Most deer hunters hunt the first and last few hours of the day, and that’s it. Of course, that’s not a bad play. The hours surrounding dawn and dusk are the two primary deer movement windows of the day. So, that approach makes sense. However, there are certainly reasons to deer hunt midday (all day) during the rut. Here are seven of these.
1. Less Ground Scent Deposited
Hunters who walk in for lunch between the morning and afternoon sits lay down twice as much scent as those who hunt daylight to dark. That’s reason enough to sit the entire day, rather than climbing down and heading in for a few hours.
2. Decreased Odds of Spooking Deer
Ground scent isn’t the only way you spook deer. It’s easy enough to spook deer via sight, sound, or even direct wind scent. The longer your walk in and out, the greater the chances of accidentally crossing paths with deer. Staying in the treestand the entire day helps reduce the odds of this happening, rather than pushing deer out of your hunting area and/or to other hunters.
3. Increased Confidence
If you’re the type that gains confidence from being in the field longer, then that alone is a reason to sit through the midday shift, too. Anything that boosts your morale or increases your positive energy is a great reason to sit longer.
4. Increased Chances of Seeing Deer
You increase your odds of seeing deer merely by increasing your time on stand. The total action might be slower during the midday window, but what you do see has a high likelihood of being a buck on the prowl, or perhaps one even pushing an estrus doe.
5. Bucks Breaking Away from Does
Buck generally pair off with does for 24-48 hours. Once that time is up, does become less receptive or all-out unresponsive to a buck’s advances. When that happens, bucks oftentimes get up and start their search for the next doe, even if it’s around midday. While they’ve been tending a doe for a day or two, if they haven’t had to exert a lot of energy defending it from rival bucks, it very likely could feel rested enough to start the search all over again.
6. Other Hunters Pushing Deer
Most deer hunters climb down around mid-morning and come back to the deer woods around mid-afternoon. Oftentimes, these hunters inevitably bump deer on their way in and out. If you’re in the stand when this occurs, it might run deer right to your location. It happens countless times every season.
7. It’s the Rut
It might seem monotonous or repetitive, but the primary reason to sit all day long is — it’s the rut. You never know what will happen this time of year. You can go a day without seeing anything, or see 50 deer and the biggest buck of your life. It’s an unpredictable time, for better or worse, but usually one that leans toward the former.
Bonus: Learn to Endure
As mentioned, sitting in a treestand all day long is no simple task. Most stands and blinds aren’t made for this, and don’t offer the comfort some hunters want to make it through the day. So, having the right stand, blind, and/or seat is important.
It’s also vital to wear the right clothing. Hunters who get cold or hot won’t be able to sit still, let alone make it from daylight to dark. Use a good layering system that helps you stay regulated.
Next, choose the right spot. Selecting a bad spot with minimal activity doesn’t help pass the time. Setting up shop in a productive area makes it much easier to make it until closing time.
Also, bring along food and drinks. You’ll get hungry and thirsty. Might as well have the right things to remedy that. Best keep that hangry-ness at bay.
Beyond that, stay focused. Keep your eyes peeled. Be still and move slowly, but keep that head on a swivel as you look and glass for deer moving through the area. And take breaks, if needed. Don’t spend time on your phone, but don’t feel bad about taking a 10-minute break to stretch your legs, loosen up, and relax.
Finally, don’t try to hold your urine (or excrement). If you must go, let it flow. The smell of it likely won’t spook deer anyway. And you’ll feel much, much better.
Bonus: Know When to Go
All things considered, when is the best time to hunt midday, or all day, during deer season? Personally, unless a deer is on a weird pattern and moving midday regularly, I don’t even think about doing this until the rut kicks off. Once it does, I’ll hunt midday (and all day) throughout the two best weeks of the rut.
So, if you have time to try the midday sit this season, do so. You just might be surprised at what you see and become a believer.
