Better time to hunt AM or PM?

[BRL]

For the past 18 months, I've had to drive through the Florida Everglades from one coast of the State to the other each day Monday - Friday, for work. The road is very barren and nothing but wilderness and swamp for almost 80 miles. During the 1 hour drive toward Ft. Lauderdale at 8:00AM, I very rarely see deer. However, on my way back toward Naples at around 5:30PM, I must see deer 1 day a week, on average.


If I had left earlier in the morning, would I have seen more deer? Or, is this the case in most of the US?[size=78%] [/size][/size]When do people see more deer, AM or PM? [size=78%]

[/size]Thanks!![size=78%]

[cwlongshot]

Depends on the spot, wind and season.

Deer move different at different times and seasons.  I have morning and afternoon spots ALL can be productive..

CW

[PowPow]

I see more in the evening, coming out on the greenfields just before dark.
About an hour after dark, they seem to all be out on the highway.
Of course, after the season ends, they are everywhere.

[BBF]

If I could get my tired old rump out in the AM I'd go.
 It has been PM for the last several years.

[Bigeasy]

Both times can be productive, but if I averaged it out over the years, I have taken more deer hunting mornings than evenings.  Given a choice, I'd rather score in the AM, giving myself some time to get it dressed and out of the woods, and maybe a little sunlight for warmth.   In late summer, when I do a lot of my wild life photography, evenings seem just as productive as mornings.

Larry

[Ranger99]

i hunt both, but if i'm gonna get
a deer or large game i prefer the
am to have time for tracking if
needed and to do butchering
chores in the daylight.

[Land_Owner]

Tamiami Trail from Miami to Naples?  The water depth of that route, particularly on the one side that was gouged out with explosives for roadway fill, is problematic for the deer - they have to swim and there's little cover.

In the East Central part of the State, to and from the Atlantic Coast to Orlando, the morning and evening is about the same with the Deseret Ranch @ 30,000 acres to the South of SR 528 (Beachline Highway) and Seminole Ranch/Tosahatchee Wildlife Management Area to the North.  Both Ranches are hunted, have thick cover, lotta deer, and the cervidae have no problem eating breakfast and dinner about 15-yards from 85 mph traffic...just don't slow down or the deer will vanish.

[jhm]

     I hunt harder and longer in the AM, but see as many deer in the PM, I just don't like taking a chanch on loosing a deer to cayotes if shot too close to dark and not being able to recover it.   Jim

[SHOOTALL]

I would say several things would apply. Pressure from hunters or other human activity affects deer . Weather also. Maybe the moon is the biggest and longest influence. Deer like to feed and move at night , the bigger the buck the more he follows this. Consider if the deer are never shot at during the night hours they will be conditioned to move at night. People around here say deer know the hunting season better than the hunters, They are conditioned that when the woods are full of people they tend to see deer get shot. Any way when there is enough moon light for deer to feed they have been conditioned to take advantage of it. When not they feed early or late. So if deer feed at night then it would seem late afternoon sightings would be the norm. If they could not feed at night then morning sightings might be more .
 I like to hunt on cloudy rainy days because deer will be out just before dark traveling to feeding areas ( read fields or food plots) and on those days it is dark and still legal to hunt.

[barabbas]

In SW MS we see more deer grazing on the highways toward the evenings.  My property abuts the Natchez Trace.  I do not drive on the Trace at night during the Fall and always advise others not to either, unless they are extremely careful.   Having said that, when hunting on my property, I have seen deer movement a little more in pm than in am.  I have hunted in the am and killed plenty, but the pm still shows more movement imo.  In this past hunting season, I saw deer only in the pm, even though I hunted the am as well.  However, the only deer killed on my place this season were taken in the am, and not by me.  My bad luck.

[BRL]

Land_Owner, it's actually Alligator Alley from Naples to Ft. Lauderdale. Most of it is the northern end of Big Cypress WMA. I'm thinking about hunting it this fall. It's close to home and somewhat easy access. I'd like to start getting my boys (9 years old, 7 years old and 4 years old) involved in the outdoors. I'm sure there won't be much silence and probably not see much with them along, but it could be fun anyway. We'll see.

[Land_Owner]

When I hunted with my boys at ages 9, 10, 11, the deer would see those innocent eyes staring out of the tree stand at them and go right back to feeding.  We had tons of wildlife encounters.  When I hunt alone, they take one look at these Predator eyes and head for the next county.

[dukkillr]

In our country Morning vs Evening is just a question of where you want to hunt.  Hunt thick bedding areas or travel paths in the morning and food sources in the evening (or during a cold snap).  One thing about mornings is that you have to be able to get in without spooking them out.  That makes food sources difficult to hunt in the morning.  If you blow 20 deer out of corn field trying to walk in you've screwed up at least that hunt.  Walking into that same spot at 2pm and you're usually good.

As roll through it in my mind, I'd say my personal log would be about 50/50.  Most mornings being CRP or thick bottom ground.  Most evenings on food.

[SHOOTALL]

When I hunted with my boys at ages 9, 10, 11, the deer would see those innocent eyes staring out of the tree stand at them and go right back to feeding.  We had tons of wildlife encounters.  When I hunt alone, they take one look at these Predator eyes and head for the next county.

You must learn to not think thoughts about making the kill. They know !