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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: MonRiver on September 05, 2012, 02:05:00 AM
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This will be my first year hunting in almost a decade. And almost all of my previous experience has been during the Pennsylvania rifle season which is the two weeks after Thanksgiving. I did hunt with a compound a few years and with my recurve one year--still haven't taken an animal with a bow yet. Our archery season starts September 29th and I'm getting excited.
I always made my way into my "spot" (I hunt from the ground) EARLY. I tried to be in my seat at least an hour before daylight.
I'm just curious as to what time people try to get to their stands in the morning and/or afternoon.
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In the afternoon I like to be there at least 3 hours before dark. That gives me time to settle in and quit making noise before the deer start to move. If it's during the peak of rut, all day isn't too early!
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Min 30 min before light.
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I think it depends on where your hunting and what type of stand you use. When using a climber in the morning I like to be up my tree and settled in about 20 min before legal shooting light. If I've prepped the tree I need about 10 minutes to do this. If not I may need much more. I try to hunt pinch points 1/4 mile or more from the feeding area where I don't expect to see deer until after good light. Therefore, I don't find it neccessary to be too early. If you hunt off the ground or use a permanent stand you can go in without a flashlight right at shooting hours and be quick and quiet. I've never seen a need to be on stand excessively early in the mornings. Afternoons I like to be set up at least 3 hours before dark as well.
Good luck.
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As above, 30 minutes before light, 3 hours before dark. That's the ideal.
Sometimes, if you can imagine, things go south. Mostly then, I go anyway. I've bumped deer on approach and still had activity. Other times, not.
My reasoning is age old, it's very poor hunting from the couch/bed/house/camp.
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In the morning I wait until it is light enough to hunt before I leave the truck then still hunt to my stand. How many times have you blown deer off at or near your stand in the dark when all you can do is listen as they snort and run away? Way to many! Thats why its rare I will get in stand before its light enough to hunt.
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I like to get to my ground blind an hour or more before sunrise. Yep I have bumped a few deer but I think its pretty cool to be settled an watch the morning woods awaken...
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I try to be in the stand a good 45 minutes to an hour before sunrise. This is the best time of the day. Sitting in my stand listening to the woods wake up is a big part of the hunting experience.
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I think it depends on the situation, I have hunted where it was quite a distance between thier evening feeding areas and where they hid away in the morning and there was very little hunting pressure, I could get to my stand at 7 and still have a good hour before the deer started filtering in. Having said that I love being in the woods before sunrise so I can watch and listen to Gods creation "waking up"
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has a LOT to do with what I'm hunting with, whether the rut is close or on, where I am and which stand I'm hunting. Most often it's at least 30 mins before daybreak and for an evening hunt at least 3 hrs before sundown.
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In the mornings I'm more inclined to be settled in just in time before shooting light- 10 minutes is about perfect. I do hunt private land though, and all preplaced stands.
I used to go earlier, and still do on occasion, but I know that my tolerance for sitting in a stand is limited to about 3 hours before I start getting too figity. I'd rather sit an extra hour in the daylight later morning than an hour in the dark.
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Smart deer read these threads and know to be in their beds an hour before daylight. They know most hunters head out of the woods three hours after daylight and return three hours before dark. Therefore, it is safe to move around at all other times.
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I also hunt from the ground and like to arrive at my spot about 15 minutes before light. Give yourself some time to get in without sweating or breaking every stick and twig in your way.
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Originally posted by Jack Shanks:
Smart deer read these threads and know to be in their beds an hour before daylight. They know most hunters head out of the woods three hours after daylight and return three hours before dark. Therefore, it is safe to move around at all other times.
I knew it!!
They read Posted signs too!
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Over the past 10yrs I’ve been working a job where I rotate shifts and along with seeing my kids get on the school bus in the morning ,has forced me to get in my stands around 8:45 most mornings.
My one stand is placed between a large piece of security cover and croup fields. I see deer almost every morning I sit this stand usually around 10:00. All the deer I’ve taking from this location were between 10:00 – 12:00.
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I'd rather be a hour early than a minute late
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In the afternoon it depends on where I'm hunting in relationship to where I think they will be feeding and bedding.
I like to hunt a long ways from the main feed source (closer to the beds) so I have a chance to get a shot earlier in afternoon and not be all night tracking, etc.
In mornings I don't get up the tree real early anymore, except on special occasions like gun season is in and I want to be where I'm going before others are in the woods.
Nowdays I just want to be up the tree about 10-15 minutes before I can see to shoot. Any earlier and I get sleepy waiting on daylight. 8:00am seems to be my prime time anyway.
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I believe NYS law says you can't be in the stand more than a 1/2 hour before sunrise and that is what I usually aim for. I hunt an hour and a half away so that isa 3:30am wake up call so that is early enough for me.
