I've always preferred Morning hunts and for some reason had better luck 'overall' than evening hunts.

My Daughter, conversely...MUCH prefers evening hunts and has always done well (hunting the exact same property that I hunt), so go figure.

I know that in some locations...deer density and hunting pressure play a big role in how many deer you see, regardless the time of day.

I just enjoy watching the woods come alive and feel that with each passing hour...my chances are getting better when I hunt mornings (sometimes all day). With evening hunts, time (and available light) are working against you, BUT...some of the best bucks we kill each year are taken late in the day.

What say you guys?

I prefer evening for seeing deer but morning for shooting deer. I don't like tracking archery deer at night and skinning quartering deer causes me to miss out on socializing/cooking/relaxing.

Either or for me. Hunt when I can prolly shot more big deer in the AM over the years.

When I first started hunting I sat evening exclusively. Then I tried going in he mornings and my sightings increased. In fact I killed 2 bucks on the very first 2 mornings I sat. Now I will go either times but I prefer morning now.

As I'm sitting in my stand with the wind howling around me I'm trying to decide...and I can't! I enjoy them both! I love the morning hunts because you get to see the start of a new day with all it entails but in the evening I get to see the end of the day and there's just something about sitting, waiting and hoping that the big one will step out before dark. There's a peacefulness to both and as for success I really can't say that ones been better than the other. My best buck was in the morning but my 2nd and 3rd were in the evening. The one advantage to the evening hunt tho is that I don't have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to go hunt...lol.

Hopefully the wind will let up and I'll get a good one this evening before I leave!

Man, I hate shooting stuff at dark. But I have.

As I get older, I get up earlier and earlier. And dark gets closer and closer to my bedtime.

This

I shoot more deer between 2pm-5pm

After hunting 30 years, i often catch myself sleeping in; therefore, i must say evening. Those nights around a campfire with family are priceless memories and i have no regrets when i sleep in. Ive got 2 shoulder mounts on the wall, from morning and evening. I am evenly split as far as shooters for either hunt, but i think quantity wise id lean morning.

To each his own!

Unless there is a front of some type moving through, a typical morning where I hunt (Pineywoods of Deep East Texas), will start with NO wind at all. Then as the Sun rises and temperatures increase, we will get whatever wind for the day. I definitely see more deer movement once there is a 'reliable' wind.

In the evenings (here) the wind tends to lay, the temperatures cool rapidly and I have to deal with thermals settling.

Since I am not normally shooting a very long distance (often 75 yds or less), I have to be mindful of conditions, not unlike when I am bow-hunting.

I grew up hunting in the Hill Country...and there, the terrain was much more open. In that setting..I normally saw more deer in the evening and my confidence (for seeing deer) was greater.

The odd thing here (maybe just luck, or even 'karma') is that I can hunt the exact same property, location and deer stand and NOT see hardly anything, then my Daughter comes along and a deer is virtually guaranteed to walk out.

I get clean, stay still, I am quiet...have 52 years of deer hunting experience (over 45 years with a bow 'traditional'), so its not like I'm being clumsy or careless and spooking deer.

Don't know, but evening hunts usually do not produce as many sightings or opportunities for me.

But 'junior' does OK.

Her two latest bucks:

Prefer evening, but more success in the morning. LOL

Flintknapper that is an excellent deer. You best go sit with your daughter she definitely has the MOJO.

I usually am present on most of her hunts. In fact, I do all the prep work during the year, do the scouting, monitor the game cameras, plant the food plots, etc...

Then call her when I think the deer are moving the best. Even so...its not like you can just go sit on her stand any given day...and see deer (morning or evening). I suppose there is some amount of luck to it, since She almost always sees something to shoot.

It might be a Deer, Hog, Coyote, Bobcat (sometimes all of the above), but She will see something.

I prefer the morning hunt. I face east and I get to see the beautiful sunrise.

Tough question, Im don't like to get up early. But am afraid of the dark.....


I'm usually the only one on my lease that goes hunting. I don't really like being out at night tracking, dressing a deer alone.

99.9 % evening.

I’ve been at current lease for 6 years and so far I’m 2-4 on morning vs evening hunts. Bagged 2 bucks in morning and 4 during even hunt. I perfer morning but evenings have paid off better. I’d rather take one down and have some daylight ahead of me for tracking if needed

X2 Those are a couple of great bucks!

I like evening hunts more for their convenience of not having to wake up early. Food plots are best to hunt in the evening or late morning. All to often you chase deer out of them when arriving for morning hunts. Evening hunts are also best when hunting near bedding areas because it allows you to catch deer on their way out to feed. I took one of four doe just yesterday when they came slipping through a washout under a fence. It was my first time hunting the stand and I specifically hunted yesterday because I anticipated might use it to reach acorn flats on our property. I've never put a feeder or food plot on this small tract because the owner runs cows on it. However, the acorn flats and it's position as a travel corridor for deer make it a true honey hole.

Of the 5 "trophy" bucks in the last 10 years, every one was killed in the morning. Still hunt the evenings, but have better luck in the am.

You can spook more deer by walking into the blindness of dark mornings and then spook them again when you get up to leave in the day.
In the evening you can plan your aproach with wind advantages and walking way around the core deer areas without a light. That has to be spooky seeing a monster in the dark with a weapon and light. Deer in East Tx are creatures of the night, so I see more big buck activity during that last hour of light. When I'm done hunting I know where the deer are or walked to and I avoid those areas walking out and with very little artificial light or none at all It's called not pressuring the deer. I only morning hunt a few times a year. It has to be frosty outside. The deer dont get up till the sun comes up and warms the earth. This gives me low light walking in time to see the deer and terrain without a light. They also move good afer a frost and the heater turns on in the sky.

We see more deer in the evening at our place in Lee county. When we hunted S. Texas we always saw better deer in the mornings. One thing is certain.....deer are unpredictable and you never really know when or where you'll see a good buck.

Morning for sure! I love to watch the woods come alive.

I've had more success hunting mornings, but my sightings increase in the evenings. Then again, biggest buck I've killed was in the middle of the day...