Best time of day to kill bucks...

[VANDAL]

So I was looking through some past entries in my hunting journal and was surprised at the time of day I killed most of my bucks. We all know first and last light are traditionally the best times, but my kills don't necessarily reflect that. Given their ages I'd consider all these bucks (except maybe one) mature and savy on knowing how and where to avoid hunters. I thought this was interesting, and showed me it is never a waste of time to glass and hunt all day long. Below are the times of day and some related info (cementum lab aged) to the bucks I've killed over the last 5 seasons:

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Date[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Buck Age[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Score[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Time of Day[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Activity[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]11/9/2012[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]187[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Late Afternoon[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Chasing a doe[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]10/15/2013[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]174[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Early Afternoon[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Moving beds[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]10/1/2014[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]168[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Early Afternoon[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Bedded[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]11/8/2014[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]189[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Early Afternoon[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Bedded[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]10/2/2015[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]?[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]176[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Early Morning[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Feeding[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]10/11/2015[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]184[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Late Morning[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Moving beds[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]10/31/2015[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]195[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Early Afternoon[/TD]
[TD]Jumped out of bed[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

So basically I've spotted and killed only 1 of the 7 bucks while they were feeding. And 5 of the 7 bucks were either spotted in their beds, moving beds, or jumped out of their bed. To me this shows how big deer spend most of their time in daylight during the hunting season.

Anyways, thought this was interesting and worth sharing. Do others have similar information to share? I'd be interested to see if mine are unique or common to other mule deer hunters.

 

[MuleyFever]

First off, you have killed 7 bucks basically over 170 in the last 5 years? Congrats and can I come hunting with you?

As far as the data it is typical of what I would expect.

 

[Jon Boy]

Interesting in deed.. but we need pictures Vandal!!

 

[Josh Wright]

Solid

 

[VANDAL]

Only 6 bucks. I don't know how to post pics so I just do tables... lol


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[MuleyFever]

 

[VANDAL]

Can anyone see this pic?

 

[JustHunt]

Vandal, what happened in 2016!!???

Like you, I had a great year in 15, but I muffed it in 16 (maybe you didn't, but I got humbled). Lol

The better bucks I've shot have been all over the map as far as time of day goes. But my favorite is still the first and last hour, just got to tough it out the rest of the day. Living far away from where you hunt has only one perk, you cant go home when your not seeing anything! So you just got to tough it out all day. Killed my best buck less than 10 minutes before legal shooting light expired on the edge of some thick aspen, another within the first half hour of sunrise out in the desert, shot one about 2 in the afternoon trying to kick a smaller bucks butt first week of November, and another around noon in its bed in the thick pine during a rain storm in late October.

 

[sn.outdoors]

I prefer to kill bucks anytime between sunrise and sunset.

But like JustHunt said, the golden hours have the name for a reason.

 

[robby denning]

I've seen every one of his bucks, he's pulling no BS on you guys.

Vandal, I've showed you like three times how to post pics!

your 195 did show up fine in this thread.

 

[Jimmy]

I've killed 3 in the morning before 9 and 3 in the evening from 5-7. All the ones in the evening were feeding, and the morning ones were on the move feeding/heading towards bedding areas. This was all in California, OTC zones and public land.

View attachment 44966

 

[elkguide]

Being a non-res hunter of mule deer, I have taken them from sun up to sun down. Most of mine were transitioning between feeding and bedding and vice versa. A couple were taken chasing but most were going somewhere and I had set up on their areas.

 

[jimmy33]

I've got to tell you. I've never shot a big buck in the morning hours. In fact, I can only remember shooting one buck on the am. Most have been spotted during the day or jumped out of beds. My largest, nothing compared to your bucks , he was about 170" Washington buck, I shot still hunting small thickly trees ridges the last hour of shooting light above bedding areas.


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[bowuntr]

Can't see the pic... Ed F