Evenings or Mornings?

[Pettit877]

Here's a question for everyone.  Which hunt is more successful for you mornings or evenings. lets stick to big game as I feel turkey would tip the scales somewhat.  

For myself, I prefer to hunt evenings but thinking back on things it looks like mornings are more successful overall.

Eric

[rwbowman]

I'm generally a morning hunter overall. I hunt evenings on occasion, but it seems for my preferred method of hunting well into the woods, away from major food sources, I see more movement and have more success in the mornings. I hunt public land and it seems that if we're going to have a crowd, the agriculture fields are where the people are going to be concentrated.

[kevsuperg]

I used to be one of those guys that got up at O'dark thirty and trekked thru the dark woods but as I get older the more I like to sleep in.  Turns out I see more deer in the evenings anyways and I'm better rested

[Michael Arnette]

I've killed all my big bucks in the mornings, most have been during the rut and I think evenings are more productive in the early and late season. Mid day is a great time during the rut and it's when you'll see your big bucks come out.
I also try to plan my hunting around an efficient work and family schedule. For instance, in early season I'll hunt evenings much more because I miss less work and during the late season after time change I'll hunt more mornings so as to miss less work and family time. Weekends it's sometimes just whenever I can or all day if it's during the rut.

[Pat B]

I always preferred evening hunts but I don't remember which were most productive. To me the longer I sit in the evening the better chance I have of seeing deer while in the mornings it seems the longer I sit my chances diminish.

[bruinman]

Morning for deer, evenings for bear. Don't have a lot of bear experience but what I have says evenings.

[Fletcher]

It is easier to get in discretely in the evening, but I do better hunting mornings.  Regardless, I'll be out there whenever I can.

[Tradcat]

I hunt farmland in north central Missouri. We have a hard time hunting in the mornings because the deer are ready in the fields and we bust them going in to our stands. When able, I tend to see more deer in the morning but have better hunting success in the afternoon/evenings.

[Sean B]

My success has been better in the mornings esp before the rut.

[Mr. fingers]

Mornings for sure!

[9 Shocks]

I have never killed a buck in the evening.  But I have certainly missed a few! The ones I have killed have all been in the morning. I guess it depends on the spot, but mornings in the timber during the rut are hard to beat!

[stagetek]

I have seen more deer from evening stands, but enjoy the morning stands more. It's just a great way to start the day.

[last arrow]

Always more successful in the morning.

[Cmane07]

I think my deer sightings would average about 50/50 between evenings and mornings.

[Whitetail Addict]

I hunt both, and I like to spend all day in the woods when I can. If I had to choose, I'd pick evenings. If I had to narrow things further, I'd pick the last hour or so before dark.

Bob

[dbd870]

About the same for me.

Around here mornings are better and the deer activity is longer.  With hunting pressure our deer don't move until sunset.  However, it is  easier for me to get out in the evenings.  I can never hunt in the evening and then make it out  the following morning.  I need to put my telescope away long before deer season, astronomer sleep times do not work for morning hunting.  I go to bed about when I should be getting up.  Flipping that around is difficult.

[KyStickbow]

I would say its about 50/50 for me. I do tend to hunt mostly evenings in the early season though because of the temperature.

[Joe2Crow]

I hunt both but I like the morning hunt better because as soon as you can see, it's prime time.  The evening hunt can get pretty boring until the deer get up and start moving and that's often just before dark.  Not sure which time i've actually been more successful.  Probably evenings.

I have noticed when hunting Iowa public land that hunters make a lot more noise when going into the woods in the dark.  Apparently they assume that if he they cannot see the deer that they must not be there.  The deer are out and about in those predawn hours.  They watch vehicles approach, they know when they stop and people get out. Just because you don't hear them snort and run away that does not mean that they did not see you coming and moved away.  Some of the best deer drives ever have happened when other hunters pushed deer by me in the dark, most of the time it was before I could shoot.