Late season mid-day hunting?

[SoIll Dawg]

Is it worth being in the stand during the morning/early afternoon in the late season?  Not near as much pressure to get the deer running in the mid-day.

I have always operated under the idea that the deer really start to move later in the afternoon when the sun is about as warm as it is going to get and then into the evening hours.  Truth or fallacy on my part?  What about first light?  Do the cold temps keep the deer bedded until warmer air moves them?

[gunther89]

I think alot depends on how cold it is.  Our cameras showed deer moving all through out the day when it was in the 20's but when it got into the teens to single digits for highs the deer were moving during mid-morning and mid-afternoon and less at dawn and dusk.

[SHKYBoonie]

IMO, the deer may not move very far in the late season mid day hours, but they do move. It is a fact that a deer have to eat about 5 to 6 times a day. That means morning, mid-day, afternoon and midnight with 1 to 2 feedings occurring somewhere in between. Seeing as how the food sources are limited in the late season Winter, I would say they either bed close to a food source or they are traveling quite a bit.
 
I haven't hunted the late season in a long time. The last late season hunt I went on several years ago, I killed a nice 8 pt. When retrieving the deer I grabbed onto one of his antlers which came off in my hand. I knew then that I didn't ever want to hunt the late season again, not even for doe. It would be to easy for me to accidentally shot a young buck, maybe one I had already let pass, after he had dropped his antlers. Just to risky when you put so much time into management on your land.

[ranwin33]

You may also find that as food sources become more scarce, deer will get up to feed more often. So if things get covered with snow, and fields get harvested, you may see deer moving more during late morning and early afternoon hours.

[vipermann7]

I always had best luck hunting late season in the early afternoon into the evening. But it depends on a lot of factors, like where they are bedding and feeding. You really cant go wrong, I believe, on time of day if you hunt near food. They will be concentrated near food, and wont want to travel too far from bedding to food, especially if there is snow on the ground. It really depends on where they are bedded and where they are feeding, and where you are along that path. Ive had my best luck in the afternoons hunting fields, much like early season. The deer around our property tend to bed off onto the neighbors, so I dont have much luck morning hunting in the late season.

[jsjandro]

you are in the know on the timing sir. extreme cold makes deer move at the warmest time of day - to the best source of food around. the rest of their feeding will take place on the conifer bedding in which they spend most their winter time. they really reduce intake in the winter, so one trip to fill the tank on corn or soys will suffice, and browse handles the rest. pressure will dictate movement as much as weather, but before mega cold snaps they still will go fill up on the goodies. during extreme cold(below 0) up here anyhoo, they stay put and dont move outside of the thermal cover.
 
for a hunting strategy when the sun rises late and sets early, about 9 in the morning isnt bad to head out at in place of before shooting light like earlier season. stay the rest of the day, and if its too cold for that long a sit, start at noon. 
 
the deer by me hit my neighbors corn in his driveway - yes he feeds- at about 4 in the afternoon. they travel about 500 yards. your situation may be different though as prox to food decides how long the big trip of the day is, when it is, and so on.
 
sitting the secluded food you will usually find that if they arent there by the last hour of the day, they aint coming. however, exceptions have existed.....

[GTOHunter]

For the most part Deer are heading to their bedding area's in the very early mornings,then around 11:00 to 1:00 they will move again to eat or drink and again in the evening.There will be some early morning movement but I have found if I don't see Deer at first light they will be moving again later on to feed again.Like several mentioned in the cold Winter times Deer will stay close to their feeding area's so they don't waste energy...I was looking out at the snow in our back field at around 11:30 Am just this morning and a Deer walked out of our woods and turned the corner to walk down along the field edge out of view.Here it is the middle of the day and they are up moving around looking for food,we have a food plot in the back of that field and another in a bottom field about 100 yards down hill from each other.

[SwampLife]

if there is little to no hunting presurre late season, deer will notice that and feel more comfortable during daylight.

weather is always a factor.

i find that deer move all day in thick cover. it is simply a biological impossibility for deer to be 100% nocturnal.

[cwanty03]

according to our 2 trail cams we have out. they deer tended to move pretty much all day in the winter

[Rayning Blood]

I've seen plenty of deer during early afternoon hours.As the food sources dwindle during winter months deer have to search longer and farther to find it.Patience is key,especially if you sit all morning.