Question on Mid-Day Strategies

For those of you with experiance hunting during mid day........

Where do you sit? Is there certain areas that seem to produce more than others? Beds, travel routes, etc.

Also, are there any other certain strategies that you have to offer, such as any special tips or anything.

Thanks, any input is appreciated :D

 

This time of year.. still in or very near the big bucks bedding areas.. about 10 days from now I will start to move into doe bedding areas and on their morning/evening travel routes. I like to rattle now, but not really hvy yet.. sparring since thats what my bucks are doing right now.. I like scrape hunting right now as well. Bucks are starting to paw scrapes now and not just hit the licking branches like they did in Aug, Sept and Oct.

 

Both Dan (Jaws) and I have done well on mid day sits during the seek/chase phases. This is really about 5+ days from now at least in our area though. Right now a lot of immature bucks are seeking during daylight, but not really any of the more mature bucks. These spots are actually all day sits, not really mid day, but we both have seen activity mid day.

The best advice I can offer is to build a aerial photo with topo contour lines overlaying your hunting property. Circle all of your primary doe bedding areas. Now look for contour lines that create funnels on those properties, and make sure you are hunting the wind on these setups.

Below are a couple of maps that I've built that show how I'm hunting these spots for all day rut hunts. Red circles are known doe bedding areas, yellow spots are places that I've either got lock on stands already in place, or where I will often setup with either a climber/mobile lock on setup. All of these stands have produced mid day sightings for both Dan and I, or at least mid day trail cam pics of "shooter" bucks, looking at the maps you can probably see why.

**Disclaimer** if I catch anyone trespassing on these properties you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I'm not kidding and it's sad that I've got to state this, but I've had too many problems already with people on the internet reading my stuff and trespassing.



A seperate property with the same waypoints marked, red is known doe bedding, yellow are stands:

 

I dunno the topography of OK to well but let me point out something interesting.

Ridges, I hunted a high ridge yesterday, and midday movement was unbelievable. So in researching some old Bowhunter Mags last night for another story all-together, I stumble upon one from summer about hunting ridges. The author goes on to state that while most of the sign is in low areas, that sign is made at night. The deer rely on ridges for daytime security (sight, thermals, winds shade or sun depending on time of year etc etc). They move low in the evenings and back high in the mornings. This is not just in mountains of epic porportions, but also the rolling lands that many of us hunt.
Where are 90% of hunters gonna hunt? Where they see sign! Now if that sign keeps them from climbing a hill....all the better for the ease of his hunt.

Thus less pressure= more security and more daytime movement.

It was just happenstance that the article mirrored my actual hunt...but it's certainly worth a second look..this afternoon!

 

I'm about ready to scrap the mid-day portion of my all day sits. The buck sighting rewards aren't worth the effort it takes to sit all day.

 

Any kind of funnel has worked for us during midday

 

I'd agree with hunting funnels...and especially any travel corridor between doe bedding areas. This time of year the big bucks will be cruising and scent checking doe bedding areas, so if you can get in between two of these areas, you should be in a good spot in the middle of the day.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys! That's some helpful stuff.

 

I'm sitting all day tomorrow....kind of.

In the morning I am going to sit in a ground blind in a grown up pasture between 2 standing corn fields hoping to catch something moving back into its bed from the fields. Around noon I am going to pack up and head to another stand on the edge of a different corn field.

I haven't actually had much luck hunting midday over the years. I missed a 140 inch 10 pointer around 11:00 2 years ago, and that same year I saw a 160 class 11 pointer chase some does 70-80 yards away.