Sitting in a treestand all day can be a very effective strategy or a real drag. You need to know the reason a buck would be moving at midday, what calling tactics to use, and what day offers the best weather conditions for bucks to move all day. This is our 2018 report for choosing which day to spend in the stand this November.

Personally my favorite day for an all day sit is November 6th. Last year I shot a buck on the 6th of November at 1 pm and the year before that I had three bucks move through between eleven and one. There are other days when bucks will be more active at the edges of daylight, but I have never seen more midday action than the sixth of November. Find a stand near a deer bedding location that offers good cover for travel during the brightest parts of the day. For example if a cornfield is still up that leads to a doe bedding area you can expect bucks to be traveling between 11 and 1. Just ratting or giving a few grunts to a buck is best on the 6th. I typically wait until 8 or 8:30 am then rattle every twenty to thirty minutes to lure in any roaming bucks. I will take a break from 10 until  11 when I eat a snack and am not on as high of alert. Then from 11 to 1 I am attentive for bucks moving after spending the morning with a doe. Last year the buck I shot bedded 100 yards down the creek from me. I gave a few buck grunts at him every two minutes, then after about 10 minutes of this he stood and walked to the scrape I hung my treestand over. I shot him at fifteen yards. I wasn’t as aggressive towards him as you can be later in the year, but calling can be effective on this day.

This year the 6th is looking exceptional. The precipitation should clear out around 3 am and rising pressure all day will make deer more active. Add that the wind will shift during the night and this day is looking great.

Zach Christiansen prefers the 11th of November for a full day sit as do many other hunters such as the Drury’s. He has shot two of his last three bucks during the lockdown period between the 11th and 15th. A rattling and grunting combination can be very effective at this time of year. Pick a stand that allows enough visibility to call to ranging bucks. Ratting a buck straight across an open cornfield is not out of the question on this day.

Right now the tenth is the best day to sit all day during lockdown. It is a Saturday so you don’t have to take off work, the pressure will be high, and the wind will have recently shifted to come out of the South.

The last thing to consider is that sitting for a full day can be draining. I typically do two or three full day sits in a year. Some people do more, but I think it is a recipe for lackluster attention and burnout. Pick a good day for weather, location, and a day that you have enough rest to pay attention for 7 or 8 of the 10 hours. Good luck.