In the world we live in full of technology and speed, most people are starting to become more conscious of where and how they are spending their time. Between work, family, responsibilities, and hobbies such as whitetail deer hunting, you will want to know what the best time to hunt whitetail deer is so you can capitalize on all your hunts.
This article will highlight when the prime time to hunt whitetail deer during a single day, the time of year, and how to utilize the time of day and your hunting spots to maximize your opportunities to shoot a mature whitetail this year! This article will also help you schedule time off work to get in the woods and chase whitetails.
Best Time to Hunt Whitetail Deer during Daylight Hours
The time of day that you are hunting truly matters when it comes to the best hunting times. Each time of the day plays a major part in the daily process of whitetail deer hunting. You obviously cannot shoot deer when the time of day is outside of hours of daylight. However, the darkness will be your best friend for getting positioned correctly. Understand that deer are crepuscular animals and will move more in the twilight hours of the day such as dusk and dawn.
Before Sunrise
In the morning, whitetail deer tend to be feeding in the open fields or at the major food source in your area. You want to use the darkness to sneak into your optimal position for morning hunts. While the deer are out in the fields feeding, you want to get into the spot where you will find deer traveling back to their bedding area.
A good recommendation is to be comfortable in your hunting spot 20 to 30 minutes before legal shooting hours. This will give you the best chance to be prepared for one of the best times to hunt whitetail deer and shoot more big bucks.
Early Morning Hunting
Legal shooting has just started, and you are already in your stand location and ready for the action to begin. Daybreak is the best time to hunt whitetail deer that are traveling from a major food source back to their bedding area. Daybreak until roughly an hour and a half after that is the best time to hunt whitetail deer in the morning. This time normally has the best deer activity in the morning.
Mid-Morning Hunting
I classify mid-morning to be anywhere from 9 am to 10:30 am. I have seen a nice buck roaming the woods during this time quite a few times. I know from hunting experience that this is the time that you want to throw in the towel for the morning hunt and head back to camp to eat, maybe take a nap, and do whatever you need to do. Nevertheless, the extra hour that you spend in your stand is by far my best time to hunt whitetail deer.
Do not waste what I and many successful hunters will argue is the best time to hunt whitetail deer, especially the mature bucks. Also, note that this time is not usually the time to do any scouting or wandering around the woods. Remember that if you spook a mature buck, he may turn nocturnal because he knows that he is being hunted. The scent that you leave behind might be the only sign that a mature buck needs to know and switch his behavior.
Middle of the Day Hunting
During the middle of the day, most deer are bedded down and resting. This is the best time to not be hunting if you are going to choose to split up your morning and late afternoon hunts. I normally take the afternoon to take a nice nap. However, the rut changes everything. During the rut, the best time of day to hunt whitetail deer is all day long. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN!
At Dusk Hunting
As I am walking you through what an average day in the woods looks like for a deer, can you guess where the deer is about 2 to 3 hours before legal shooting ends? If you said still bedded down, you guessed it!
Deer start to get up from their bedding areas and head back out to the fields to feed on major food sources or food plots for the night. You can expect to see some doe activity about 2 hours before dark, then the young bucks will follow shortly after, and lastly, the biggest bucks will hit the field to feed about 45 to 30 minutes before dark.
This window is the best time to hunt whitetail deer during the late evenings. They are predictable and relaxed (if you did not spook them), and you are more likely to get a shot. These are the times that I like to hunt on the edge of a field or food source to stay hidden and be able to see lots of deer.
After Dark
Now it is time to leave your stand assuming that you did not shoot a deer that evening hunt. Deer are going to be in the feeding areas. You do not want to spook them because this will cause them to be aware of the hunting pressure. I heard Tony Lapratt once say in a YouTube video that if you spook the does, they will come out roughly 45 min to an hour later than the previous day and that will directly affect when the bucks come out as well.
If the deer are in the field feeding, then you need to exit your stand through a non-feeding area such as the woods.
Table of Contents
- During the Day
- During the Year
- Factors that Affect the Movement of Whitetail Deer
- When to Hunt as a Weekend Warrior
- Conclusion
Best Time to Hunt Whitetail Deer during the Year
Photo Credit: @adamjsprouse on Instagram. Go Check Out His Photos
The best time to hunt whitetail deer depends on your skill level and how prepared you are as a hunter. But you need to make sure that you are hunting legally first.
Legal Hunting Months
Legal hunting months vary from state to state. In Michigan where I hunt, the legal months to hunt whitetail deer are October 1 through January 1. You just want to make sure that you are not poaching any deer because that could get you in trouble with the DNR in your state. So, the best time to hunt whitetails to start is the legal time!
Early Season Hunting
The early season is the best time to hunt whitetail deer when you have patterned them. Deer in the first two weeks of the season are normally still in their summer feeding habits. This makes them more predictable for you to pattern and execute. This is where your skill and preparation will come into play. If you have put the work in, you will know in general how a certain buck that you are targeting or deer, in general, will be moving in the early season.
The Chase or Pre-Rut Hunting
The Chase or Pre-Rut is the time when the bucks can sense the change in weather, and they know that the rut is coming soon. Mature bucks start to tear up the woods with rubs and scrapes as they are cruising the woods to check for that first doe to come into heat. The chase is a great time to be sitting over a group of big buck rubs, scrapes, community rubs, pinch points, and deer highways.
This is one of my favorite times to hunt and normally happens the last week of October into the middle of the second week in November.
