Does anyone else dislike evening hunts?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s far better than not hunting. I just don’t have nearly the confidence in the evening as I do in the morning. I always see more deer in the morning and all but a couple of does have been shot in the morning.

Anyone feel the same or have the complete opposite sentiment?

If you're not seeing deer in evening you're not hunting evening appropriate spots. Back when I thought I was a serious deer killer I had a good idea of where different deer were at all times of day.

He didn't say he wasn't seeing deer in the evenings. He said he sees more in the morning.

Shooting something at dusk is a PITA, especially if it's management oriented. I'm 95% sure I'll knock something down tomorrow evening, but my time before my shoulder surgery is getting short and I've got MLD tags to fill. I'd much prefer to watch the sun go down from the porch, with a cigar in one hand and a cocktail in the other.

Sometimes I just hate to get up early, so I lean toward evening hunting. That said, I’d much rather shoot a deer in the morning. Tracking, if needed, is easier, as is the processing.

I’m slowly becoming my father, who finally quit morning hunting. It’s laziness…

Yeah that’s the other part of it. I’d much prefer to field-dress/process an animal at 9am than 9pm.

You're not alone. I'll still hunt every evening, but it's going to take something special for me to shoot close to dark.

Mostly hunt evenings here.

Have been in areas that's better in mornings,
Others better in evenings.

One of our blinds is notoriously a poor producer for shooters as well as deer numbers during evening sits. My astute boys have picked up on this and always send me to it when it’s an afternoon hunt. Dang kids!! The morning is entirely a different story, and has historically produced all but one of the bigger bucks on the property. I know exactly why that is I feel, but I haven’t told my kids why. Mornings hunts they are not given an option of where to go, They are told! I always pick the relegated evening blind they banish me to….most of the time.

I prefer the evening sit, or used to. Still learning many things about myself, I have come to find I really don’t like looking for deer after dark. I also don’t prefer messing with an animal after dark. I do prefer a sun rise to sunset but I’m much more a night owl than an early bird.

Success wise, I’m about 50/50 on morning vs. evening kills.

My barn has lights for processing and I’ve got thermal in case of tracking so popping one at last light is no issue.

Thermal for tracking…..how have I not thought of this??

Years ago I used to hunt evenings almost exclusively, not because I preferred evening, but because I seldom had enough available time in the morning, due to job requirements.

I do prefer mornings for a number of reasons. But to be honest I'll be out there at any time of day if I can and have a chance at bagging something, anything.

I find morning preferable because;
#1 more time for setting up a shot or stalking and for processing and retrieval,
#2 usually the light is better - better for aging eyes to see, game. tracks, sign ext.
#3 temp is usually lower - better for cooling a carcass.
#4 more chance help is available if needed. Mostly for Moose.
#5 I have more energy early in the day.
#6 animals are often in the open for longer in the early morning. in the evening many animals don't leave heavy cover until the light is almost gone.

That being said, I believe I have shot almost as many animals at mid day as I have in the morning.
I also will hunt different species at different times of day, in one day.
For example, I may hunt Geese in the morning, grouse from late morning to early afternoon and then hunt Moose just before dark. Moose respond to calling better late in the day then in the morning.

One thing I have learned, animals do not live by a set of rules, they react to the environment around them, moment by moment. And they can sense thing we can't.
An approaching storm for example. And they do alter behavior due to weather.

The best we can do in deciding what they will do is make an educated guess, while expecting the unexpected.

I prefer evening hunts but enjoy having plenty of daylight to clean whatever I take during morning hunts. Morning hunts also makes it easier to drop meat off at the processor.

I personally won't take a shot within 30 min of sunset. Never lost an animal yet and don't intend to start now. I want enough light to follow them up if needed. What others choose to do is up to them but that is the way I approach it.

Don’t have a preference, but it is way more exciting seeing a buck step out as the timer is ticking down and anticipation is building in the evening than it is anytime in the morning

We see more deer in the evenings but it sure messes up happy hour.

I enjoy the evening hunt more but I like shooting the deer in the morning.

