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AM or PM during the Rut?

Shapeshifter

Shapeshifter

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2022
Messages
427
Just trying to get a feel for what other like as far hunting during the rut. It kinda goes without saying obviously that any time up in a stand or saddle is a great time time during this period. I was just thinking back over the last 30 seasons that I have hunted both AM and PM usually only getting down to relocate or eat. Looking back at all the Bucks I have killed during this period, 60% have been in the evening. 30% in the mid to late afternoon, and just 10% in the morning. What are you guys experiences or thoughts on this?
 
I think it depends more on the spots you hunt. Mornings are just so hard to get in and out quietly if it's not nice soft ground ground
 
My experience where I hunt has been AM. I see them all before the afternoon. Occasionally I have seen bucks moving in the evening. But where I hunt I see way more moving in the morning to afternoon then evening..
 
I guess it's hard to know how many deer you bump out going in the dark. Even though I try to be as stealthy as u can going in I never really hear any crashing from deer running or blowing, but just never know how many just sneak away.
 
I have found thru my experience that when it's the rut. There is no set time. I have killed them early morning. But that time between 11 and 1 is great also. I have killed less in evening but it can be just as productive. During those 2 weeks when the bucks are actively chasing and breeding the does if I am hunting and have the time I don't come in. I am either hunting one tree all day. Or I just get down long enough to move to another tree. I will take my food and drinks with me and eat 20' in the air. Lol. Been a few times when I have had to put down my food to watch deer move thru.
 
Where I hunt it depends on the spot. I have spots that are way better in the morning and I have spots you will not see any deer in the morning but will be wrapped up in them in the afternoon!! I also have spots that depending on conditions you better be there in the middle of the day!! So it all depends on certain circumstances!!
 
i used to stress out when i bumped deer walking in but over the years i've found that when i bump deer in the dark, i see deer in the daylight. i've come to the conclusion that as long as im not making a huge racket they don't know what i am in the dark and don't go too far. now i get excited if i bump a couple cause i assume i'm gonna get a shot at 'em come daylight.
 
Depends on how much pressure is on the does and really the deer around the area.
Remember this time of year the does are being pressured by hunters and bucks
Could you imagine a choice to die or a constant nose to the fart box lol
THis coming week i will put a few super rare all day sits
I may get down to adjust if nothing comes around after 10 or so but the action can be red hot all hours of the day this next few weeks
 
I have seen 6 shooter bucks this past week. 4 of them were between 10am and 1130am, one at 1pm and two at dusk. I feel like late mornings have been the best for me however, it’s a crapshoot.
If it’s warm I find mornings and late morning are good times. Cold, all day but first morning and around 3pm I feel are the best.
 
Morning over evening. Both are good but often the fun starts late in the evening and by the time they get near enough to kill it's too dark. Then you end up blowing the woods up trying to get out of there. The last 11 bucks I've killed 4 were afternoon and 7 were am.
 
I like to time the morning entry so I'm arriving at the last couple of hundred yds with enough natural light to hunt my way in to the set area and still able to take advantage of the dropping thermals. Then I set up for the predominate wind for the day. I like evening hunts because it's easy to get in way in advance of my sit to hunt the off wind (dominate wind direction) for that set, but I also know the dropping thermals will be taking over at that final shooting time. Generally keeping in mind two wind directions in relation to where I think deer will be coming from. It's almost never perfect, but I've had better luck towards last shooting light so I consider the dropping thermal my main wind direction for the evening sit.
 
I’ve shot more bucks in the AM during the “rut” but have shot my best in the evening chasing a doe. I have also seen a lot of good bucks in the evening.

If it’s a cold morning say 20-35 degrees I prefer the morning
 
It's funny you asked this. The other night I asked this question to myself while sitting in a tree. I sat there counting big deer I've killed and big deer encounters for the last 22 years since I moved to Montana. I'm right at almost 50/50 total. . However some of those were early season. The Sept and Oct bucks were mostly in the evening because they are easier to pattern. The Nov bucks were all killed after Nov 11 and before Nov 26. Nov 11, Nov 13 I have multiple big bucks on those days. 2 of my all time best were killed on the 13th. (1 in AM and 1 in PM) 18th and 19th were good days. 21st and the 22nd also had multiple big buck kills as well as multiple encounters. As far as AM or PM? During the rut, for me the AM has the slight edge. I obviously hunt both but I much prefer the AM because they can come in at anytime. In the PM for me, it's been the last magic hour. AI also counted the people that have hunted w/ me over the years. AM has the advantage 4 big bucks to 1. I haven't been much of a mid-day bowhunter until recently. I realize now that I missed out. I have one 11:45AM and have had several encounter mid days that didn't result in a kill. 3 years ago I was hunting on the edge of 3 doe bedding areas. I had a big 9pt that showed up at 11:55 AM checking does. He harassed those does for 3 1/2 hours. He was between 35 yds and 50yds thirteen times! I was being patient for the perfect 20 yd shot that I "knew" was going to come. It never did. Anyway, I didn't get it done but it was an amazing day. I sat dawn to dark. I saw 16 bucks total. 30-40 deer total. I Never went more than 15 minutes looking at a deer. Never more than 30 minutes looking at a buck. I saw 3 shooters. It was Nov. 22 and I had action all day. I shooter in the AM, 1 in the mid-day, and 1 in the PM.
 
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