Shooting mature bucks mid day

[chas0218]

All the mature bucks on our properties were very close to sunrise and sunset, within 1 or 2 hours. I've shot 1 40 minutes after getting in stand 15 minutes after sunrise but had the buck in front of me for a while just trying to make sure he was a shooter. The other 3 were within 1 hour of sunset. 1 was actually as I was packing up I heard a crunch looked up and her comes a huge doe I grabbed my shotgun ready to pop her then I saw a giant buck chasing behind her took 3 shots but he dropped on the 3rd. That was my biggest to date 161" 10 point shot in 2008.

Edited October 18, 2017 by chas0218

[ApexerER]

My experience with Mature bucks is very limited. I have killed the two I have seen. One a little after 4PM and last years 9pt around 9am. I can't ever think of a time I have ever seen any deer between 10am and 2pm and I don't think I have. Then again I don't sit all day very often. Maybe 3 times per year.

[E J]

The only day of the year I sit all day is on opening day of gun season. A few years ago I killed a mature seven pointer chasing a doe at 12:00. He was the third buck in line behind her. There was a spike right on her butt, then a four pointer a few minutes later then a few minutes after that the seven point came along.

[Iluvracks1359]

On ‎10‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 10:58 AM, StevieSacs said:

I've always read that during the rut, the big boys start cruising around mid day.   

I just had a buddy tell me that almost all of his bucks were killed between October 27th-November 15th, and that 60% of them were killed between 10:30am-2:00pm

  I always hunt till about 10:00am and then get back into the stand around 2:00pm.   I try to avoid all day sits because my ADD starts kicking in and i can't stop fidgeting around after 4-5 hours. Because of this, I feel like an all day sit would probably be more harmful than good, but those numbers are impressive.   I may just do a few full day sits around that first week of November.   

I was wondering who else has seen or taken mature bucks mid day like that?

-SS

 

Really glad you posted this, I'm always looking for insight, and im just like you, I can sit til about 10 am MAX and then im going stir crazy. I wil say that I had my biggest buck on camera walk right to me on this past Friday the 13th at 6:10 pm, and I couldn't get a shot on him. I know that is before rut and pre rut, but I wasn't surprised to see him moving at all at that time.

[LET EM GROW]

I've always considered Hunting the mid day sits during the heat of the rut. But never really have. After running cams pretty hard last year. in my good spots that are between bedding areas and bedding to food, i had some very good mid day movement on some "Chooters" .. I am convinced this year to sleep in and hunt from 930am-on. And even in the crappiest of weather last year, i got pics or actually seen the bigger bucks out cruising, when most think they arent moving. I believe the big bucks will, in the rainy cooler days.. 

I only have 2 or 3 setups that I believe would make good mid day sits. I thnk its totally worth the mid day sit, given you pick the right location to sit.. 

[skully]

After leaving the woods for years at 10 am during the rut to go get something to eat not sure how many times I had to slam on breaks cause mature buck ran out in front of me cruising I now the past few years do not wake up at 430 am to get to stand before dark.  I get in stand at around 730 and stay till noon and go back to truck and eat something and then get back in at 100.  The first day I did it I killed a nice 10 at 1:05 when I was still putting my release on as a got back in stand........

[StevieSacs]

Its funny, I went through old trail cam pics and a lot of the daytime pictures of my shooters were between 10-2

Looks like i'll be sleeping in a bit during those early november days!

[NFA-ADK]

My theory is that from chasing or checking doe all night the bucks tend to rest early morning then take the trails down wind to scent check the doe beds.  

I have had great luck 10-2 but some of my best encounters where first light over the years.  Something always went wrong on those early morning hunts.  100% my fault.  Many of those set ups where from tracking the day before and anticipating movement based on doe activity and bucks tracking them.  Often this was done with the help of snow when present.  Funny most of my success has been on dry ground midday and most fails where in snow early morning.  Go figure. 

 

 

[wfmiller]

On 10/23/2017 at 8:26 AM, LET EM GROW said:

I've always considered Hunting the mid day sits during the heat of the rut. But never really have. After running cams pretty hard last year. in my good spots that are between bedding areas and bedding to food, i had some very good mid day movement on some "Chooters" .. I am convinced this year to sleep in and hunt from 930am-on. And even in the crappiest of weather last year, i got pics or actually seen the bigger bucks out cruising, when most think they arent moving. I believe the big bucks will, in the rainy cooler days.. 

I only have 2 or 3 setups that I believe would make good mid day sits. I thnk its totally worth the mid day sit, given you pick the right location to sit.. 

Always hunt the rain! My cameras are full of deer when it rains and after it stops. I always see deer in the rain, I hope for rain every time I go out hunting.

[turkeyfeathers]

On ‎10‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 10:15 AM, E J said:

The only day of the year I sit all day is on opening day of gun season. A few years ago I killed a mature seven pointer chasing a doe at 12:00. He was the third buck in line behind her. There was a spike right on her butt, then a four pointer a few minutes later then a few minutes after that the seven point came along.

A spike, then four point and then a 7 point     You doof ! Had you waited a few more deer you'd have a 14 point