last 1-1.5 hrs, seem to be the best for me in the afternoon. Good luck getting on one of those mature bucks. Let us know if you need any help putting another one of them down once you have tagged one!!