I’ve always killed and seen more bucks in the morning than I have in the evenings. The exception is early bow season on a good food plot.

We hunt the evenings at times but concentrate on the morning hunts since that’s when all our shooters are on the move. Hunt when you can though, tomorrow’s not guaranteed and next week might not be be an option..

If you made me choose I would take evening over morning every time. Something about being in the woods for the last hour of daylight when the wind dies down and the birds and squirrels go quiet. Magic hour.

It is how nocturnal hog hunters have been recovering hogs for years. Thermal does not help so much for actual tracking per se, but for spotting downed animals, particularly when they have buried themself in a briar patch or heavy foliage.

I prefer morning hunts for the simple fact that it gets easier to locate and judge deer as the hunt goes on as opposed to more difficult with an evening hunt. That being said I’m about 50/50 on shooting deer. Almost all the deer we kill in Leon county are morning hunts and almost all deer killed at the house here Guadalupe county are evening deer.

This for me also.

I love hunting in the morning....I once had a t-short made with my favorite motto..."Anyone can get up early enough for sunset".

But I have actually found trailing a blood trail to be significantly easier in the dark. The blood is black where most of the red in nature washes out with a nice bright light.

I like both, enjoy seeing the outdoors come alive in mornings and enjoy it winding down some in evenings. Have seen big deer pretty equally amongst both but usually more rutting and chasing during mornings. Like others, I am less likely to let a late day shot go unless I feel pretty sure it's a short range kill shot and must be mature, nice buck. One too many retrieval jobs in the brush and prickly pear in South Texas will change your mind about late day, 200-300 yard shoulder, behind shoulder shots.

Killed most of my big bucks in the afternoon.

I have killed all my big bucks in the morning though 7:20 thru 10:35 am.

Thermal, body heat, pends on Temps, how long it been down.
Quicker the better.

deer hunting ?
First deer lease was on, hog hunts. Asked GW about hunting hogs @ night. Before the AR's, NV, Thermal.
Set up on fresh hog sign, listen, ease twards hogs, single-six on hips, flashlight off, positive ID.
GW said, not gonna tell ya, ya can't. Hog hunts 24-7-365.
He did say, if he gets call. Their better b a dead hog on ground.
Did the night/hog hunts after deer season was over.
1) respect for the other deer hunters, not mess up their hunts,
2) the deer are pressured enough,
the True Trouphy tis memories of time spent, & the people ya hunt with
pappy
3) respect for GW.


doing my best grammer, & less emoji's ta keep the 's happy, happy, happy.
Best wish's on everyone's up coming hunts.

It's all good

Duh.

I hunt morning and evening equally.

Rapier wit.

I hate getting up but I currently see more in the am

Morning or evening all the same to me. Don’t mind trailing/cleaning critters after dark.

Prefer evening hunts, but I knock off pretty close to official sunset. Gives me a chance to do a slow walk in just in case something special is in a pasture along the way.

Only problem with the evening hunt it you know it has a definite end-time. If I get there a little late in the morning, or they're moving good, I can just keep sitting there and increase my chances.

I prefer hunting deer in the morning for many of the reasons already addressed here but I really enjoy seeing everything come to life in the morning. The only problem is at our properties in ET we see more deer in the evening, generally the last 30 min of hunting light.

I like hunting in the evening, except that it makes for a late night if I get one.

I don't like getting up early in the morning to hunt, but do it anyway. I don't like searching for animals I have shot, breaking them down by headlamp, and packing them out in the dark, but I do it. Anything that improves my odds of harvesting game I will do.

Interesting....the vast majority of my whitetail bucks have been killed in the evening, more specifically the last 30 minutes of legal shooting light. This is over many years of hunting on many different properties. Could just be a coincidence.

The older I get the more I like evening hunts. I like being able to see on my way to the stand. I mind less getting out in the dark. It used to be the other way around when I was younger.

