I dont rely on the so called feed times but more in proper stand placement for the area I will be hunting.If anything it should be called movement time the times when deer activity levels may peak.Hunting over a food plot yes your better bet is to hunt the lower light times but thats not where the deer spend the most of their time.Look for a source of browse that they like the most and find the transition area's between them.
When rut hunting bucks sleep very little but travel many hours in a day unless pressured up but even then they move around in their area they fell safe in.But when they meet up with a doe that is near or in estrus that doe will change the bucks movement as his attention will be toward her or any doe in or near estrus.This then can lead to why a good time to hunt is the "off" hours for most hunters!With less pressure doe can move more and this puts the bucks, looking, back on the move.
thanks mick for that link, the doe i seen saturday which im thinking is the same one i shot came out at 6pm and the major time was 6:48pm and sunday the a.m time was close to when i shot her..so it was close...but yea i agree stand placement is a big part cuz you could just set up in tree in the middle somewhere and not see nothing for days or go to where their might be feeding and bedding and have lots of activity
i have a lease close to Dublin,GA.last year during the pre-rut around the 2nd week NOV.there were 12 boone and crockett bucks took in 8 days according to local processors all shot between 11am-2:30pm.during NOV. i usually start the morning in a stand in between a bedding area and food or water source.if nothing i come down around 10:15am and move to a scrape line or ridge(usually go hand in hand)till about 3:30pm usually don't see alot of deer but if i do 95% time nice buck.finish it up on a food plot waiting on magic hour!note:shot my biggest buck @ 2:05pm during rut!good luck this year!!
so middayish is when those few big bucks are workin those scrapes and tending to other stuff besides eating huh
I think if you check the record book for times many had been taken between the hours of 9am and 3pm.You have to remember that bucks pressured will become more active when hunters are away.The main place I try to find is the core area that deer become accustomed too and these area's will hold doe and bucks.A mature buck may lay waiting away and down wind of doe deer that are near estrus so I always look for doe that have dark tarsals.
it's just my opinion but,i look at it as rush hour traffic.first 3 hours daylight theres generally alot of deer movin between food source and bedding areas.(on my lease)i personally have never seen a mature buck after the first hour of daylight until after 11a.m which brings me to beleive that the MTBUCKS wait until the traffic calms down and most deer are bedded down to scent check and refresh scrapes and rubs.so if you want to hunt midday find the srape lines,check the wind,scent-up and get ready!!good luck!!i'm goin this weekend can't freakin wait!!!!!!!
My opinion is that mature bucks are nocturnal and only move around at nite unless they're rutting.Lot's of smaller bucks and does get killed early in season but after a week of guns and people in the woods I'm using dogs.
