What Time of Day Are Most Mature Bucks Killed?

Hunting mature bucks is a skill set in and of itself. They are cautious and by no means reach their age by being reckless. Taking a mature buck isn’t something that happens all the time for every hunter, so if you want to take one this season, when is the best time to hunker down in a stand and pass on younger bucks? Well, mature bucks are truly a different animal, and there are certain things that get them moving. 

Bucks move most during dusk and dawn, excluding the peak rut. Weather patterns like cold fronts or storms can also cause bucks to travel more, although the best time to see mature bucks is about 30 minutes after daylight and 30 minutes before dark. 

Mature bucks are a different animal altogether from young bucks or does. They move differently, they are smarter, and if you catch one out during the day, you better not miss. There are a few reliable factors we can look at to see more mature bucks, but the window isn’t too big. Let’s get into it. 

Mature Buck Movement Patterns

The general movement pattern of all deer includes being most active at dawn and dusk, as they often feed most throughout the night. Although deer feed five times a day, and for the majority of deer a few of those feedings happen during the day. At dawn, it is likely mature deer will be moving back into a secluded bedding location, and at dusk, they’ll be emerging and grazing as they come out looking for higher quality food sources.

That being said, most mature bucks seem to be killed during the late morning hours, around nine or ten o’clock in lower-pressure areas. A combination of factors is at play here, including hunting pressure that particular season, the amount of cover a buck has (aka how secure they feel), and the rut phase.

The Kerr Wildlife Management Area in Central Texas conducted a study from 2013 to 2016 that tracked the movements of 30 mature deer (14 does and 16 bucks over 3.5 years old) during hunting season. The Kerr WMA is notably a public hunting area, leading to higher pressure on deer. Buck movement was tracked highest between seven and ten o’clock in the morning, with the highest amount of activity and movement around nine o’clock.

Photo: Kerr WMA Study – texas.gov

Looking at the graph, it is pretty apparent that buck movement tends to peak at dawn and dusk, with the most movement being during the first few hours of daylight. There is a significant drop in mature buck movement during the day, but interestingly enough, mature doe movement stays constant during the day, although it is still lower than buck movement. 

A couple more conclusions were drawn from this study that I found to be fairly interesting: “During the fall breeding season, bucks ranged over several hundreds of acres, but reduced their range drastically by mid to late winter. The average annual home range was 738 acres for bucks and 300 acres for does”.

What Influences on Mature Buck Movement Patterns?

Hunting pressure, the moon, and even barometric pressure changes are all discussed at some point in how much effect they have on a buck’s movement. Some hunters swear by hopping in the stand as a storm front moves through; others make sure to always hunt on the full moons. What actually impacts when deer move? Well, it is much simpler than most hunters make it.

Weather Patterns

Weather patterns have a significant effect on overall deer movement. High winds and heavy rain often result in little to no movement, and deer (yes, bucks included) just want to bed down under cover until it passes. Let’s face it; we don’t even want to be out in the pelting rain and wind, either.

Large temperature fluctuations influence movement, too. Depending on the area and time of the year, if it’s unseasonably warm after a front moves through, doe and buck movement will slow down. Although an October cold front can get deer on their feet and be one of the best times to be in the woods all year. 

Considering what makes bucks bed down in terms of weather patterns, pay attention to when these level off so you can time your hunt successfully. If the wind is dying down, the rain is slacking off, and the temperature is coming down or up to a more seasonable temperature, that’s a great time to get back out into the field. Although, you want to be in the stand before bad weather stops, because mature bucks work on a small movement window.      

Barometric Pressure

Barometric pressure affects all animals a little differently. Cows low and bed down before storms, and humans have arthritis flares that ache, signaling an incoming weather system. But does barometric pressure influence buck movement? The science says maybe. 

Studies look at statistical significance in order to say whether their theory was proven or not. That doesn’t mean nothing happened; it just might mean that not enough happened to reach that magic number of significance. The studies that look at barometric changes influencing deer movement often do show an uptick in movement when pressure systems move through an area, though to a small degree. Regardless, that small degree (think 2-5%) might be just enough to push that buck into your sights.

If you want to know more about those studies or how barometric pressure actually affects deer, I wrote an in-depth article about it that you can read here.

The drop in barometric pressure signaling a storm is approaching is often what animals pick up on and what influences their activity the most. Storm fronts often come with strong winds, changing temperatures, and lightning. These all are more consistent pressures affecting deer movement negatively rather than solely looking at a static barometric pressure level.

Hunting Pressure

Hunting pressure is certainly one thing that can make bucks move a bit differently on a given property. We all know bucks are more pressured on public land or hunting clubs than they are on private land, but that is more or less constant from season to season. What is going to change the way deer move is the first few weeks of the season, where hunters are causing a ruckus for the first time that fall.

