Deer that only move at night

[bbells]

My brother in law has a 120 acre tree farm that the deer are making quite a negative impact on. I set up my trail camera and it shows they are only moving at night. Not one pic was taken during legal hunting hours. Any idea how I can hunt these deer without being able to get onto the neighbors property where they are bedding down? Is my bro in law sol as far as reducing the herd? I have set my stand up in the only grove of mature trees (the rest are christmas trees), and the trail camera has been proven right, not one sighting of a deer during day, dusk, post dusk or dawn. Although I can see about a quarter mile in any direction if I twist enough. And there is plenty fresh sign.

[leechlake]

bbells, sounds like you've got what I call the late season nighmare. Deer are hunted (from their perspective)from small game season in mid Sept on, culminating with the peak of pressure during the rifle deer season. A few guys every weekend grouse hunt with dogs and from a deers perspective they are being hunted, then firearms starts and they really know they're being hunted. In short order they find that at night no one bothers them, combine that with being crepuscular in the first place and you have a tough situation.

Sitting on stand and hoping the right weather pattern occurs is something to hope for but my plan would be to hunt from 11am until 3pm looking for a deer that gets up during the day and browses or just stretches the old legs. Either way it's just tough hunting.

[Mark Christianson]

Best bet is to hunt earlier in the year if you want to see more deer or hunt hard during the rut. Do you bowhunt so you can get out earlier in the season?

Just like clock work, they go from traveling all times of the day and night, and by mid to late October on our farm we are looking at almost 100% of pics from trail cameras at night.

The trail cameras are fun to have to prove there is something alive, but in the same breath its almost depressing seeing whats out there, and that they only move under cover of darkness.

Like this..... ARGH! (The time is wrong on the pic by the way. It was a couple hours off)

[Shack]

I have heard early in am, just at legal start to shooting hours, is best for your chance at a nice buck in your situation. During the rut, the are just coming in from a full night of debauchery.

I also I have heard on here about learning and creating your own buck scrapes. You may be able to pull a sleeping/bedding down buck out with a fresh correctly made scrape.

[DeanoB]

Best thing to do is walk through the bedding area, get them up and hope for a good shot. Or drive them out, 2 guys can easily walk a smaller area, even a larger area with stealth and see bedded deer, or get them up, thats the best way. You will get pretty disheartened waiting for a deer that will never show up in daylight. Or as Shackbash said, get out early, like an hour before legal shooting time, maybe catch one cruising to the bed. Other than that it's just time in the woods. Good Luck.

[HunterLee]

If you know where they are bedding and feeding, move as close to the bedding area as possible, might get an early riser, or get there super early and hope one is dragging its feet on the way home.

[Rozman]

Sniper rifle and night vision goggles!! Just kidding.......