I had to choose, so I chose evening. I love sitting in the fence row watching the deer come to the corn field to feed. I have to say I like morning too. If you have the time do both. If not do what you have to do to make it happen. Full moon I might have chosen midday. I have probably killed more deer in the evening. Bow hunting I'd be in the woods not in the fence row. I dedicate two weeks of my vacation every year to deer hunting.
I would prefer morning, but its a lot easier to get out late afternoon. I think people must be klling all the deer I would see during the day though cause its been weeks since I've even seen a deer.
I looked back in my journal for the answer to this and the answer is... All of the above. During early archery, I have had better luck, over the years, in the late afternoon or evening. Late archery has been better in the morning. Gun season and the RUT seems to be evenly spread throughout the day. It may have something to do with weather patterns or the crop rotations of a given year. Sorry I could not narrow it down.
Over the years I have seen just a little more in the evening. However, that changes if you count the dozens that walk right under me before legal shooting light then never see again all day...
I picked morning even though I am not a morning person. I have had better luck hunting in the morning in Indiana, but when I hunt in Kentucky I don't think it matters there are deer everywhere down there.
The most productive time for me to be in the woods is any time I can get there. I have taken deer at all time of the day. I just want to be in the woods.
I have had more success in the evenings than I have in the mornings. However, during the peak of the rutt, I have had great success between 10am - 2pm. The bucks roam all day so I usually sit most of the day during that time only.
I'm not very successful at dropping deer, but I can say I have seen more between 1030-noon that any other timeframe.
Come to think of it, the most successful hunter I know, never even enters the woods until after he's eaten lunch, and then he's there at most an hour before he's back with a dead deer.