Deer feeding patterns are integral to making hunt plans. These are major influencers on how, when, and where deer feed. But the why of deer feeding patterns is important, too. Knowing key whitetail deer feeding times, and important feeding periods for deer, is a big part of deer hunting. It’s even a pivotal part of land management, especially for those who plan to plant a Whitetail Institute food plot.
Understanding Deer Movement
The foundation of deer hunting is understanding deer movement. Deer are crepuscular animals. For those who don’t know the word, it means deer move most during low-light periods.
“This means they are most active during twilight hours, dawn and dusk,” said Adam Crumrin, a land specialist in east central Illinois. “That said, deer are also very flexible in this behavior. A lot of this is due to hunting pressure and pressure from natural predators. Some of your mature animals will even shift to a more nocturnal state if pressure is high.”
How Often Deer Feed
Despite being crepuscular, and moving most around dawn and dusk, deer move and feed at other times, too. Research shows that deer feed numerous times in a 24-hour period.
“Deer feed way more frequently than most people think,” said Dave Skinner, a land specialist in west central Kentucky. “Roughly four to five times a day, or roughly every six hours or so. Now, that doesn’t mean they’re getting on their feet and making long treks to feed in a bean field at noon. Those daylight feedings are typically close to where they bed.”
Because of this, a bedding area must also provide something to feed on. If it doesn’t have that, deer aren’t as likely to bed there.
Best Spots for Daytime Deer Movement
So, where are the best spots for daytime deer movement? As hunters, we often question certain moves or tactics. For example, should hunters hunt over food sources, or along transition routes between bedding areas and food sources?
“In my opinion, hunting over a food source or along transition routes all depends on the deer you are after,” Crumrin said. “There are several different scenarios that come into play when hunting food sources or along a transition area, which include the time of year, the food source, weather conditions, when the season opens in your area, size of a plot and its location, size of the property, and how far the deer is traveling to get there.
“Without diving into all the different scenarios that come into play, I feel like the first few days of the season are a great time to hunt over a food source, if the deer you are after is a regular and the conditions are right,” Crumrin continued. “The main issue with hunting food early is your exit strategy. The last thing you want to do is educate most of the deer on your property the first few days of season. This is why hunting a few locations, to and from food, will be a way safer option.”
That’s easier said than done, though. According to Crumrin, you need to find your target buck's weakness along that route. Also, Crumrin says you must find the location in his route where everything is in your favor as well as his. (This is called a just-off wind direction.) A lot of times, this is where he would make a turn for some reason and possibly give up the wind for a very short period.
“The other challenge with this is the perfect tree is never in the perfect location,” Crumrin noted. “It is best to find the location you need to be and adjust versus finding the perfect tree and not being able to make a shot.”
Finding Seasonal Whitetail Food Sources
Bedding areas are also impacted by what deer eat. Oftentimes, food sources are seasonal. These change throughout deer season.
“Food sources will shift throughout the season as temperatures drop, snow starts to fly, and they transition into survival mode,” Crumrin said. “In my opinion, some of the best early food sources are clover, chicory, alfalfa, and green soybeans. These are all great sources of nutrients for does, tending new fawns, and bucks during antler growth. As summer fades into fall and the beans defoliate, deer transition away from them (for a short time).”
Knowing when deer transition from one food source to the next is a must. Staying current keeps you where the deer are and makes it possible to maintain high-quality hunts.
Furthermore, those who plant food plots can manipulate the landscape and improve the hunting. At this level, you aren’t just reacting to a situation. You’re creating one and controlling the variables.
“[In early fall], I typically start to drill a mixture of cereal grains mixed with some radishes and crimson clover,” Crumrin said. “I also overseed crop fields with this same mix in locations I do not have plots. This works great in areas where the farmer will allow me to do this. The perfect situation is where I can buy standing beans from the farmer and broadcast this mix over the top. This gives you a great grain food source, with new green coming up in it. In my home state of Illinois, we do not see cold temperatures on a consistent basis. This is why I think it is very important to have grain and green as close together as you can.”
The Best Spots for Food Plots
It’s important to plant in the best spots for food plots to see daytime deer movement. Therefore, choosing the best spots for food plots can seem a daunting task. It’s not high-level science, though.
“As close to preferred bedding as possible,” Skinner said. “Of course, you must keep in mind the time of year, prevailing wind, and entry/exit routes. If you can get a preferred food source downwind of a bedding area and inside of 100-150 yards, it's going to be in your favor.”
If prevailing wind directions allow, a hunter should keep food plots on the same line of movement that deer follow from bedding areas to destination food sources.
“To me that's common sense,” Skinner said. “How many times have you hunted on a large destination food source and the big buck you're after shows up at last light and then you're pinned down. Plop a seasonally appropriate food plot in his direction of travel (back in the timber closer to his bed) with strategic entry and exit routes, and your odds just went through the roof. And guess what? If you don't kill him the first sit, you haven't ruined the area. Deer will feed through toward that destination food source and you have a safe exit strategy. It's a win-win.”
The Best Time to Deer Hunt
All things considered, when is the best time to deer hunt? That depends on many things. That said, because deer are crepuscular, know that the first and last few hours of the day tend to produce best results.
As for much of deer season, because deer often make it back closer to bedding areas before or around daylight, afternoon hunts tend to produce best results. The afternoon sit is king during the early season, pre-rut, and late season. By taking advantage of whitetail deer dusk feeding patterns, hunters create better, high-odds scenarios to score.
Outside of the rut, and unique situations where a buck is on a morning pattern and you have great access routes to go undetected, it’s best to save morning hunts for the rut. Plus, during the rut, don’t be afraid to try an all-day sit. This is the ideal time to hunt not only evening hunts but also other times during legal hunting hours.
