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Thread: Late season

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master
    white eagle's Avatar
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    Late season

    Do you find it better to hunt in the mornings or the evenings when the snow and cold come to the deer woods?
    my thoughts are the deer don't really move until it warms up, but that is by no means absolute and can't really prove it just my thinking..
    Hit em'hard
    hit em'often

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Just me and where I hunt, deer move at any time, day or night, most I shot during late morning ??? Well Clos enough for me to take a shot... My boys have shot most of theirs early afternoon or at first light and just at dark.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    I've seen deer moving at first light and throughout the day when it is this bitter cold. Thing is, how long do we want to withstand the frigid Temps? I would need to pick portions of the day to endure the cold and allow my toes to warm in between.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    Does seem to move the second morning when it turns cold. Bucks, because of bigger bodies, seem to move more any time. If weather is warm deer move any time.

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master


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    When it comes to bitter cold, bordering on blizzard conditions, there is no good time of the day. They will find the heaviest cover they can and stay sometimes for days. The best time to hunt that is right after the next warm up. I've hunted before and during storms like this one, and while sometimes just before the storm is amazing, universally during a bad storm is poor hunting.

    If you are asking more as a general question, then I would say there isn't a huge difference between mornings and nights, but there is definitely more deer eating open fields in the evenings. I've had some spectacular winter mornings, but you will want to be near bedding areas, ideally between bedding areas. I find that when real winter sets in, it's mainly really early, and last light action. You still see deer in bright daylight, but 95% of activity is likely going to be in the first and last hour of light. You never know when a snowmobile might kick some up to run to your cattails though.

    The great thing about winter is deer are reasonably predictable, and finding tracks is never easier. The bad thing is it might just be that your target buck is in your area 3am to 6 am. I find deer move much more during the late night like that based on trail camera in December and January more than other months.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    This time of year you will see deer any time of day.
    NRA Benefactor Member NRA Golden Eagle

  7. #7
    Boolit Master Thumbcocker's Avatar
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    I saw no deer for about 6 weeks. On camera only before daylight and after dark. Then in December they started moving around 3:30 p.m. I killed 2 in six days around that time. It has been a strange year. Trail cameras are worth the money. What matters is what the deer are doing in YOUR area. If you look at resale or pawn shops used trail cams are around. I bought 3 in perfect working order for $25 each.
    Paper targets aren't your friends. They won't lie for you and they don't care if your feelings get hurt.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy gumbo333's Avatar
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    ChistopherO, Somewhere in this world I’ve heard of heated socks. It Christmas time to-boot. The ones I had nearly 35 years ago really worked, too good in fact. You had to shut them off once in a while. If you can keep the rest of your body warm, heated socks may be just your thing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
    Never trade luck for skill.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master
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    It has been so long since I hunted late season I tend to forget the small things
    I will find out today is I can hack 2-2.5 hours of these temps 7° and high winds
    although the winds are supposed to subside a bit
    Hit em'hard
    hit em'often

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    Around here the weather is a crap shoot, below zero now with 20+mph winds, next Saturday calling for highs in the 50’s and rain ��. The following Saturday when our late season muzzle loader starts it’s anyone’s guess. However weather permitting I will be in my stand in the morning for as long as possible, then a break for lunch and come back out around 2:30 or so. Yes I prefer mornings.
    Retired: school of hard knocks
    NRA Lifer

  11. #11
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    The biggest effect on their movement I noticed was when there was a bright night with a full moon.

    I think they ate and wandered around all night, then slept all the next day.

    A couple times, after sitting all day, not seeing anything, I'd walk back to camp and kick up a couple.
    It was like they jumped up out of a fox hole a few feet in front of me, and blasted off at about Mach 3.
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  12. #12
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    The other day saw a doe looking real stupid at my truck on our mountain roads around seven am or so. About fifteen minutes later three other does were seen on my left as one rammed into my truck at the back of the back crew door. Luckily not much damage. Does that help?

  13. #13
    Boolit Master



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    With snow and associated winter conditions I hunt in the morning to early afternoon. After that it gets dark and my rule is not to shoot anything. Once that sun goes down behind the mountains to the west it gets dark very quickly. It also seems to me that deer usually move more in the mornings.
    best and Merry Christmas to all
    Death to every foe and traitor and hurrah, my boys, for freedom !

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy
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    I find there is no rhyme or reason to it. Depending on where you are, there are many other factors that affect the deer. I live in a densely populated area and it could be whether one person started their leafblower at a particular time of day versus another.

    Rural areas may allow them to create patterns and stick to them.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    Gumbo333, now that you mention it I've heard of such accruments too. About 35 years ago I tried the bulky battery powered ones with a thin sock next to my foot but there wasn't much heat. The next morning, without the thin sock I donned the heated sock directly next to my skin. Sitting in the woods the elements in the socks started arcing my foot, meaning it felt as if I was being burnt up terribly. I'm hopping around prancing but no relief could be found. I was desperate to stop the pain but was in a real fix. To get to the battery pack meant my coat, over-alls warm shirts hand to be removed so the one piece red longjohns I was wearing could be pulled down. Only then, nearly naked in that cold air, could I unplug the battery from the socks. If all my jumping and dancing hadn't scared any deer away the sight if my bare body frantically scrambling to unhook surely cause them to flee to more pleasant scenery. Having put them on since.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    I find in my area, (mtn. top) That bedding time or mid morning 7:30-8:30 seems to be the best. Of course there is always exceptions. -06

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy gumbo333's Avatar
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    ChristopherO, I remember you had to plan ahead to make a battery disconnect an easy process. Possibly by this tech era, you could turn off and on with your iPhone. Siri!
    Never trade luck for skill.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by gumbo333 View Post
    ChristopherO, I remember you had to plan ahead to make a battery disconnect an easy process. Possibly by this tech era, you could turn off and on with your iPhone. Siri!
    Funny you say that. My son just texted that his girlfriend gave him a set of heated socks that he controls through the phone. Man, I'm livin in the dark ages, lol. This gives me a whole new lease on life!
    Merry Christmas everyone.

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy
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    Most heated socks have a remote control! They are nice in very cold conditions.The old ones that took a D cell battery were terrible.The wires poked my feet and the weight of the D call made the socks pull down when walking.Took me many years to try the new ones

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by white eagle View Post
    Do you find it better to hunt in the mornings or the evenings when the snow and cold come to the deer woods?
    my thoughts are the deer don't really move until it warms up, but that is by no means absolute and can't really prove it just my thinking..

    I guess it depends on where you are hunting, normal temps, food, bedding, rut, etc.

    I only hunted five days this year: Nov 21st, 22nd, 29th, Dec 7th and 24th.
    Mostly 28-30 degree mornings and 40-50 degree afternoons.
    My last day, I shot a spike, it was -1 by morning and 13 degree by noon.

    N.C. Foothills/Mountains (1,400ft to 2,000ft)
    November Private Land, in one county
    21st - daylight till 3pm, nothing, maybe 40 degrees
    22nd - daylight till 2pm, 8-10 point 2pm maybe 45 degrees
    29th - daylight till dark doe and 6 point at 10am maybe 35 degrees
    7th - daylight till 1pm, nothing, rain

    December Public land in another county
    24th - spike 12:35pm maybe 13 degrees

    Early last year in my backyard when it snowed, I have them on my trail cam in the snow feeding on saplings at 2am...temp in the mid 20's

    When I hunt the flat lands in S.C., we always hunt from one hour before dark to dark, regardless of the weather, for that area.

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