What does it mean when a deer shows up around 9pm? In thick cover

[Bionic]

Hello everyone.

 

I have a section I hunt that is pretty much a thin strip of land leading to a 2-4 acre chink of demse saplings that contains literally 50-100 rubs.  I have never seen such a place.  Anyways, a big buck shows up around 9pm, This area seems like a bedding cover area, and its secluded from danger, I feel confused as to why he would be elsewhere during the day.  I have had trail cams in the area for 2 months and he rarely shows.  Any thoughts on whats going on here? Could I simply be over looking his hiding spot within this chunk?

[Jeremy K]

He got big by not coming out til dark.

[Bionic]

Well yeah lol, that goes without saying.  I guess what I am asking is if deer will go from one thick secluded area to another?  Obviously anything is possible, but is there a somewhat norm to where these deer spemd daylight versus the darkness? Is it common for a mature deer to go from one secluded area to another day versus night?  

I just can't seem to grasp how to attempt finding out the best places to sit to have thr best opportunity to catch such a deer at daylight.

[nodeerhere]

I have to say you have 1 of two changes to kill this buck. 1st!! And most likely ur best bet. Rut! They slip up then. 2nd and idk how u can pull it off. Have to find his other spot and catch him there. Idk. I have same problem with a buck I've been hunting for bout 5 yrs now. I'd love to catch him 

[turkeyfeathers]

Sit close favoring the wind. He only needs to make one mistake and show during the day. 

[Bionic]

Nodeerhere- I have a feeling I will end up never having the privilege of seeing either of the big bucks in person, you never know though.  I typically can only hunt this property around 3:30 until dark, but fortunately I am able to hunt it tomorrow morning.  Its a difficult place, I only cauythe two bucks in the center most section of this 2-3 acres of thick saplings...you cannot get off the ground within 3-500 feet, and atvthat point you cannot even see into this sapling area where there are sooooo many rubs.  I'm afrtto set up a blind within, but at this point its like who cares, its as good a shot as I have had.  I have been sitting on the fringes of this area in a pinch point, and its an old logging road.  I often wonder if he hangs out in this very area, and he was pictured leaving his favorite spot.  I have had cams on the outside edges where trails are clearly obvious...but never see pics.

[Rebel Darling]

Do does bed in the saplings? He might be traveling some distance from his own, secure bed and scent checking the saplings for does.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[nodeerhere]

Bionic I hear u. I have had big bucks on my cams a few times and have tried to kill them and have only had a chance at 2 of them thru out the yrs. all I can say is u can kill them from the couch. And I agree with u. At this point try something new. They didn't get that big by being dumb. Good luck to u! Post some pics when u do lay ur hands on them antlers!!

[rachunter]

it sound like a staging area your describing.a deer will get up head to its staging area and rub feed until it feels safe to move out and browse.it could be it was pressured at one time or another and now sticks to a nocturnal pattern.  

[backbeach]

A friend and I hunt a property that has a bedding area i call the sanctuary ,my friend always try to hunt in it .He always gets busted no matter how many times I tell him to stay out of it.I  shot a nice buck one year that he pushed out ,he wasn't too happy with me needless to say we parted ways this year.I never push a bedding area even though I know it might have a good buck in it. I have shot a few nice bucks coming from or going to this area.

[Bionic]

Oh wow, this is the sort of info I was needing to hear, I was clueless that such deer environments exist, very interesting.  I only aquired permission in October to hunt this area, so my research is practically limited to trail cams, and walks in/out.  I plan to research this a whole lot throughout snow cover, and spring etc. 

[Larry]

It means he’s out cruising the bars, getting all drunk up and silly. Waiting for last call to pick up the ugliest doe around and to have his way with her and to leave her in the morning. Then to think himself they sure look prettier at last call

[Steve D]

"What does it mean when a deer shows up around 9pm? In thick cover "

It means you are screwed

[Salmon_Run]

He is very smart and avoids daylight....as the season get later my trail com pics of larger bucks become nocturnal...see below  9:01 PM......

Edited December 12, 2016 by Salmon_Run
add info

[Steve D]

15 minutes ago, Salmon_Run said:

He is very smart and avoids daylight....as the season get later my trail com pics of larger bucks become nocturnal...see below  9:01 PM......

That's nothing new in these parts...They have been pretty much nocturnal the entire season.

[phade]

If he is showing up hours after sunset, he may be bedding in an area you do not have access to hunt. Many a hunter has been tripped up by the handful of "middle of the night" pics of a giant going through their ground.

There's not enough details to help you entirely, but it sounds like there are some pinches and other features that are bringing that buck there for a reason. My guess is that you are in some sort of funnel or transition zone that does were moving through. If does were moving through there at night, then chances are the buck would be there to scent check for does and posture.

