Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Morning Or Evening Hunting: It’s A Big Question
There are Democrats and Republicans; Catholic, Jewish, Protestant or the Islamic religions, and there are morning and evening deer hunters. My topic tonight is about the last one because I never debate politics or religion with anyone.
The burning question for many hunters is whether to hunt the morning or the evening hours, and I suspect more people hunt the evening because it is easier for them to get into the woods. I hunt the morning only on occasion, but now that I’m in my 70s, I don’t hate deer bad enough to get up long before daybreak to crawl into a darkened blind.
It hasn’t always been this way, and when I was younger, hunting the morning was a good time. And I killed some fine bucks by doing so, but these days I like my sleep. I spend a full work day at the archery shop, and then hunt the evening hours until shooting time ends.
Are there good reasons to hunt the morning? Of course there are, and the best one is if you can get in front of the deer, they may stroll right past you just as the sun comes up. Some hunters swear it’s the best time to kill a big buck, but that may be a highly debatable point.
Morning hunts mean that it is always going to continue to get brighter whereas in the evening, it continues to get darker. That is another plus for the morning lovers. There are times, during the morning, when a buck may tarry during his travels, and may not reach you until 9 or 10 a.m.
The rut is a good time to hunt from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. It’s a difficult time for working hunters to get away, but it’s always a good trick to keep in mind in late October and early November.
Frankly, my land isn’t easy to reach a morning hunting position without being winded or spooking deer. Our predominant wind direction is from the southwest, west or northwest during the fall, and the deer are moving from east to west in the morning. Make one mistake, and the deer have nailed you.
The chance of spooking deer from a good stand is one valuable argument against doing so. One hates to park, walk a few hundred yards to an ideal stand, and bump into deer in the dark. They race off in all directions, snorting and blowing, and the effort was a fruitless one.
I have numerous friends who have the same problem on their land, and it’s just too hard for them to get in front of the deer without spooking the animals. So, for many people, the evening hunt is the best time.
Most people prefer to hit the woods once their normal working shift has ended, and for them, being in place by 5 p.m. is plenty good enough during the early season.
We can drive to many of our stands, drop off a hunter, and keep moving on. The animals, like most farmland deer, are accustomed to vehicular traffic during the day but it spooks them when it is dark.
Key points in favor of an evening hunt is the ability to get in front of the animals without spooking them. It’s possible to walk into most areas on foot, climb into a stand, and be in place an hour before the deer move. Hunters who are careful about their scent, and move without touching bushes, brush or tall weeds, will have an advantage. The advantage is increased by wearing knee-high rubber boots.
Another advantage is the approaching darkness. Deer often begin moving an hour before sundown, and as the light begins to fade, deer movement often picks up. This can be an asset, but one problem is that there are times when deer won’t get to the hunter before shooting time has ended.
There are pros and cons to morning and evening hunting. I much prefer hunting the evening, and for those who enjoy greeting the dawn from a tree stand, more power to you. I hope a big buck steps out and offers a clean shot.
Personally, my head is often on the pillow at dawn. But I make up for it by hunting the evening hours. It pays off for me.—The Whitetail Wizard