Big deer don't get big by being stupid, once the season starts they're very aware that we're in the woods with them and they react by limiting their exposure and hiding. If we stumble upon their hiding place it's usually by accident. One of the biggest bucks I've ever seen was laying behind a fairly small log just inside the tree line of a woods I was exploring for yellowroot. He waited until I was about 20' from him before he exploded out from behind that log, scared the crap out of me. Another time one blew from a shallow ditch as I was crossing a recently cut bean field, I would've sworn that the field couldn't possibly have hidden something that big. The real bruisers are almost exclusively nocturnal, and who could blame them? They've learned from experience that not only is it safer at night, but that's also when the majority of the breeding takes place. Having spent many an evening chasing split tailed lounge does I can see why they do this.