Nocturnal Deer!!?
11-09-2005, 11:17 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bland County Virginia
Posts: 469
Nocturnal Deer!!?
A few weeks ago I started scouting an area that had always produced big deer for me in the past. I found alot of good sign in there and hung some cameras. While doctoring a scrape and hanging a camera a brute buck came haulin @ss right past me at about 8:30 am. This area is on a "bench" running below a ridgeline there are several trails running along the hillside with acorns spreading everywhere. All trails run into one main trial that stretches from one side of the ridge and all the way around the other side. Needless to say this camera got the most pictures of deer and 3 good bucksbut every single deer pic buck or doe was at night!! And the only deer that actually came into the scrape and sniffed around were does. This seems wierd to me. Within 3 days I had 15 different deer pics and all the bucks were just strolling by, but the doesactually came into the scrape. I have never seen this before and am alittle confussed. How do I hunt this kind of behavior?? I have a dripper for the scrape, but will that be enough??
11-09-2005, 12:51 PM
#2
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bland County Virginia
Posts: 469
RE: Nocturnal Deer!!?
Surely someone has some advise. Nocturnal deer is by far the hardest in my book to hunt. With the rut heating I ussually see alot more daytime activity by now. I'm stumped as to why they are staying nocturnal.
11-09-2005, 02:36 PM
#3
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 12
RE: Nocturnal Deer!!?
I had the same problem where i hunt there is a shotgun club down the the raod,next to that train tracks and a road.I started evening hunting.found a nice little spot lots of scraps and activity in the area so i hung my stand and week after week nothing.every time i came back fresh tracks etc. so i started climbing in early in the morning instead and come first light the first day i seen a doe pass and few day later a massive buck came through. the nearest thing i can figure is the deer with all the close by activity stay bedded down from mid morning till complete darkness.so maybe a morning hunt would be better
11-09-2005, 02:54 PM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Kansas
Posts: 6,598
RE: Nocturnal Deer!!?
They will be moving soon enough for you. I saw bucks chasing does this morning in North Eastern Kansas. Now them scrapes are made for does. Bucks don't make them just for dominance they want the does to pee in them so they know when they are ready.
11-09-2005, 03:05 PM
#5
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Roxboro, NC
Posts: 144
RE: Nocturnal Deer!!?
Just be patient. I would agree with hunting these scraped in the morning and maybe staying till 10am or so. If you see no action in the evenings try and move closer to their bedding areas. Are you spooking deer coming in or out of the area? If so' I would leave it for 3 days or so and then get in there a hour before light and try and sit till dark. Even if you don't see much that morning your scent will be long gone by that afternoon and deer will really move through the area as though no one been there. Choose a day when you think they may be moving real good, maybe right before a storm or cold snap.Be sure to bring something to eat, plenty of water and a pee bottle. Sometimes it take drastic measures to take big bucks. They are nothing like the rest of the herd. Best of luck and hope this helps.