I’m surprised at how many prefer evening. A good example of how different people are. Should of been a poll.
I much prefer morning but I love hunting at any time. I usually hunt from daylight till dark and much prefer it.
I’m not exactly sure why I like mornings but it does seem like more activity. Likely the main knock against evening for me is the impending finality of the hunt. The opposite in the morning when you can look forward to the entire day. This especially holds true in a spot and stalk situation when impending darkness hurts options. Mornings there’s no practical time pressure.

Old farts who have been there done that.

I'm like most others here. I still "like" getting up early for the morning hunt. They are special. I'm usually numb and done by 9:00, with Waffles and coffee calling. Last morning, I'll sleep in. Usually only 2 mornings. Ranch is close.


If I'm shooting a doe, morning for sure.

LOVE the afternoons, especially 4:00-dark (witching hour), Only pigs this year. I'm hunting for free on my Buddy's lease. I can only shoot pigs. He said to shoot whatever I want but in respect to paying members, I will not shoot a buck. I pay for the motel room and our meals.

Just like to go, not really mad at them anymore.

I’m a morning person, but like hunting evenings, I don’t kill much but never miss a hunt, I just love getting out.
As a rule we prefer if you shoot a doe or a spike, shoot it in the morning.
Big bucks only in the evenings.

I've killed 100% of my deer in the evening.
that being said, i've only taken 1 buck.

I love sitting in the stand 45 minutes to an hour before daylight to catch a glimpse of a falling star and hear the woods waking up in the morning. That being said, I’ve been equally successful harvesting good bucks in the morning and evening.

Where I'm from, the evening hunt is normally better on most ranches FME and something I always look forward to. Even though I killed my biggest buck in the morning.

I am one of those guys that will spend hours alone at night trailing a guest's/client's/family member's animal while everyone else is at camp eating, drinking, and going to bed. Have recovered and cleaned many a critter late at night alone when things got quiet, I enjoy it. To each their own.

I prefer evening hunts over morning myself. That last 30 minutes before dark can often be a flurry of activity. My current stand location also seems to have more activity in the evening vs morning, so......

Just put me in the stand morning or evening I don't care.
Have cleaned and skinned with a flashlight not my favorite but part of hunting.

I've killed far more big deer in the evenings than I have in the mornings and that includes clients I had out and my own personal mounts on the wall.

I'm going to say that at least 75% of the deer over 140" were taken in the afternoons

If the pasture has been h disturbed I like evening hunts. If we have been out and about all day filling feeders or working in the field I feel like it reduces what we see.

I enjoy them both morning and afternoon hunts.

Probably depends on your experience.

I’ve had success in the evenings so my brain associates success with evening hunts.

Hence why I like evening hunts.

It's a good time to hunt. I wouldn't care if it is an agricultural area but if it is deep woods and you have to gut out the deer in the dark and then drag it out, well Okay but shooting one at dawn makes the task a lot easier.

Prefer evening hunts. When legal shooting light is done, I pick up the AR with thermal and wait to see if pigs come into the feeder after dark. If nothing shows within an hour or so, it’s back to camp for dinner and rest then possibly going back out and checking the feeders for hogs.

I prefer mornings, but I like to sleep late also.

As I sit here sweating with my some in a box bling in Llano, I am reminded of another reason I prefer am hunts.

Saw 8-9 legal bucks this morning. Same stand this evening one. Love the mornings.

I make the best of every opportunity to hunt.

“You’ll run out of health long before you run out of money.”
Randy Newberg

I’m an AM squirrel hunter and a PM deer hunter. I don’t see as many deer in the morning, in the evening I only get a few minutes of real good squirrel activity.

When I was younger, I didn't care, anytime was great! As I get older, afternoons feel more convenient vs early rise

Generally prefer mornings but evenings this season have been pretty good. I probably lean 60/40, mornings to evenings.

I like hunting in the evening and most of the deer I’ve shot have been in the last 30 min of legal hunting time

I hunt both because I'm not willing to give up half my hunting time. But it sure is easier finding them after the shot in the morning and taking care of them in the light without moths and other bugs flying around your headlamp.

