High Noon bucks

[Autumn Ninja]

I seen a study on this once. They took man hours logged morning, midday and evening and matched them to the times of the kills on B&C entries. The study showed that the odds of killing a booner at midday are astronomically better than morning and evening combined.

[dan]

I have a hard time swallowing that it was natural movement... I do know most of the booners I know of that were killed were actually killed mid-day, but they were killed by forced movment.
I can say this though, Andrae told me that in Northern Wisconsin he did better on mature bucks midday, but not in the farming areas of Southern Wisconsin, iowa, and Illinois...
I would also wonder how far these bucks move from there bedding area in that midday time frame?

[U.P. MAN]

At a deer registration bar/restaurant in the town we lease property in, oct 30 and 31 had over twenty bucks killed. also quite a few killed through the 3rd. I never did check moon times for 30 and 31st.

[headgear]

I can say this though, Andrae told me that in Northern Wisconsin he did better on mature bucks midday, but not in the farming areas of Southern Wisconsin, iowa, and Illinois...

Same in the MN bigwoods, late morning and mid-day usually produce the majority of our mature bucks. A few fist light and evening kills in there too but not nearly as much. Zero experience with farm country but I can see that being totally different.

[Southern Man]

After the last few years, I'm a firm believer of midday movement. But I'm talkin late October & November rut time. Younger bucks move all the time. Hunting all day I've seen the deer move at first light til 8-8:30 then bed til 10:30 or so and will get up to feed again until around 2pm. During this mid day activity I've seen 3.5 yo & up come around and hang at the edges of these feeding areas. I'm not talkin crop fields but select areas of oaks in the woods usually thick.

[Autumn Ninja]

I have a hard time swallowing that it was natural movement... I do know most of the booners I know of that were killed were actually killed mid-day, but they were killed by forced movment.

I have a hard time with this also Dan, its not something I understand or can predict....But so many mature bucks get put down at midday, I'm open for ideas/theories.

I can say this though, Andrae told me that in Northern Wisconsin he did better on mature bucks midday, but not in the farming areas of Southern Wisconsin, iowa, and Illinois...

Where Andrae hunted in Northern Wi.....was that a big woods sitting?

I would also wonder how far these bucks move from there bedding area in that midday time frame?

I would like to add that this midday movement seems to be related to the rut...nerly all midday bucks are killed between Oct. 25 and Nov. 25.....There may not be anything to this though....becouse most mature bucks are killed in that time frame anyway, regardless of time of day.

[Autumn Ninja]

I do know most of the booners I know of that were killed were actually killed mid-day, but they were killed by forced movment.

One more question Dan and I'll leave you alone, . By forced movement are you referring to deer drives?

Deer drives are non existent here...I've never participated in one or even know anyone that has. All the midday bucks I've seen while hunting, where seen before the gun season when the hunting pressure was very light.

[dan]

By forced movement are you referring to deer drives?

Yes. Drives are big around the midwest.

I'm open for ideas/theories.

Me too... But its not often I see mature bucks midday. I have to assume if its not forced movement, its cruising bucks in pre-rut.

Where Andrae hunted in Northern Wi.....was that a big woods sitting?

Yes... Antigo WI area.

[Southern Man]

I had also assumed that mid day activity was associated with hunting pressure. Down here you can just about set your watch by when the hunters come and go. It seemed when the hunters left the woods, the deer moved. Trail cam pics showed the same thing.

[headgear]

Where I hunt the mid-day movement is primary during the rut, you also have hunters moving around pushing deer here or there and the occasional deer drive but those usually happen later in the season when most deer are in lock down. I do know of other parts of MN and WI that see an extreme amount of drives from opening day rifle season on so I guess it can depend on your general area.

[DEERSLAYER]

...Down here you can just about set your watch by when the hunters come and go. It seemed when the hunters left the woods, the deer moved...

I have noticed the same thing, but mostly during the rut which is when I do my mid day hunting.

[BackWoodsHunter]

So is this midday movement related to hunter movement, the rut or a deers need to feed. I don't know if it was discussed on this thread or another about deer needing to eat every six hours (in theory) could it be related to that? Do deer in bigwoods have less food and possibly return to their beds earlier than deer in other settings forcing them to get up and move midday or am I off?

[dan]

I think with very low human pressure bucks will feed a little midday around there beds... But the mid day movment most people are talking about is rut movment. Bucks tend to wait till does are bedded and do a late morning troll of the doe bedding areas... I don't think the "true" mature bucks do this as much as the young ones, especially on public or pressured property, but around here I think the majority of booners shot are only 3 1/2. And 3 year olds still get caught cruising quite a bit.
I know when Andrae was hunting the old Wisc. state record buck up in Antigo he kept seeing it mid day, but that was rut.

[Autumn Ninja]

But the mid day movment most people are talking about is rut movment. Bucks tend to wait till does are bedded and do a late morning troll of the doe bedding areas...

All the midday movement I've seen has been in the cruse and start of the chase phase....I hunt features that connect multiple tracks of land or doe groups....scrape lines down wind of doe bedding at midday this time of year. When I do see a buck he's usually 3 1/2+.....I hardly ever see the younger bucks at midday, for the most part they still act like does in my area.

[dan]

When I do see a buck he's usually 3 1/2+.....I hardly ever see the younger bucks at midday, for the most part they still act like does in my area.

That seems very strange to me... Most of my traveling hunting has been during the chase phase, but I have never hunted East of Wisconsin, but in the 9 states I have hunted in the midwest, south and Western areas the over all majority of deer I have seen cruising have been the 90 to to 130 class 2 1/2 year olds...