QUESTION: I’m from Texas. My hunting partner and I are having problems with deer going nocturnal. We just started using feeders to help control the feeding times. We hoped that this would fix the problem, but it hasn’t yet. We are hunting on the Brazos River bottom in Waller County. We have always had the problem with the deer coming in at last light to where all you can see is a shadow. Most of the pictures we get from the trail cameras are at night and all night. Do you have any suggestions to help? — Ray B.

ANSWER: Deer are crepuscular animals, meaning they are naturally most active at dawn and dusk. By using timed feeders, you can sometimes adjust that slightly. Your effectiveness may depend on several things.

The closer to natural feeding times you set your feeders, the more likely they’ll be to attract deer during daylight. You could also set feeders closer to bedding areas to reduce the distance deer must travel to reach them.

Minimize human disturbance. The more human disturbance you add, the more peak deer activity shifts toward the darker side of twilight, and night. Set stands downwind and far enough away to conceal movement and noise.