Some people call it the October Lull, but after hunters get in the woods, deer pick up on it and can start moving less during the day, or avoiding areas altogether. I have definitely been on leased or guided properties that the deer know where the stands are and they will avoid them come deer season, but they will pose in front of a trail camera everyday during the summer.

If you are on private land, you can mitigate your impact by practicing good scent control, taking the right paths in and out of your stand, and generally staying as stealthy as possible. Although if you hunt a property that other people also hunt, they may not care as much as you. 

If you want to read a little more about going virtually scentless in the woods and keeping the pressure down on deer, check out my other article I wrote all about scent control and my personal routine. 

Moon Phases Don’t Impact Deer Movement

Deer are largely crepuscular, meaning their movements are highest during twilight and dawn hours. Many hunters swear that the moon affects movement; some even say a full moon signals the rut, to begin with. 

While this might make for some interesting conversation and fun hunting stories, Deer aren’t very influenced by the moon phases. Some might notice that bucks come out a little earlier in the dawn hours when there’s a full moon; this might be because first light appears a little brighter when a full moon is happening.

Some others even swear that deer activity is slower following a full moon due to extra full bellies and increased activity the night before. This isn’t correlated with much scientific evidence, either. All in all, I don’t bank on tracking moon phases in order to bag a big buck on one day or another.

If you do follow the moon phases, or want to learn more about it in general, I wrote a whole article about it comparing three of the most prestigious studies out there on the topic.

Rut Phase

Bucks are out at all times of the rut, but those older, mature bucks are often still hard to track down, despite the rut being in full swing. Hunting mature bucks is a different ball game during the rut, one where you’ll probably have to shift your strategy to hunting funnels more than anything.

Mature bucks can spend more time tending to does sooner than younger bucks, seeing as they are the biggest and baddest bucks around. However, this tending period can last up to 72 hours, so it doesn’t tie up buck movement too long. Although if you find a buck locked down with a doe, good luck pulling him off her. You will have to go to them and get aggressive with your calling, but the most  likely scenario is that the doe runs off in a nearly random direction and the buck follows, never to be seen again it seems. 

We know the rut can make bucks take some bold action, but it’s the very first hot doe that might be the ticket to nabbing the big one. A lot of mature bucks that might never be seen during daylight the rest of the year will run around in plain daylight for that first doe in estrus.

In areas up north, estrus can start later in the season so that fawns aren’t dropped in the freezing snow; in areas down south, estrus can get a little more complicated since the spring often doesn’t bring the same deadly cold temperatures. In the South, some areas have peak breeding seasons in early October, other areas (like Alabama) don’t see their peak rut until February.

Although when the population transitions from pre-season or pre-rut behavior to peak rut, all of your trail camera pictures are all but useless, and deer are going to start running at all hours of the day. Your best bet is to set up in areas they are going to run through the most, I call these areas funnels. 

Hunt The Funnels, Longer

When deer are moving often, they are going to pass through natural funnels. You can think of these areas like intersections on a highway. They are where a large portion of the traffic comes through, and when they are in a hurry (chasing) deer will revert to traveling along well known paths given the chance. 

Funnels are my go to spot for a stand when the rut kicks off, I even wrote an entire article explaining the topic in more detail and showing exactly how to spot one on your own. If you want to see more deer during the daylight, check it out. 

Don’t discount staying in the stand a few hours later in the morning either, especially on shared land. Most hunters will be hankering for some late breakfast or a warm truck if they haven’t killed anything yet, and this movement is worth waiting out–they just might flush that mature buck out that was bedded down right into your sights. 

I know that hunting all day isn’t something that we always like to do, but it just might be worth it if the conditions are right. If you are wondering if hunting all day is worth it for you, check out this article I wrote on the subject not long ago. 

Closing Thoughts

Mature bucks are some of the most difficult to track and kill; there’s a reason why they’ve lived to be that mature, though. The big ones are often more smart, cautious, and observant, more so than their younger competitors.

Most mature bucks are shot in the late morning, but this doesn’t discount hunting at other hours of the day. Midday might be the perfect time for the monster you’ve had an eye on, especially early and later in the rut when there are fewer deer coming into heat, or after a significant weather front. 

All in all, your best bet is to hunt throughout the whole morning and, even if you skipped breakfast, hang around in the stand for a bit until lunch; often, the hunters that call it quits early will flush out something. Just remember, you can’t shoot a Boone & Crockett buck from your couch… 

Thank you for reading my article! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any questions or feedback, please send me an email at Patrick.Long@omegaoutdoors.net. If you want to learn more about me or Omega Outdoors, visit my About Page. Otherwise, I hope you have a great day, and check out some of my other articles while you’re here!