After deer season last year, they came through to run some new water lines, they ran them through the middle of our whole lease and through the middle of our wheat field. The wheat field got cut early and not sure if/when they will plant it again. With all the construction (finally done), it appears the deer went nocturnal on us. I always had some pics of deer at night (especially the big bucks) but also always had deer during shooting hours. The last few months all my pictures are them feeding at midnight to 3 am. I have only had 1 day in the past 5-6 months where a deer was at the feeder during shooting light.

I know it's a dumb question, but any trick to trying to lure them back in during shooting hours?

Not sure what you can do if they are eating natural browse. Once they start hitting corn you could turn off the late afternoon/evening cycle and feed twice in the morning. If they want corn they'll be forced to come out early.

Does anyone really believe that deer stop moving, don't eat, drink, pee, or defecate for 12 or more hours a day? I firmly believe that no deer is nocturnal. I do believe based on increased activity by humans that they learn to minimize their movement during the daylight hours and stay close to their bedding areas. Find the bedding areas and you will probably see deer during the early mornings and late evenings. Remember, deer are edge creatures...they love edges of clearings and the edges of daylight.

Just bc they are only on camera at night doesn’t mean they are nocturnal just means they only come to where the cameras are at night prob because it’s safer and cooler.

They will go nocturnal for many reasons, including hunting pressure, increased human activity, warm weather, etc., when I had that situation occur to me, I would change up my routine to include driving around hunting areas and spreading corn on the ground 100 lbs at a time, a couple times a week. They would associate the sound of my truck with fresh corn in quantity and break out to beat the hogs to it.

Also, a day before ( in early season three days) I wanted to hunt, I would make some fresh mock scrapes around the corned area (and use a scent dripper above each one with doe estrus and buck scrape mixed together. Then I would take some doe estrus and drip it every ten yards or so, along their established trail areas, including as I was driving out (think hot doe traveling to the fresh corn). Then I would slowly slip in just after daylight (think still hunt my way in) with my nose always into the wind. It never failed to bring those old nocturnal bucks out. Be careful though, because the young buck will get out extra early to get a jump on the big boys, who tend to show up between 10 am until 2pm (learned behavior to avoid hunting pressure patterns of hunters, perhaps?). The big bucks never came straight in, instead, they would slip up from down wind of the corn station and make a semicircle to see if they could catch a whiff of doe estrus scent and to check for danger. When they caught a whiff of the doe estrus mixed with the buck urine...they would come in looking for a fight, most times checking each doe at the station then walking directly to one of the mock scrapes. Usually they would either freshen it or make one of their own nearby. As long as I as not detected, I would watch until after the dominant buck finished his “business” before taking the shot, assuming I wanted to shoot that particular buck. Hope this information helps.

No, most will get up, stretch, browse, use the restroom and then bed back down a couple times each day, from my personal observations.

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They will go nocturnal for many reasons, including hunting pressure, increased human activity, warm weather, etc., when I had that situation occur to me, I would change up my routine to include driving around hunting areas and spreading corn on the ground 100 lbs at a time, a couple times a week. They would associate the sound of my truck with fresh corn in quantity and break out to beat the hogs to it.

Also, a day before ( in early season three days) I wanted to hunt, I would make some fresh mock scrapes around the corned area (and use a scent dripper above each one with doe estrus and buck scrape mixed together. Then I would take some doe estrus and drip it every ten yards or so, along their established trail areas, including as I was driving out (think hot doe traveling to the fresh corn). Then I would slowly slip in just after daylight (think still hunt my way in) with my nose always into the wind. It never failed to bring those old nocturnal bucks out. Be careful though, because the young buck will get out extra early to get a jump on the big boys, who tend to show up between 10 am until 2pm (learned behavior to avoid hunting pressure patterns of hunters, perhaps?). The big bucks never came straight in, instead, they would slip up from down wind of the corn station and make a semicircle to see if they could catch a whiff of doe estrus scent and to check for danger. When they caught a whiff of the doe estrus mixed with the buck urine...they would come in looking for a fight, most times checking each doe at the station then walking directly to one of the mock scrapes. Usually they would either freshen it or make one of their own nearby. As long as I as not detected, I would watch until after the dominant buck finished his “business” before taking the shot, assuming I wanted to shoot that particular buck. Hope this information helps. [/quote]

I've never used any of the attracted (urine/other) if we don't see activity after youth weekend, I may give this a try

That's not a bad idea. I have 2 feeders one is hog fenced so other than birds the corn can stay there indefinitely. The other is not fenced so if they dont get there first the hogs will get it

Deer do not move in the heat of the day from late spring to early fall much unless they are hungry. Heat makes them move at night. Just because you are not seeing deer in the daylight hours does not mean they are not active, they may not live close enough to the feeders to be there in the daylight. Deer also adapt to what "routines" are daily on any particular place. They have to. I check my place daily at different times using my Ranger only...drive out in a truck and they will head to the neighbors. I feed the roads out of my Ranger and if they do not hear the feeder they may or may not step out. The later into the season the faster the deer show up and the more show up. Hunger is ruling their feeding habits at that time. All of my summer time photos of bucks were at night time around my corn and protein feeders. Most were and still are from 11pm till 4 am. Cooler temps, rain or cloud cover might get some daylight activity till the heat shows back up. Then they are back to nights only. Not many of the deer I get on cameras live on my place so I fully expect to see them at night. The one thing I do see now is does during the daylight and in about 6 weeks when the rut starts the bucks will be there in the daylight.

This time of year an abundance of acorns will also cause the deer to not show themselves.
Some years back before the hogs invaded my area, I had so much corn on the ground under the feeder I shut it off, and even then the corn began to sprout.