In a SHTF situation and society as we know it crumbles, obtaining food and clothing may not be as easy as it once was. Whilst you can forage for berries, leaves, plants as well as grow your own food, protein can be hard to source.

A key way to obtain protein rich food is to hunt for animals and eat their meat. You can also skin your catch or game and make other useful survival items.

Best Times to Hunt

Different animals will be active at different times of the day. Some animals are nocturnal and may only come out at night, whilst others such as certain birds may be active throughout the day and harder to find at night. It will entirely depend on what it is you are trying to hunt.

However, there are some occasions which make for better conditions to hunt. The best times of day to hunt are:

Early Mornings and Late Evenings

Many animals which are not nocturnal, such as pheasants and many others will be on the move early in the morning and well into the afternoon.

Ducks will normally be flying back to spend the night in a secure location, so you can catch them as they fly towards a body of water by setting some duck decoys, or get them first thing in the morning as they begin to search out where they want to spend the day. 

Take the opportunity to hunt whilst they are out in the open. Dusk and dawn are when animals like rabbits tend to be active in low light. Deers will often wake up quite early in the day and move around as the sun is just beginning to rise to get their first fill of grass and leaves.

Minor Or Small Weather Events

Certain small scale weather events like heavy rain showers or strong winds can cause most animals to move and seek shelter from the elements.

Many different animals may be on the go shortly before a small-scale weather event or just after. Allow the weather to draw animals out of shelter and into the open.

Large Weather Fronts

Animals can normally sense when a large-scale weather front is approaching and will normally be on the move.

If you don’t mind braving the elements you can wrap up warm follow suit and get on the tail of animals such as deer or various types of birds which are likely going to be trying to get as far away from the bad weather as possible.

Night Time

If you want to hunt nocturnal animals like certain species of hares and deer, then it would be best to try and hunt at night where you have more chance of encountering one of these animals.

You can buy a night scope to help you see better in the dark, and you will of course have the cover of darkness to cloak you. 

Temperature Increases

If it is cold, many animals will try to seek shelter, with some smaller animals hiding underground or other hard to reach places.

If there is an increase in temperature, many animals will come out to try and hunt for food, making it the perfect opportunity for you to hunt.

Season Open Day

Provided no major apocalyptic event has happened yet and you just want to hone your hunting skills, one of the best times to hunt will be the open day of the season for a particular animal.

This is usually the start of when a certain animal begins to be more commonly spotted for a few months and will be plentiful as nobody else has been allowed to hunt them for a few months. 

When Animals Have A Wind Advantage

Some animals will prefer to move when they have the wind at their heels to allow them to move whilst not going against the wind.

Whilst this does pose the threat of wind making it hard to get a clear shot on target, even more so for an air rifle with light .177 pellets, it is a prime time for many animals to move.

When There Is No Wind

Wind can be a real nuisance when hunting. If you’re using a firearm, crossbow or bow and arrow the wind can change the trajectory of your bullet or arrow causing it to miss, so the best time of day to hunt is when it is mild and there is no wind.

When There Are Environment Disturbances

One of the best times of day to hunt is when there is a disturbance to the environment of an animal which will force it to come out into the open.

This could include things such as flooding or other small scale natural disasters.

Hunt When You Want To

If you enjoy hunting, and find some sport in hunting then the best time of day is whenever you feel like it. Whilst you might not always catch or kill something, it can still be very enjoyable and relaxing.

As a prepper, it will be important to have things to focus on in a SHTF event, as the world may be very different from our current everyday lives.

Summary

Ultimately, the best time to hunt is whenever you need to on weekly basis. If you hunt when you don’t need to you can run the risk of exhausting resources or forcing animals to move further away from you. The chances are that the loud noises from your firearm will scare most animals away.

Do remember to be respectful when hunting animals and to kill humanely, and use other methods such as trapping to supplement your hunts. 

Some animals are illegal to hunt in the UK under current law. Others require you to have a hunting license and a firearm license and you can be heavily fined if you are caught hunting without these.

There are also many rules which must be followed to hunt legally, which include things like not using a vehicle to hunt deer and only being allowed to hunt particular animals, especially game when it is game season.

It is illegal to hunt game outside of season. Some parts of the UK forbid hunting on Christmas day and Sunday, so be sure to follow the rules.