If there are no daytime pics and sightings (more important in my book - no pic doesn't mean he isn't there in day hours), you may be hunting a ghost that simply isn't going to show. At this point, I would be working toward food sources this late in the year and in some instances, focusing mostly on afternoon hunts. This time of year mimics a lot of what early season is about, beating a buck to his bed in the a.m. or getting close to his bed in the p.m. to the point he feels safe to be on his feet before dark. With pressure from gun season, a lot of bucks will be on their feet before dark, but they won't be going far from their bed at all until dark. This will start to improve even by midweek in the southern zone as pressure lightens up big time for MZ. Friday afternoon of MZ always seems to be the best afternoon in my book. People will get out Saturday morning to hunt and can impact the PM sit. Friday PM - they've had 4-5 days of much less pressure.

[Napping in the woods]

Most deer don't restrict themselves to a single bedding area.  They can have several that they move to throughout the day and night. Their day consists of transitioning from one bedding area to another and feeding/browsing in between.  Once they transition from summer to winter food supplies, the rut kicks in, and hunting season starts the movement patterns all change...snow can also influence where and how they move.

I think the sapling situation you are referring to is a staging or transition spot that deer use to feel safe before venturing out into the wide open as was stated above.  This makes it a great ambush spot and is even better if doe lay up in it for any period of time.

Another tool that can be helpful in patterning a specific buck is aerial photos. Pull up google maps or google earth and use the satellite background to look at the larger area surrounding the sapling piece.  A lot of times you can get a better sense of where deer are likely to move in a larger area than just the parcel you are hunting...this is an important piece that gets overlooked often. Figuring out how they are likely to use surrounding properties can go a long way to helping figure out how they use your property and then setup accordingly.

[NYBowhunter]

Pictures of bucks only at night does not mean its an unkillable buck. Things sometimes work by the way of lady luck, but you need to stack the odds in your favor. You have to know hes using your area (for food, bedding, or to frolic with the ladies) . Case in point, i had 3 target bucks 2 years ago, a 7, 8 and 9 pointer. Had some daytime pics of the 7 but the 8 and 9 would only show on cams after sunset or an hour before daylight. I had quite a few pictures of the 9 but always in the dark. I killed that 9  on my first afternoon sit with the ML 2 years ago and only because he was trailing to doe fawns (which i assume 1 or both were coming into heat ). Mind you even up till the day before i killed him, pictures were always in the dark. The key is knowing they are there, putting in the time , making the food and does  work for you. And yeah a little prayer helps...lol..but most important is have fun.

[phade]

I've hunted enough ghosts to know that they exist. They will string you along if you don't recognize it.

You find this in areas where destination food sources or doe staging areas are a distance from the core bedding. You also find this in areas where property sizes are smaller.

Are all bucks ghosts, no? But, some are on the properties you have to hunt. Property lines have a lot to do with this.

Edited December 13, 2016 by phade

[chrisw]

What you need to do is post me at one end of it with my muzzleloader and you can still hunt all through that thick stuff and I'll let you know if I see him by firing a shot...

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[Bionic]

Sorry for the delayed response, just taking of this info in, and trying to see how it applies to the area I have permission on.  A lot of replies here, I appreciate them, the serious responses are very valuable to me, and the not so serious replies are ok too, it's always ok with me keeping things "light".   

Phade,    it's funny that you mention property lines.  This chunk of saplings is on property in between a recreation park, which has a big pond, and wide open areas with sporting fields.  The other bordering land is a golf course, and on the other border is a big nursery green house facility.  Realistically there are only strips of land that lead to this 3-5 acres i have permission on....its tricky to me because the deer can travel through oht the park and the golf course.  

When you guys find a suspected buck bed...do you place a camera there, close enough just to see of it is indeed a buck, and how often he uses that bed?  I hear bucks have multiple beds, any way specifically you guys figure out where the other beds are other than scouting, and verifying with another camera?  I try to only put these cameras in this specific area during rain, or the same day prior to a rain event.

 

thanks again everyone.

[backbeach]

You should never go in their bedding area before hunting season starts,i will check them out in the winter  ...find trails leading to the bedding area.I never go in the "sanctuary"in upstate ny but have two cams next to trails leading into it. Some bucks in my area travel continuously and have numerous bedding areas. we have no farms but have a swamp that connects to other swamps so the deer can be any where in a few miles from the day before .i just had a  Bushnell cam finally die the cam had been in the swamp trail for two years and the deer were use to it.I had a nice buck bed down right under it one night right off the trail.I only check it once a month. 

[Bionic]

Backbeach- thanks for chiming in.  Where I hunt at home sounds familiar, no farms, just hundreds of acres of woods.  I rarely find trails at home, everything is just so scattered, can't really seem to figure out where a typical food source is here at home, or bedding either.  The place described in this topic originally though is  totally different than home.  I only aquired permission in mid-October for this sapling area, I probably freaked out the deer using it, pretty much stumbled on all the key areas of sign.  I plan to keep a better on this spot after this week ends, to try and key in on movement here to prep for next bow season.

[OldNewbie]

I know a spot like that, it's is surrounded by a car dealership, residential housing, and new apartment complex.  Someone we know who lives nearby said there is a giant buck living in the little patch of woods. Virtually impossible to legally hunt.

[nybuckboy]

It means you missed him!!!