A deer movement chart answers one question fast: which hours are worth sitting? Below are two reference tables — an hourly baseline and a month-by-month table — followed by how a live, location-specific chart differs from a printed feeding chart.
Hourly Deer Movement Chart
Baseline daylight activity for a typical fall day with no strong weather driver. Ratings shift up during pre-rut and behind cold fronts.
| Time block | Baseline activity | What deer are doing |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min before sunrise – 2 hrs after | Best | Returning from night feeding to bedding cover |
| 2 – 4 hrs after sunrise | Good | Late movers, staging, bucks cruising in pre-rut |
| 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Fair | Bedded; rises to Good or better during peak rut |
| 1 – 3 p.m. | Fair | Brief stand-and-stretch feeding near bedding |
| 3 hrs before sunset – sunset | Best | Moving from bedding to evening food sources |
| Sunset – 1 hr after | Good | Heavy feeding, mostly past legal light |
| Lunar transit (overhead / underfoot) | +1 step | Secondary feeding bump that can fall any time of day |
Monthly Deer Movement Chart
| Month | Daylight movement | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| September | Moderate | Bachelor groups on predictable food; heat suppresses evenings |
| Early October | Low ("October lull") | Pattern shift as food sources and cover change |
| Late October | High | Pre-rut begins — scraping, rubbing, seeking |
| Early November | Highest | Seeking and chasing at all hours |
| Mid November | High but erratic | Peak breeding; mature bucks lock down with does |
| Early December | Moderate–high | Second rut plus hard food focus in cold |
| Late December – January | Moderate | Survival feeding; strongly cold- and food-driven |
Feeding Chart vs. Movement Chart
A printed deer feeding chart comes from solunar tables: major periods when the moon is overhead or underfoot, minor periods at moonrise and moonset. That component is real — but a feeding chart publishes the same times for Maine and Mississippi, and it knows nothing about the weather.
| Factor | Printed feeding chart | Live movement chart |
|---|---|---|
| Moon transit & illumination | Yes | Yes |
| Barometric pressure & trend | No | Yes |
| Temperature vs. seasonal norm | No | Yes |
| Wind speed and direction | No | Yes |
| Rain starting / stopping | No | Yes |
| Rut phase for your latitude | No | Yes |
| Your own logged sightings | No | Yes |
| Specific to your ZIP code | No | Yes |
Build a Live Chart for Your Property
- Open the forecast and enter the ZIP code you hunt. Name and save each property.
- Read the hourly curve — a 0–100 score per hour instead of a static "major/minor" label.
- Use the 14-day strip to pick which days to burn, then the hourly chart to pick the sit.
- Log sightings. The curve for that property adapts to what you actually observe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a deer movement chart?
A rating of each hour for the likelihood deer are up and moving. Traditional charts are static and moon-based; a live chart scores each hour 0–100 using moon transit plus pressure, temperature swing, wind, rain timing and rut phase for one specific location.
What hours are deer most active?
The two hours after sunrise and the two hours before sunset, with a secondary bump at lunar transit. Midday rises sharply during pre-rut and behind cold fronts.
Are printed deer feeding charts accurate?
They get the moon component right and ignore everything else. Useful as a baseline, poor as a final answer.
Related Guides
- Deer Movement Today — today's hourly activity
- Deer Feeding Times — solunar feeding windows explained
- Solunar Calendar — major and minor periods
- Deer Movement Forecast — the 14-day outlook