After opening day

[wdgold]

We all know how good opening day is, but what about after, what has your success rate been? I shot my first deer, zone 1,on the last day of the season 25+ yrs ago, haven't done that since. All the rest of the deer I have shot have been on opening day, haven't really had much luck even seeing deer after that. Came close to shooting a buck on 2nd day last year, just didn't work out.

[jay83196]

I have luck other days the opening weekend is best but I have shot them up til the last day as recent as 3 years ago.

[SpecialK]

I think all of mine have been shot during the week after opening weekend. I do think if you want the best chance at the mature bucks, you need to be in the stand Saturday morning though.

[paceman]

I have had plenty of luck shooting does throughout the season, I have never shot a decent buck after the first weekend. See a fair amount of small ones though, just not the big guys. They either get shot or go into hiding during the first 2 days.....

[Double D]

Never say never. One of our top deer in the last 15 years was taken 10:00 on the last Sunday morning 3 years ago.

Big 10 point chasing a doe. Sometimes I think they move when the woods quiet back down after opening weekend.

DD

[Bear55]

Most of our big bucks are shot opening day or between Nov 8-12. I see deer pretty stead the entire season but the best hunting is in that 8-12 in my area, it can be different from region to region.

[Musky Buck]

I would never give up, but I hear what you're saying, once opening day is done in my area it's pretty much morning hunts are done, very few people in our area see anything, evening hunts the extra 1/2 hour we now get is our best chance, they go nocturnal big time in the farm country areas we hunt, it's simply every field, field edge, just inside what wooded cover there is has hunters, the deer go on all night feeding binges to be bedded down by shooting light, my hope is always a hot doe or a weather situation that rarely materializes, in the past 4 season 3 bucks I've taken have been by muzzleloader, I'm finding that is better than rifle season since they went to zone 2 instead of 4, old zone 4 deer movement was decent both weekends, now with constant pressure it's changed them. But, being out you never know, but it's a lot more deerless hours than it used to be where pressure is pretty much at it's max.

[muskiemanAD]

We have Super Sunday! As we call it. Pretty weird but the 17 years I have hunted we have taken 2 bucks opening day, and I believe 21 bucks on Sunday. Can't explain it, but you have a better chance on Sunday then opening day at our land!

[ClownColor]

Usually the Wednesday after opener has been great with us..along with that Sat. of course. usually the woods are dead again and the deer start to move. Alot of things can play into that of course but generally speaking Sat. is good and mid week following opener.

[bigbucks]

I personally have had pretty good luck on the Friday morning after opener. Most of the places I hunt are not hunted hard during the week, a product of people used to hunting the two weekends in Zone 4 I think. That said, it's also the day I've consistently taken off to hunt. I've shot two decent 8 pointers on that Friday morning & a 10 pointer that I head mounted. I think all three of those deer were for the most part moving naturally, either chasing does or looking for them. I've shot a fair number of antlerless deer in the weekday evenings or during the second weekend.

Not coincidentally I've shot a lot of bow deer the Thursday & Friday before gun season, because I almost always take those two days off to bowhunt & it's rut time. I've shot very few deer at work...

[reinhard1]

for some crazy reason we get most of our deer on Tuesday after the opener. last year was the first in awhile that we got one on opening day. i dont think there is any reason for it, on average that is the day. good luck.

[Musky Buck]

I do agree with what a lot of hunters here are saying, there usually is a day or 2 mid weekish where for no obvious reason they are moving, making mistakes, during shooting light, trying to pin those few days down is impossible almost, you need to be out there, but in places like where I hunt it's tough, nearly everyone hunts all 9 days, morning and night and mid-day action quit in the 80's pretty much as more and more properties were bought up to be hunted, it's a really nocturnal thing and the ones who make drives do alright, that's part of why muzzleloader has been good to me 1/2 the hunters and they're not out everyday. They kinda get back to normal although they're still pretty nocturnal. Even all of us checking trailcams, stands, bow hunters, they are already getting a bit wise to us, pheasant and goose banging in the fields the deer use, even without any of that the deer at my farm are already nocturnal and we haven't messed with the river bottom at all, haven't went back there once to do anything this entire fall, they still are coming out after dark dark, into my yard about 8 to eat acorns, gone by daybreak. We scout from a mile away with binocs etc. and nothing or maybe a dark shadow is all we're getting a glimpse at. Hope you are out there on the right weekday when for some reason the deer in your area are up and at em, it's a needle in a haystack, you could have 5 days nearly identical weather wise and 1 of those 5 is magic.

[Musky Buck]

This varies a ton too from north to south, east to west, we have a lot of different terrain and the area I hunt 8 miles away it's a different ballgame altogether. Now we also have quite a wolf population that never existed in our area and it's changing the game for some groups of guys for sure. I'm talking south of US HWY 10. After opening day for me, it's time to leave my permanent stand and get in where it's even thicker, the deer literally run through 3 feet of water and muck to find tree root clumps of tamarac surrounded by water, willow and cattail, that's where many of the ones that will survive the season go, no one or nothing can sneak up on them without the deer hearing splash splash splash. Then once dark, off to eat and back to the rat hole by daybreak, I bet the deer can hear us coming a mile away in the dark, those ears really rotating, they know it's on and hope for a hot doe with a crazy buck trailing her or a rutting buck to make the mistake.

[jerkbait]

I think most of my deer have come after opening day up here. On of my biggest bucks came on the 2nd sunday of the season last year.

[Musky Buck]

It does really seem a lot of the largest bucks are taken after opening day, I sometimes wonder if they can survive that opening day, a few days later they're going someplace to feed and also get locked up with another doe. Just checked my records and 2001 was the last time I got an opening day large buck. I didn't almost realize that, so it's been a decade and I'm due ! Alright ! My notes also show every year since 01 I've seen a yearling buck 2, or 3 opening day. Maybe that's why I didn't see a shootable, if the youngest are comfortable strolling around means the big guy is locked up with a doe at the time ??????

[COMMISH]

the wednsday after the opener till the end of the season is the time i like best, seem to shoot more muture bucks.