How important is first light...?

[ducktoller]

Also dont worry about other places now. Hunt the sign you've found and if there is fresh sign then stick to it.

[joshbazz]

Great, thanks for that - two things I will need discipline on: staying put and moving slow. Patience. Good. I'm up for the challenge. Cheers ducktoller!

[.308SLAYER]

Seems for me, most MD are taken from about 8:00 til 9:30 am. (also from others with success in the area)
Quite often will also see them at first light.
Have taken them at 3:30pm also.
Odd time just before dark, but rank it the lowest time for me (might be where I am at that point in my hunt?!)

In other words, just hunt, and even if sign is low, just try and remind yourself to stay positive.
Missed a great opportunity at a 30" spread buck after walking slowly all day and not seeing a track, only to get careless and "blow it".
Buck had come up from a steep area, and I ran into him in his first few steps onto that hill.
That's how quick it can change.
That's hunting.
I hunt all day.

I've had had this happen many times elk mule deer whiteys...never let ur guard down you never know...easy to let your guard down sometimes seems like that's when it happens

[Wild one]

It all depends on your location when it comes to how important first light is. Only way to know is run cams or hunt it enough

personally I have shot a lot of mid day deer but also first and last light as well. You never know that is why I hunt all day

[hunter1947]

I have found out over my years hunting that deer hunting times are unpredictable at times I have hunted deer first light and saw nothing
At times I hunt deer latter in the morning and saw deer more than first light same day.

My thoughts on why different movement early morning or hunting latter is the moon faze ,how cold it is the rut ,,what the weather is doing
at the time you hunt them..

[ratherbefishin]

During the rut the bucks are active 24 hours a day.While I always tried to be out for first light, most of my deer were shot between 10 and 11

[SR80]

I dont think ive ever killed anything at first light, most success for me is usually after 10am

[Takla]

Weve killed more moose then deer at first light over the yrs,and bears in the late afternoon.Most deer kills have been between 9am and 11am,includeing this yrs mulie

[Walksalot]

Studies have shown some of the biggest bucks have been gotten between 10.00Am and 2:00pm and this is attributed to a conditioned response to the lower amount of human activity in the woods during this time period.

[Jelvis]

Thee early bird -- get's the worm! Hahahahahaha

Jel -- get yer butt outta bed Hahahahaha -- First raven get's the meat --