Buckmeister82

I've been hunting hard this year for a beautiful 8 point buck, and where it's legal I used all kinds of minerals, feed, syrups, etc... I’ve seen this buck many times, and have pictures of him via game cameras... All of them are just after dark our 4-5 hours prior to sunrise... I’ve tried get ready for this list: C’mere deer 3 day harvest, Buck Jam “Apple”, Deer CoCain, Trace Minerals, Greens-N-Raged, Rutin’ Apples, Doe-in Heat scents, Buck scents...ETC!

Now, he does show up and eat is fill and smells the scents, makes a scrape/rub, etc, but all in the dark... There is little to no pressure on this patch of woods... It’s a Major bedding/transition spot.

The feeder has 2 settings... Dawn/Dusk... I will say ALL deer pictures are taken at night... This includes: (Doe, Button Bucks, Rack bucks, and the big boy)...

Any suggestions?

halfbakedi420

your best chance is when there is no moon...its to dark fer them to see so well, so they will be out 1st light..sometimes!!! (no deer cant see in the dark....their eyes just allow in more light than a humans, so they can see better than us at night.)
if the pressure is hard, ya might never see em in the daytime.

nchawkeye

Sounds like there is plenty of pressure...YOU...

Next year, don't use all that stuff, just hunt...He has you patterned...

Valentine

The buck comes at night for his portrait pictures. The hunter keeps visiting the camera in the day-time.
The Buck somehow learns that nobody is around- at night.

GregH

The above 2 guys are right. The deer have you patterned. About the only thing you could try is to let the feeder run dry for a few days then set it for 1 feeding time. One that is convenient for you. For example, set it for 2 PM and get out there and hunt from 1 PM 'til dark. Another thing is to set the feed farther away from the bedding area then you crowd the bedding area, not the feeder. Good luck.

crokit

Personally, I'd lose the feeder.

Hoz

We find when there is feed available, the deer will come after shooting hours. Food is there, why come out early. That is why we only feed after we are done hunting for the season. 1) lets us see what made it through the season 2) better chance at finding sheds on our property. Our food plots are a different story. Deer are in them a lot, and not just after dark. The previous guys hit the nail on the head, you are the pressure that is keeping the deer out until after dark.

Buckmeister82

This buck got BIG for a reason... He's smart, and old! I'm in this location maybe once a week... Either a morning hunt or an evening hunt... 9/10 times its evening because the camera doesn't lie... That's when the deer are present. Sun is always down and it's too dark for a shot!

As for using supplements....These deer were nocturnal from the start. Before I used anything to try and make them go from night to day. I used the camera as my guide, and it showed me that these deer are truly nocturnal. The reason the past few weeks I tried different supplements was to develop their pattern and see what I'm dealing with, and what potential some of these bucks have or may have.

Do they have me patterned...? I don’t believe so! It’s just finding a new route to the stand without disturbing the bedding area...

I know for a fact that the deer just aren't there in this location from 7:00am thru 5:15pm (Now this is where it’s visible within camera range), but they do show up just before dark or dark.

I barely travel there in the a.m. anymore because I would spook them out of the area. This is documented with the help of trail camera's and personal experience with these deer. I guess I might just use a scent machine and program that for daylight hours and see what happens...

I do appreciate your input!

Buckmeister82

You're correct about the sheds, and This season I went a whole month without feed in the feeder, and nothing happened... I do agree with the fact that the deer do know that food is avaible anytime they want to eat it! That's a given! Thanks for the input!

OldBuckstalker1187

I beg to differ here. A whitetail can see plenty at night time. His eyes contain a magnitude of heavy rods that allows him to see very well at night. We as humans have a lot of cones in our eyes ( allowing us to see and decipher colors better) but not in the dark. The only thing that puts a whitetail at a disadvantage to a human is the whitetails poor depth perception due to the presence of so many rods in his eyes. Another very important thing to note is that the whitetail "also" has what EVERY nocturnal and predatory animal in the world has.....the tapetum lucidum, a reflective disc behind the retina that gathers light in low light to nearly no-light situations. So just like a raccoon, owl, coyote, the whitetail Deer is also nocturnal. There is far more whitetail activity during night time hours than you will ever see during the day time. ( just look at everyone's game cams as proof )Whitetails are built to survive. They don't even need to come out in daylight. For centuries they have survived using nocturnal tactics to evade humans and other predators and I doubt they will stop this habit anytime soon.