Deer are creatures of habit, and their feeding patterns are surprisingly predictable. If you’re a hunter, understanding deer feeding time gives you a serious advantage.
While deer primarily feed around dawn and dusk, many factors can influence these patterns. Understanding these influences helps hunters strategically position themselves for the best chance of success.
This article will dive into deer feeding times, the factors that influence those times, and how hunters can use this knowledge to their advantage. We’ll explore the importance of weather, moon phases, hunting pressure, and, of course, food availability.
The Rhythmic Nature of Deer Feeding Patterns
Deer don’t just eat whenever they feel like it. Their feeding patterns have a rhythm, a cadence that experienced hunters understand well.
General Feeding Schedule
Deer usually feed several times a day. Though the exact number can vary depending on the season, their location, and the availability of food, keeping to a schedule of roughly five feeding times can help you understand their patterns.
These feeding times aren’t evenly spaced throughout the day. Deer are crepuscular animals, meaning they’re most active at dawn and dusk, and those are the times when they’re most likely to be grazing.
Prioritizing Feeding Times for Hunting
If you’re trying to manage a deer habitat or plan a hunt, the early evening feeding pattern is the most important one to focus on. Controlling the afternoon feeding habits can be more productive than trying to monitor what they’re doing at night.
Mature bucks often move more during morning daylight hours. A good number of successful buck harvests happen in the morning, near the deer’s bedding areas.
Factors Influencing Deer Feeding Times
Deer don’t exactly operate on a set schedule. A lot of different factors influence when they eat and how much they eat at any given time. Here are some of the biggest factors.
Weather’s Impact
Weather plays a big role in when deer feed. For example, when a storm front is approaching, deer often increase their movement and feeding to prepare. But when the weather gets too extreme, deer tend to head back into their bedding areas to conserve energy and seek shelter. Even moderately high winds, say 12 to 15 mph, can significantly alter their feeding patterns.
Moon Phase Considerations
The phase of the moon can also affect deer activity. A full moon, for example, might cause deer to shift their feeding times to midday. If you’re a hunter, it’s worth keeping an eye on the moon phase and adjusting your strategy accordingly.
Hunting Pressure and Human Activity
Hunting pressure can cause deer to become more nocturnal, feeding at night rather than during the day when they feel more vulnerable. Good food plot management can help counteract the effects of hunting pressure. Also, controlling access to food sources during the day can also influence their feeding patterns.
The Importance of Food Sources and Habitat Management
If you’re serious about attracting deer to your property, you’ll need to think about food sources and habitat management.
Food Plot Management
Consistent and diverse food sources are key throughout the hunting season. Food plot diversity and quality are crucial for optimal deer attraction.
John Komp of Northwoods Whitetails is an expert in this area, and he’s adamant about the importance of providing consistent, high-volume food sources throughout the entire hunting season.
Also, think about agricultural crop rotations and how they might affect deer feeding patterns. If you know what’s being planted and when, you can better predict where the deer will be feeding.
Daytime Browse and Bedding Areas
Don’t forget about daytime bedding areas. They need to have enough browse to hold deer during the day. Providing a moderate amount of daytime browse is important.
The best approach is to connect your food plot management with your daytime browse and bedding areas. If you can create a habitat that provides everything a deer needs in a relatively small area, you’ll have a much better chance of attracting and holding deer on your property.
Hunting strategies based on feeding patterns
If you’re a hunter, knowing when deer typically feed can help you plan your strategy:
- Set up near food sources. In the evening, hunt near food plots, or in the areas between bedding and feeding locations. Get as close to the food source as you can during the early morning hours.
- Pay attention to the weather. Deer often feed right before a storm.
- Adjust your strategy during the rut and in cold weather. Deer feed more often during these times. Consider hunting all day.
Key Takeaways
If you want to bag a deer, it pays to learn their feeding patterns. By understanding how the weather, the phase of the moon, hunting pressure, and food sources affect deer behavior, you can better predict when and where deer will be on the move.
Even the most experienced hunters never stop learning about deer. The more you know about how deer behave, the better you’ll be able to adapt to changes in the environment and increase your chances of bringing home a deer.
While deer will feed at various times of the day and night, the early evening feeding pattern is the one you’ll want to target most. That means you’ll want to be in your stand and ready to hunt before the sun begins to set.