went out to the public land the other day. haven't hunted it since opening day. came across a gut pile were i was going to hunt. saw about 3-4 hunters that evening but didn't see a deer. do you all think there going nocturnal due to the pressure or is it just because i hunt public land. it was a little windy that day but the moon was i believe in it's last quarter. oh well i may have to do some hiking to find a spot were they're not so pressured, if there is such a place. whats everyones take, you all still seeing deer or are they coming out later and later.

Every year when the bullets start flying and the orange army is in the woods the deer go nocturnal. The best way I found to counter this is to find a place with a large deer concentration and go in after them. These places are usually within a mile of the road and out of sight. I try many tactics from still hunting, ground blinds watching active trails, posting one hunterat a key location and have another hunter still hunt or drive the deer, scents, and whatever I can think of. THEY ALWAYS GO NOCTURNAL ON ME. MV out!

Jimmy, find some good crossing tracks and be there just before dawnand just before dusk!

They've gone nocturnal down here! I hunted ALL day today,NOTHING moved! There were fresh tracks all over! It was windy most of the day, but early this morning it was calm, then about 4 PM the wind died down, I figured for sure they'd be moving, but zip! Nadda! Nuthin'!

It has been warm here in NY. Deer don't move much anywhere if it is to warm. when the the temp drops they will be moving at least in the early morning and evening. WWW.PBASE.COM/MLO3135127

I experienced the same thing this year on public land. And, I wasn't the only one. Last year was a kinda bad acorn crop year, and I heard shooting everywhere. This year was an excellent acorn crop year, and very few shots are being fired.

I hunted three days without seeing any deer, but saw fresh new rubs every day. Finally the fourth day I saw three and got the drop on a small buck. Hang in there, and try to find the deers bedding areas next year, so you can hunt near where they are being nocturnal. Good Luck!

yea its like that up in my land to it seems theya r eonly coming out at night bc/ i sat this one day on this trail and it was getting very close to dark and i was just about to leave when this nice looking eight pointer came running up on me but it was just dark enough that all i could c was the sillowhet or somthing like that[][&o] i kno how u feel

I hunted some over Thanksgiving, and I seldom saw a critter until about 20 minutes or so after sunset. It's been unreasonably warm here for this time of year (deer hunting in a short-sleeve just don't feel right), and so nothing moves until the temp cools off a little. Clear skies and bright moonlight haven't helped any, either.

To remedy this a little, I did a lot of stalking in creek bottoms and oak thickets where shade and moisture kept the surrounding air a little cooler. My policy is if the deer are moving, I still or stand hunt. If the deer aren't moving, I start stalking. No need in both of us just sitting there.

I can guarantee you they are only nocturnal in the places you expect to see the deer when they are not pressured. Find the place they go to hide. It should have good coverwith a food and water source nearby, which may be near the place you saw the deer before the season started. I find these places out of sight of the road about 1/2-1 mile back and usually with elevated terrain. In most cases, thereseems to be a narrow crossing place from the pre-season deer hangout to the hunting season deer hideout which is a great spot for a stand. Find the does and the bucks are not far away. MV out!

thanks for the info guys.


CHRIS FARLY ROCKS