What I think happens is they start reacting to hunting pressure. For instance, when I was young, no one or at least few bow hunted. Rifle season was nine days long and hunters flooded the woods. All the natural patterns deer follow was interrupted and deer were seen all over the place. After the rifle season there was no muzzleloader season.

Present day, bow season starts in September and hunters flood the woods with bow and arrow waiting for a chance to stick a deer. But they also teach the deer that strangers are in the woods. Sights, smells, bait piles, all things they are not used to tell the animals that additional caution needs to be taken. Then would come the early youth deer season. And gun fire much earlier then usual erupts through the woods. The animals take note. Then we have scouting with trail cameras, and more bow hunters, and finally rifle season hits and the woods are flooded with deer hunters stomping all over the place.

But the deer are expecting this from all the sign in the woods. And they begin to go nocturnal. Hunters are confused because the deer are not following patterns. So they make drives. Deer then not only go more nocturnal, but they go deeper into the area where man will not travel. Hunters are upset because the deer are not wandering the normal trails during the day time.

After rifle season, muzzleloader season starts, and bow season still is on. Some deer start to relax but I think all the activity from early fall until winter, has these animals on such high alert, that many go nocturnal until deep winter, when temps force them to come out in the day for food.