doetrain

I know one thing that I think makes them nocturnal and that is the heat. Up till the last couple of weeks I was getting a lot of day time pictures on my trail cams. When the temps hit the middle 90 area most of my daylight and morning pics stoped. They started coming in at 10:30 to 4:30 am consistantly. We have had real cool weather the whole week this week so I'm curious to see if they change their patters with the cool temps this week.

fastetti

I also don't think that a deer truly goes nocturnal but stays in thick areas when he begins moving around. Bucks don't get to 5 1/2 by heading out into the corn/beans with a hour of daylight left. I personally think that they get up with some daylight left but will patrol bedding areas and thick woods until the comfort of dark hits.

I would set up some stands in some thicker areas. With these areas, wind has to be perfect. You have to sneak in and be scent free as possible. You also have to be ready for a shot at anytime, sound is going to be your biggest weapon. Every thick area that I hunt I keep my ears peeled for any sound. You may grab your bow 10 times in a morning for a doe, squirrel, raccoon, but with how thick the area will be you shouldn't get busted. My buddy and I set up a few stands a couple weekend in some thick areas with some well used trails. They'll only be used once in a while but the days they are used should be some great days!

GTOHunter

If Anyone frequents a hunting area or checks trail camera's too much they will educate the Deer that someone is hunting them and they tend to move more late evening,night time and early mornings....just a fact of trying to Hunt Whitetails without them knowing someone is after them!I had several trail camera pictures of a Big 10-Point Buck that only showed up late at night or in the very early mornings and towards the end of each month....I think he made his rounds and our property was on the far side of his route?Now I had a few pictures of some young Bucks but they were immature and hadn't learned to avoid being out in the daylight hours,the Doe's and Fawns were on my trail cameras at all hours of the day and night....when Oct & Nov hit the Bucks were traveling our Farm in the early mornings and late evenings hitting the several scrapes scattered along the field edges.

GPMD

Not sure either way but I would lean to no. 2 years ago i started getting a really nice 10 pointer at my bait pile all summer during daylight hours. A week before the season it stopped dead. I mean he didn't show up 1 more time during daylight the whole season. My visits to the camera were the same since May.
The following year I just had a mineral site in the same spot. The same buck started visitiing it again. I never went in to freshen up lick or add food and even checked the camera less than the previous season hoping he would keep his daylight visits going at least for the first few days of the season. Almost to the day, he stopped showing up during daylight hours. I have no explanation but that darn buck has yet to show himself during light hours with or without food or me checking cameras

MZS

He probably found a bait pile closer to his bedding area. Why walk 400 yds for food when you can walk 200? Your neighbors probably started baiting a week before season in each case.

Kybuckhunter

Deer are designed to be night animals. Sure if they are never pressured they will be more active in the light but being able to live in the dark is what they do. They do not disappear in the day but will take cover and not move as much if they feel they are pressured.

I know of a place that deer are Never hunted and you will see them in the daylight more than usual but just like all deer you can see many more early and late. I have seen 50+ in the field and some were monsters. These deer are never hunted yet they are wild and still more active very late and at first light.

Pressure kills a hunting spot faster than anything. If the pressure is low then you may be lucky enough to get them to show while its still shooting light. If not then hope for a rut crazed buck to throw caution in the wind. Hunt only when the wind is right and don't over hunt it.

huntinyoung

I have been using trail-cameras for about 10 years now in pressured and non-pressured areas, some with alot of feed and then none at all. Alot goes in to when they move, pressure, food source, etc. Even the amount of light they have during the night (moon) seems to affect them a little. I've always noticed they move mainly at night during warmer months until it starts getting cool to cold. When things start to frost they come out more in the daylight. And when the rut hits, all bets are off. They move all times of day chasing does. Best thing to do is go hunting when you can, and enjoy it while you're there.

uwbadgers

Subrata, I have had similar problems. Mentally I came up with a strategy that I'm just starting to implement. I recently bought a new Reconyx HC600 and I'm hoping to catch a few pictures of the buck(s) I'm chasing. My idea is to find out which directions the deer are coming from and based on the time of day determine if they are heading to their beds or a place to feed. Based on this information, I will find out the direction their bed is in. I will then move the camera my next time out 20-30 yards closer to their beds. If I get another picture of the deer, then I will again determine the direction they are coming from and move the camera another 20-30 again. Hopefully after each time I move the camera I will get closer to their bedding areas and the times they passing the camera will be closer to legal shooting hours.

huntinyoung

I few years ago I had a buck I could never get a shot at. (I think I had been hunting the same buck for 3 years.) I finally figured out after intense scouting and hunting that he was traveling from 3 different bedding areas and would not come into any fields (atleast not in the daylight). I couldn't get him on camera, but only caught glimpes of him during the rut. Mostly early morning and right before dark (mostly not at all). I figured out where his general travel area was based on rubs and scrapes. How I finally got him was, one morning during the peek of the rut, it was raining and I figured he would want to freshen up his scrapes. It was kind of foggy, and early morning. As soon as it quit raining he came walking from one bedding area going to another one eating acorns and redoing scrapes. I grunted at him and used a doe bleat. Now he is on my wall.

Sometimes with difficult deer, you just need to put yourself in the best possible spots, and hope that he slips up.

Supposedly deer have to eat atleast once every 12 hours, so theoretically they can't always stay in the dark. (something to do with bacteria in their stomach making them sick if they don't)