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I go out in the morning about an hour before it is just light enough to see. In the afternoon i go out anywhere from 2-5hrs before dark, Sometimes I go out in the middle of the day, but not hardly ever.
Bisch
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Like Whip, I too hunt private land in pre-hung treestands. My journal reveals that the peak of movement from these stands is between 8-9:30 AM. I am settled in my stands during"pink light" as the Wensel's call it.
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Where I'll be hunting is the 68 acres of farm right behind my property.
I'm thinking of putting up a cheap ladder stand on the opposite side of the woods from the top edge of our property (about 100 yards from my fence line) that I can get into quickly when I get home from work.
But, that may have to wait until next season. With the acquisition of the necessary things for this season (broadheads, camo, arrows, boots, etc.) funds are a little tight.
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Where I hunt. . . I find that it is best for me to go in just at first light, so I do not need a flashlight and I can sneak. or better yet, hunt the afternoon. . so I can sleep in. I have grwon to dislike wandering around with a flashlight trying to find a stand site and tripping and making noises etc.
and, as I believe I recall Roger R state. . " *** if you can time it to get up the tree ten minutes before the deer comes, that is best, cause you leave less scent".
ChuckC
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I try to time it so I get to my stand 30-20 minutes before sunrise. So, I'm arriving right at first shooting light.
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It depends. Like mentioned earlier, i'd rather be an hour early than a minute late.
The added bonus is sometimes you can shoot a hog (before sun up) if the moon is bright enough.
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i have been on stand at 2 hours prior to day light to get to my spot on public land. it has that much pressure yes. but most time either half hour to just a pink light. i have had deer spook walking in and also went in early and not seen deer till late morning. also it seems in the evenings on state land i don not see deer until the last hour before dark or rite at dusk only. so i no longer rush after work to get set up. but if you hunt the rut, i will tell you to be on stand when ever you can.. or as long as you can. you never know whats going to happen or at what time during the rut. so get out as mch as you can even mid day.
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I like to get in and be sitting in my stand, unpacked and ready 1 hour before sun up. Gives me a chance to cool down as the woods around me wakes up. As for an evening hunt, like to be sitting 3.5-4 hours prior to sun set. These times seem to give the woods time to get back to normal once I walk in.
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I get there when i get there,i have learned to take a laid back approach to my hunting and i see and kill more deer.If the deer and i are going to meet we will regardless of when i plan to be on stand and how long i sit there.Just trust in the hunting gods and go with the flow.
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I like to get in to the stand about an hour before daylight. This way I can get all my stuff squared away and be finished fidgeting around with plenty of time for the woods to settle back down. I don't hunt much in the afternoons but try to go in about 3:00 P.M. when I do.
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we have very few deer moving at daylight on us. I think its cause they travel a piece away during the night and just get back after daylight but thats JMO. We usually see most of our deer around 730-830 and then again from 930-10. I usually get into my stand when I can see the ground to walk in quietly or just after. I am gonna go in early this year during the rut just to see if it makes a difference.
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When ever I can.......
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I always check the sunrise/sunset chart on the DNR website and then shoot for an hour prior to that time. That usually ends up being about an half hour before light.
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i hunt 105 acres with 300 on one side and 290 on the other sitting between two major roads.
deer are traveling property all through night and usually three times a day...early morning, noon, and early evening. Their feeding areas are mere hundreds of yards depending on what they are eating from bedding areas. Pines and oaks surrounding cypress and tupelo swamp...with 15 acres of fields in middle. adjoining properties are mix of forest and fields with some light selective cutting on one...so lots of browse this year there.
I usually have to get into stand 60-120 minutes before first light....and no matter how early or late will bust one deer somewhere.
In evening I usually get in 3 hours before dark....to give woods time to settle down and especially in early season for me to cool down as our season opened 15 Aug. Early like now sometimes they appear around 4pm and others at 7pm. During rut I will typically get out 2+ hours before first light if sitting in ground or tree stand near field as they do a lot of rutting and breeding there.....in other stands 30 min before first light and then 30 minutes after first light...sitting all day if possible. If just a morning or afternoon I will overlap through lunch....before light through 1pm....or 12pm through dark.
it all depends....moon, sunrise, sunset, wind direction, time of year and what I am seeing...
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When I lived closer to my hunting spots, I would shoot for an hour before shooting light. However, now, with one and a half hours from pulling out of the driveway to sitting in my stand, I get there a little later.
I, also, have learned to not get rattled about being late. I just stop for a while a little ways from the car to collect my thoughts, then still hunt to the stand.
Now-a-days, I take a lot longer to walk in, even in the dark. So, I end up getting settled closer to sun up than before, but I see more deer because I am more careful and spend more time listening on the way in than when I was younger.
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well last year i made the mistake while rifle hunting of getting in 2-3 hours early id get in my stand around 4 am and legal light was 7 am, i was asleep more then once haha