I would hunt all day during the chase because these bucks are on high alert and ready to pick a fight. You can use your rattling antlers and buck call as well to entice bucks out of their core area.
The Rut Hunting
The Rut is a time of complete chaos! Bucks are cruising the woods for does that are coming into estrous. Does are running away from bucks that are chasing them because they are not quite ready to be bread. This is one of the most exciting times to be in the woods because literally, anything could happen; however, it is the most unpredictable time to hunt whitetails. Many hunters will tell you that this is the best time to be a whitetail hunter.
I think it is the most exciting time but not necessarily the best time to hunt whitetail deer. I suggest that you hunt all day long because the bucks will be cruising all day looking for hot does. All day is the best time to hunt whitetail deer during the rut.
Rutting normally starts the first or second week of November. A good location for the rut is an isolated area where a doe and a buck can be alone. This often happens when a doe is in heat and ready to breed. The doe does not want to be by other deer, and the buck wants to keep her away from other competition. This is one of the best times to hunt that one lonely tree out in the middle of the field… you may just catch a mature buck with a hot doe.
The Second Rut Hunting
The second rut is not as exciting as the first; nevertheless, the same rules apply. You will want to hunt in an isolated area. The only difference is that if you have been hunting hard for the entire chase and rut, you may want to take a break and go back to hunting mornings and evenings with a break for lunch and a nap in between. Still a great time to be hunting whitetail deer.
Late Season Hunting
In the late season, the best time to be hunting is in the morning and the evenings again. This is because bucks need to replenish their bodies. They do this by trying to refuel with proteins and fats. This sets deer back into a patterned behavior of traveling from food to feeding or vice versa. Be aware of the late-season food source because it may completely change from the food source in the early season.
Factors that Affect the Movement of Whitetail Deer
There are a handful of factors that can change the way deer move throughout the day. Each one is unique and when paired together tends to result in lots of deer movement and opportunities for you to shoot a mature buck.
Time of Day
Time of day plays a big part in what time the deer are moving and where they are moving as I explained in detail above. This is all due to the nature of deer and how they are naturally programmed to move according to the time of day.
Time of Year
The time of year also is one piece of the puzzle of how deer move. When and where are the best time and place to hunt whitetail deer based on the time of year that you are hunting and what type of ‘mode’ the deer are in so to say. This was also explained in much detail above.
Moon Phase
Whitetail hunters across the United States swear that deer move differently based on the lunar phases. I am not super educated on the topic yet! So, I will not claim that I know when the best time to hunt whitetail deer is based on moon phases. If you want to learn more about moon phases, click here to check out a great article by Mossy Oak about the full moon and the new moon.
Barometric pressure
The barometric changes can play a role when deer are moving more. Barometric calculations are based on altitude, temperature, and humidity. Deer are sensitive animals that have a great sense of when the weather will change and what kind of weather is coming. I recall one hunt in 2021, I was hunting, and it started to POUR rain. I decided to go back to the house and dry up, and I got right back out there. That day, I saw almost 10 deer in the field. None got close enough for a shot but the change in the barometer played a part in how the deer moved.
Cold Fronts
Weather conditions that bring cold weather are a good time to hunt whitetail deer if you are only looking at the weather. As much as the cold affects deer hunters, it also affects the deer. Instead of going inside and having a hot cup of coffee as we do, deer will move through their travel route more to stay warm. It is the same concept as going on a run in the cold. You do not feel as cold because you are moving and activating your muscles. It is the same with deer when cold fronts appear. They will be on their feet and moving which gives you more opportunities to kill that trophy buck.
Colder temperatures are some of my favorite times of hunting season. In public land or private land, the most important thing is the movement of deer. Fresh snow and cold temperatures get the bucks out of thick cover and your chances of success go through the roof!
Wind Direction
The best time to hunt whitetail deer as a smart hunter is when the wind is in your favor. The nose is by far the whitetail’s biggest asset for survival. They can smell EVERYTHING! You want to always be downwind. (The wind is in your face) If you can avoid being detected by their nose, the deer will be more relaxed and move without worry. Little do they know that you are sitting waiting patiently for your perfect moment to execute. Wind majorly affects deer movement.
Click here to learn all about the wind and deer movement. This will help you hunt your best locations at the best time to hunt whitetail deer.
The wind will be your friend when hunting whitetail deer. If you can keep your scent away from their nose, you are giving yourself a good strategy and an advantage against the deer.
When to Hunt as a Weekend Warrior?
As a weekend warrior, (someone who cannot hunt every day) I understand that conditions to hunt are not always ideal for when we can get into the woods. However, the best time to hunt whitetail deer as a weekend warrior is anytime that you can. You will want to get out there and hunt because if you are not out there, then you aren’t killing anything either.
However, if I were to take time off work or school, I would leave for a rutcation during the first week of November. Use trail cams to track and understand how the really big buck or two are moving on your property. Then use scent control and hunt those peak times to have a successful hunting season.
Conclusion
The optimal time to hunt whitetail deer depends on your style of hunting. I like to hunt as much as I can specifically during late October and early November (Peak Rut). I tend to hunt in the morning hours and evenings during the early and late seasons and like to sit much longer or all day during the pre-rut and rutting times.
I like to use trail cameras to figure help my deer season be a success. It gives you a good chance of making an educated guess of the best days, right time, and peak period to hunt the great deer woods.
Each hunter will be a little bit different as to what time they like to hunt whitetail bucks; however, the bottom line is there are truths about the best time to hunt whitetail deer that all hunters should take advantage of.
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