THE MIDDAY SHIFT

Exclusively bow-hunting public land and permission properties in heavily hunted areas isn’t easy, but I’ve learned several tactics that boost success. One of my favorites is hunting during midday when and where circumstances are right.

True, most morning deer activity occurs from daybreak to 10 a.m. and most evening activity happens during the final two hours of daylight, so why hunt midday? Because it’s a great way to take mature bucks in pressured areas.

NUMBERS DON’T LIE

For more than 50 seasons, I’ve pursued deer in Michigan, the most heavily bow-hunted state in the country. But the past 23 seasons, I’ve taken weeklong bow-hunting trips to lightly hunted states, and I’ve learned that the daytime movements of mature bucks in lightly hunted areas differ greatly from those in heavily hunted spots.

In lightly hunted states — Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois, for example — and lightly hunted or managed areas in