I hunt both, but the closer it gets to the end of legal shooting light, the more I wonder, if something goes wrong, can I deal with it. Here in NC, our lease has a large black bear population. While they are mostly skittish and nocturnal, if I shoot a deer before dark and have to track, what am I getting into? Last night, 15 minutes before the end of legal light I had a bear come in, she was a good one, and I had a tag. I wrestled with whether or not to shoot, but the opportunity to take my first bear was right there in front of me. I got a good broadside shot, and she went down, but then spun off into a bamboo thicket, just what I was worried about. Within 30 seconds, she moaned loudly 4 or 5 times and then was quiet. I got out of the stand and walked down the shooting lane, she didn’t go far, only about 20 yards from the shot, piled up and dead. So, while I may wrestle with the late evening shots, as long as shot placement is good, I will take it, I love to hunt, and I like meat in the freezer.

i just go when i can

I have hunted both and will continue to do so. I have killed 55% of the bucks I have mounted in the evenings....the vast majority of my really big deer came in the evening hunts. I shoot high shoulder or point of the shoulder and no tracking involved. Right gear to gut a deer quickly(less than 2 minutes)....load it and be at the house in short order to take photos and skin the deer.

What I do like about evening deer hunts is, you at least know when to stop hunting.

You're right. Never thought about that!

Thank God for those death moans

Right 30 minutes after sundown, not zero dark 30+

For me like asking if I like apple or peach cobbler better? I'll say apple but just barely. Lol

I like the evenings just a smidge more, 99 percent of the time I don't have to worry about the morning gut rumble!

good way to look at it.

I like the morning hunts better if it is early season. I haven`t shot many bucks in the afternoon after Thanksgiving anyway. I still have a buck tag this year so I`m fixing to head out @ 5:30 and see if anything is moving. Looks like I`m probably going to have to eat my tag this year though. I went 2 days ago and saw 9 bucks of all ages except the only mature buck was broke off when he was in velvet and decided to pass on him till next year. It`s just hard to get motivated for a late season morning hunt when you already know your probably not going to see a buck you are going to shoot. I still enjoy just getting out and watching the wood wake up.

I can't "Dislike" any hunt, but I way prefer morning. Morning hunt is on from first light to the time I decide to quit. I'm pumped up and on alert the whole time knowing that at any second I could be pulling the trigger on a good buck. There's plenty of time to take care of business with the kill and enjoy it. Evening, seems like I'm waiting on the golden hour of the last one hour of shooting light, then I seem to be in a hurry to get things taken care of before dark.

I have records on 46 bucks. 21 AM, 25 PM.

Yea I feel the same why, I have left a lot of doe's go just before dark because I don't want to deal with the work in the dark.

I stated earlier that I prefer morning hunts. However, last evening my youngest son took his first deer ever in late shooting light. Several of the reasons I dislike evening hunts followed...not a perfect shot (young shooter), tracking the deer through the woods in the dark following blood, gutting the deer in the dark, going to the processor after hours.

With that said, after 2 other morning and 1 evening hunts this past weekend with my kiddo evaluating several bucks, all shy of 13", yesterday afternoons/evening hunt is something he and I will never forget. As an athlete competing at high levels his entire life, he said his heart never raced so much as looking at the buck through the Redfield crosshairs riding on top of his Marlin 336.

He loved every second of the experience. The 2.5 hour sit, the excitement of the shot, the tracking and gutting, the stories, and the steaks to come. His first deer and 8pt legal buck was an incredible evening for both of us.

So I guess that puts me back to even... I now like morning and evening hunts equally.

edited to fix sloppy typos

A post like this deserves a picture.

Of the 40 plus deer I have taken in my 60 years of hunting only 5 were taken in the evening!!!!

However hunting and not seeing a deer is always better than not hunting at all!!!

As noted more chance of not finding a deer in the dark and letting the yotes have excessive protean!! This has happened a couple times unfortunately!!!

OK ------ back to preferring morning hunts. Two mature bucks walked out this morning and I took the larger of the two. I've been watching deer pretty much all season. The Marlin 45-70 did its job nicely! Man I love morning hunts!