Activities like going to the movies, meeting at a barbecue, taking a walk in the park, or just watching an interesting TV program at home are lovely annual. One might even say daily activities. They give us beautiful moments of relaxation with the family or alone. But some are not limited to such entertainment. Some are into seasonal hobbies. This is both good and bad at the same time. The lingering anticipation of something is dreary in itself. But the feeling of anticipation that soon will come that moment when you can get all the equipment, load it into the car and drive away into the woods and listen to the silence is priceless. After all, silence also has its sound. Perhaps only a hunter can understand the true romance of this activity. After all, it’s great when you get pleasure from the result and the process itself.
And in all of this, a crucial stage is when you track your prey. And to do that, you have to understand the nature of your object. Right now, we’re going to talk about white-tailed deer.
Getting to Know Deer
The white-tailed deer is a trendy subject to hunt. Fast, elusive, and noble. To hunt such a deer means to get both valuable dietary meat and good fur. It is a famous and worthy trophy in the hunter’s collection. But to get it, one must have a good understanding of the biological clock and the peculiarities of the animal’s behavior. First, what we can emphasize – this is a nocturnal animal. At dusk, he climbs out of his hiding place to get food and drink water. This is the time of day when he feels safe. And with good reason. After all, not all states allow night hunting or night vision devices.
It’s a non-motorized walk, and we understand that the best time to hook a whitetail deer is at sunset or early in the morning. The exceptions are those days when it rains hard. It makes it difficult to rely on the sense of smell and hearing in the dark time of the day. In the daytime, though, you can at least see the space.
But the most probable that you will leave the hunting area not empty-handed is during the rutting season. The rutting period is when the animals mate. It is during this period that deer become very active during the day.
Deer Activity
Deer eyes are adapted to see well in the dark. Therefore, in low light, they feel pretty comfortable. And, unlike humans, apart from eyesight, they engage all sense organs. Because of this, their activity peaks at night.
Of course, it is impossible to say something definite because many factors affect their behavior at different times of the day. For example, the air temperature. If it is boiling in the daytime, there is very little chance to see a white-tailed eagle in the middle of the forest. This is an essential point because weather conditions vary from state to state. And the likelihood of successfully hunting a deer is more significant in the northern areas of the country. These weather conditions also affect the rutting. So the southern whitetails have their schedule, which is different from the residents of the north. Therefore, being in the south of the country, you can consult a hunting store and clarify the nuances of the local deer activity.
Reindeer become very active during the day while they are looking for females to breed. And, as mentioned earlier, your chances of shooting a white-tailed deer increase during the mating season. Especially if you have tracked down the female’s stand in advance, you are sure to meet her suitor near this spot soon.
Early Season (About September 1 to October 15)
You have most of the fall at your disposal to get ready to hunt. Early Season begins the month of September through October 15. This is a great time to go bow hunting. It’s still warm outside, which means the deer are primarily carefree, walking around at night and getting all their needs met. And they come to their resting place early in the morning.
Mid-Season (About October 31 to November 10)
Early November is the deer breeding season. That peak of white-tailed deer activity has been talked about so much. Excited males increasingly go out in search of females. This trend is noticeable, especially after the second full moon of the autumnal equinox. It is most likely to meet an animal in the morning, the first 45 minutes after dawn. And just the days before November 10 are considered some of the best days when you can be in the stand until 11 o’clock. But it’s not impossible to spot them during the day as well.
The Rut (About Nov. 7-15)
The end of the season can be used to shoot this kind of game to the best of your ability. For this reason that, deer begin to move quickly through the woods on their own, searching for females. They rarely stop to take a break or refresh themselves. Weather conditions, rutting – all this forces the deer to be out of their hiding area throughout the day. For a stand, it is advisable to choose places where the animal can feed or where the doe lies.
When to Schedule Vacation?
Following this description, we can draw a simple conclusion. If, of course, based on the peak activity of this animal, it is best to go hunting at the end of the season. Deer are very energetic, careless, and spend a lot of time out of their shelter during the day. But you should also not forget that the characteristics of deer behavior also depend on the region in which you live or in which you go for the game. For reassurance, it is worth going to an archery store and consulting with experienced and seasoned hunters who can share their secrets and knowledge in this business. A professional’s opinion will never be excessive.
In addition, do not forget that before hunting white-tailed deer, do not forget to familiarize yourself with the laws of your region.