| Last September I was out at my parent's ranch near | | | | them chasing a doe during the rut. I have numerous |
| Jacksboro Texas. I was busy doing some scouting | | | | pictures of huge bucks at my feeders between 1:00 |
| around looking for an ideal location for my new ladder | | | | AM and 6:00 AM. Always during the night when I am |
| stand. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon and had | | | | obviously not in my stand. Let us consider an example |
| already reached 92 degrees. I was up on a hill about a | | | | from our culture we can all relate to. It is a habit of |
| half mile from our winter wheat field near a small pond. | | | | most Americans when they get up in the morning to |
| As I was about to hop over a barb wire fence I | | | | have a cup of coffee before starting the business of |
| noticed about 8 deer walking up to the far side of the | | | | the day. It would also be true to say that most |
| pond. I stopped and watched them for a while and | | | | Americans eat lunch around noon each day. Where |
| noticed that all of them walked up to the water's edge, | | | | there is the existence of a particular habit during one |
| each at different locations, drank their fill then turned | | | | part of the day there is also another corresponding |
| and headed back down the trail they had come in on. I | | | | habit during a different time of the day. |
| didn't really think much of it until the next day when I | | | | My point is that the trophy bucks that are on your |
| was headed to the same location to put up my stand. | | | | trailcams at the same time each night are also at |
| As I was approaching the same barb wire fence I | | | | some other location around the same time each day |
| noticed the group of deer coming up the same trail. I | | | | during the daylight hours. If these guys are out doing |
| looked down at my watch and saw that it was 1:30, | | | | there gallivanting during the night than they are |
| the exact same time I had seen them there the day | | | | probably bedding down somewhere during the day. |
| before. Before leaving that afternoon I put up my trail | | | | While it is true they are hitting the same feeders at the |
| cam near the pond. Later on that week I checked the | | | | same time each night, they are also traveling the same |
| camera and noticed the group of deer where there | | | | trails heading to the same bedding grounds during the |
| everyday within a 20 minute window of 1:30. | | | | early daylight hours each day. |
| Deer and other game animals are creatures of habit | | | | It all comes down to doing your research and getting |
| just like humans. We tend to do the same things the | | | | setup at the right locations during the right times. |
| same time of day. We eat breakfast about the same | | | | Rather than just accepting the notion that you will |
| time each morning. We leave for work about the | | | | never have a shot at the nighttime wonderers, do your |
| same time each day, and so on. If any of you have | | | | scouting and research and figure out what their other |
| done much hunting you know that the big bucks that all | | | | habits are during daylight hours. And when that chance |
| of us dream about are mostly nocturnal. The only way | | | | of a lifetime walks by be sure the end caps are |
| your gonna get a shot at them is with a night vision | | | | already off your scope! Just a little tidbit of wisdom |
| scope (which is illegal as we all know) or if you catch | | | | from personal experience. |