Anybody else experiencing this? I've hunted every weekend since opening and all the deer I'm seeing are after 9:30 AM. Wondering if this is happening anywhere else? This morning I was about ready to give up at 10:15 when I caught movement in the brush. A couple does made their way to the feeder area when all of a sudden a third doe comes blowing out of the woods from behind them and runs them all off 2 of them came back but would not get in bow range. These deer were acting aweful skittish for some reason. I know they werent winding me as the wind was perfect (in my face blowing from the deer to me). I'm gonna stay persistent and eventually get my first deer bow kill, I'm just real frustrated with the missed opportunities right now.

Ours are doing the exact opposite. They are moving right before daylight. Jumped one Sat and Sun morning going to the blind around 6:30. Then they started moving Sat night right before dark. If it is a full moon, deer tend to move later in the day. Hear alot of people hunt 10-2 with a full moon. Hang in there. I just got my first bow kill last weekend. Took several years. It will be worth it when it happens.

Man Im chomping at the bit. This is my third "bow season." The first year I had 1 opportunity to shoot, but it was a 2.5 year old 6 point which I obviously let walk. Least year I had a nice 8 point at my feeder (26 yards from my bow blind). He was also a 2.5 year old. I've got pics of him this year in September and he's now an 11 point and about 17 or 18 inches wide. I swear if I see him I'll let him walk at least until next year, even though you dont see many bucks like that where I hunt in Milam County. We're really trying to manage the deer as best we can on our property, but theres always the guy across the fence that shoots any horns he sees. Last year our neighbor shot an 18" 10 point that was a 2.5 year old. His tines werent but about 3-4 inches long off his main beams. Im really just trying to kill a couple does during bow season.

11am-2pm in thick cover one day either side of a full moon is something you'll never forget. Forget feeders for that. They won't move that far, but they get up and move around and nibble for an hour or two near their bedding area. Find a trail with tracks in it and set up no more than 20 yards away. You don't need even 40 yd visibility. Just try to figure out where they bed, set up a stand (preferrably in the off-season) near those thickets and be there when the moon is right. OK to do it during the season but be quiet, wear rubber boots, and set up mid-day when it's NOT full moon, preferrably on a windy day when the wind will help cover your sound and disperse your scent. A pending rain is even better because it will wash your scent away.

Don't forget how the moon may be having an effect on them 12 hours from it being overhead it's under foot. I have been trying to use the moon to my advantage in my hunting situations. Not only does the moon have an effect on critters and fish during different phases, but also has an effect on them when it's directly underfoot.

Check not only the phases of the moon, but also the proxsimity (sp?) to the earth. Directly overhead and underfoot seem to be major movement/feeding times. Give or take a couple of hours. We try to hunt pigs at night when the moon is over/under, even more than what phase it's in. Does that make any sense?

I personally think all that moon stuff effects sea bound fish more than anything.Ive shot nearly every deer I have ever shot on a day by the calendar that would be the worst day possible.I have a friend in ohio that has probably the best setup anywhere to tell what is happening and he says the weather affects them more than the lunar.By best setup I mean he has video cams that are day night vision cabled over 1000 yards back to his house.He has got to the point where he doesnt have to watch the news for a weather forecast.

This seems to be the case where I hunt also. They are moving right after dark also it seems.

I feel your pain about your neighbor. I hunted last year and watched a really nice buck that I passed up several times only to not see him toward the end of the season and later talked to the guy next door, and from what I gathered in information, I think he got that deer. Oh well.

It's a noble attempt at trying to improve your deer herd, but the reality on a small property is unless your neighbors are willing to do the same, you will not see any benefit from your labor.

I'd suggest a sit down with your neighbor and try to get on the same page. All he can do is refuse, or just tell you what you want to hear, like mine did to me, but at least it's worth a try!

Somthing to think about before you pass him up this year!