Deer are a popular prey for many hunters, which means hunting deer for food and recreation takes up time that could be spent on other pursuits. It is important to find the best time of day to hunt deer. The season, as well as the circumstances in which you hunt deer will affect when hunting time is best for you. To help you find the best time of day to fill your freezer and enjoy your sport, we cover the different options available
The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with some insight into when the best time to hunt deer is in order to make the hunt as fulfilling as possible as well as to maximize the chances of arriving home with a worthwhile prize.
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Best Time Of Day To Hunt Deer
In general, deer’s vision is much diminished at dawn and dusk, when the light levels are the lowest. There are several reasons why these are the perfect times to go hunting, but perhaps one of the most important is that the game will not be likely to notice your presence during these hours, as it will not be as bright since the midday sunlight makes this more difficult.
Benefits To Getting The Timing Right
Below we cover some of the main benefits of choosing the right timing for your deer hunting.
Increased success rate
There is so much that goes into effective deer hunting such as choosing the best spot to shoot a deer as well as the time of day that you hunt. If you go deer hunting at dawn or dusk, your chances of success will increase because deer are less likely to see you, thus you are more likely to get a shot. Timing is a crucial element in hunting success, since it could mean the difference between filling your freezer and returning home empty handed. Close timing is also necessary so that you don’t startle a game out of the area before you can get a clear shot. You will be more likely to get close to the animal with less chance of being seen if you hunt near dawn or dusk when its senses are not nearly as sharp as during mid-day hours.
Health Benefits
Hunting during daylight hours for any extended period of time is not recommended, and can actually lead to frustration and exhaustion. It is best to conserve your energy in order to feel fresh and vigorous on the day of the hunt. Hunting during warm daylight hours can also lead to overheating (Field and Stream) due to stronger heat from artificial lighting as well as increased airfriction from hunting in thick brush or around trees.
Less Risk
There is less risk of a deer seeing you if you hunt during dawn or dusk times, since their eyesight is less keen than during mid-day hours. This is also due to the fact that they are more likely to be in a resting state and will not be as alert as when hunting during mid-day hours. Deer should be stressed out by the idea of being hunted, which means that they are in a state of alertness which leads to an increased sense of awareness and thus an increased chance of spotting your presence.
Whitetail Deer Hunting Times: In Detail
Gear such as best broadheads for deer hunting and the best decoys for deer hunting play a huge part in effective buck hunting but so does choosing your time right. Below we go into detail about the best times to hunt bucks.
Dawn
Hunting deer at dawn is ideal since they are most vulnerable to being caught off-guard at this time. (NorthAmericanWhitetail) Because of dichromatic vision, they see colors less clearly at night and early in the morning; in addition, their hearing is also less sensitive. It’s best to start hunting deer at dawn because it allows you to get the jump on them when they’re more vulnerable. To capture them you can set-up near a morning deer trail, with your rifle ready for when there is deer movement. This will allow you to capture a deer with minimal effort and hide as it travels to its normal feeding ground.
Alternatively, about an hour before sunset, deer will start actively grazing as they prepare for the night ahead. You can also search for fresh tracks left during their daily bedding down ritual.
Mid-day
As previously stated, deer have more sensitivity to their sight at mid-day. This makes it the worst time of day to hunt them since they are more likely to spot you if you are out in the open. If you must go out during midday, it is best to stay concealed as best you can and make sure that your movements are done as quickly as possible so that you don’t alert any nearby deer. However, many hunters find that it is difficult to conceal themselves with their normal hunting gear and weapon during mid-day hours, so it’s best to opt for a sneakier approach or better yet hunt deer during dawn or dusk.
Evening
During the evening, the best time to hunt is when the sun begins to completely disappear behind the horizon until it completely vanishes. This is because as dusk sets in, a deer’s vision slowly diminishes which makes it easier for them to get caught off-guard by a hunter’s presence or scent. To add to this, as dusk turns to night, deer won’t be active as much and their senses put in a dormant state of sleep which means their reaction times are much lower.
In Summary
In conclusion, it is better to hunt early in the morning and later in the evening when the deer are at their most sensitive to their surroundings, and thus less likely to notice you. The ideal hunting time for deer is when the sun begins setting behind the horizon. You usually do this about four hours before bedtime, which means there is still plenty of time available for you to hunt during this time. The reason that you should hunt deer during this time frame is because you will likely see a higher success rate, you are at a lower risk and it is overall better for your health with conserving your energy for hunting at an optimal time.