Minimum time to stay in a blind\\treestand?

[ron w]

Originally posted by Bisch:
I say do what you can and keep it fun. If 2hrs is all you can sit, then so be it. I've killed lots of critters with less than 2hrs on stand.

Bisch

Bingo.......sit for a bit and if you need to get up, do it, take a walk or still hunt for an hour, then come back a sit for a bit more.

[LC]

"Remember this is supposed to be about having fun. Hunting is about enjoying yourself. Sit as long as you can when you can. If that is 2 hours great, 4 hours better, 20 mins better than 10 mins!
Also don't limit your self to the " normal hunting time thought process". The whole hour at first light and hour at dusk idea is crazy. I see deer all hours of the day all times of the year. So if you can plan a day of hunting where you sit for an hour from 8-9am. Take a break and hunt 11-1 then another break and hunt 4-6 you would have tremendous odds of being in the right place at the right time. If you can only hunt from 11-1 that day it's as good if not better than any other time. Don't be affraid to break away from the normal mentality and remember to have fun and enjoy yourself"

X2 My thoughts EXACTLY couldn't have said it better.

[monterey]

It doesn't matter how long you sit.  Fifteen minutes or 15 hours.  When you get up to leave an animal will bust out from under your nose.  

[BlacktailBowhunter]

I hunt Blacktail deer in a rain forest where there are no food plots to pattern behavior so I use apples as an attractant. If deer are showing up more at a certain time than another I'm there at those times.

I do lots of daylight till dark sets but only if I'm getting regular daytime photos, so I let my trail cameras tell me when to set.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

I don't think your "handicap" is a handicap at all.  I learned a long time ago to hunt the high percentage times and do something else the low percentage times.  If 95% of the chance to kill a deer is daylight to 9 or 10 am, and the last couple hours of daylight, why sit the other 6 hours or so in the middle of the day, for that other 5% chance, and GUARANTEE, 100%, that you are screwing up your setup by scenting up the woods those extra 6 hours?  Sure lightning may strike at 1 pm, and you might win the lottery too, but I don't buy tickets for those either.

I RARELY get into a stand before I can see to shoot in the AM, I like to sneak in quietly without a light.  There is no way to get in as quietly in the dark as when you can see a bit, period.  Also flashlights spook game.  The added bonus is this gets you in the stand after the pre-dawn does, but before the cruising bucks.  Since I started doing this I very rarely, almost never, get busted going into the stand in the AM.

PMs are easier to get in undetected.

My average sit early season - 2 h, AM or PM.  Rut probably 3-4h AM, 3h PM.  

I do OK on mature whitetails.          

R

[dbd870]

Depends on the time of the season and what you are seeing. I may only sit 1.5-2hr during early and late seasons once I have an idea when the most active times are. During prime time it's more like 3.5hrs at a time; that's about 7hrs on stand for a day, that's about all I can stand. I had been out a little over 3hrs when I killed my buck this year. I know some guys do all day sits during the rut - I just can't do it.

[Sawpilot 75]

It can happen at any time. If you know your deer and have done the scouting that should tell you about when to be there for a ambush.. I hunt mostly by the " numbers" for me this means I base it on math meaning with a certain number of hours in a location that holds the bucks I'm after eventually they will show. This has worked well for me. My avg sit for the season was 5.4 hours and I had encounters with 4 of 7 of the bucks I was after. With that said my last sit was over in 15 minutes so timing is the key.. It can happen at any moment. Keep it fun!

[Tedd]

When you are in the RIGHT place time flies and the day is too short. When you aren't confident in the spot, 15 minutes can be torture.
Length of the day is a consideration. Location might would be a big factor. At home, in suburbia/small farm country an hour or two morning or evening. Any more is a waste of time.
In the big woods, sits can be 3-4-5 hours or all day easily, depending on a lot of factors.
In Wyoming for whitetails in September...any time of the day is better than the best hours back home but we usually hunt about 4 hours in morning and 4 hours in evening. The days are long in September.
These are just generalizations of course. A lot of times family and job intervene. Gotta take care of that first.
Tedd

[Bowwild]

I agree with most of the above except the light.  It depends upon the stand location whether I use a light.  

The vast majority of my stands are on the edges of cover or just inside about bow range. I almost never use a light to get to most of my stands and I'm walking in an 30-60 minutes before legal shooting light.  The rare times I use a light it is a low red light. I use this on a few stands that require more than a bow-range sneak-walk in the woods.  

By the way, I go lightless as much to get in the "mood" for hunting as I do to keep quiet.

There have been some times in my life where I've used a "muffled" light, hid in my fingers with just hints coming through, because I feared a trespasser might be in my path. I don't want to get arrow-shot like the young husband did about 35 years ago in Northern Indiana. He was walking in a power line before shooting light. I think about him when walking in the dark on unfamiliar property.

I sometimes lead other people to their stands, they often use lights even though they are walking right behind me.  If my grandson is with me, I'm fine with him using a light. I've found a lot of people don't realize how their eyes will adjust if they keep the light off. As odd as it sounds, the use of the light makes it darker for me.

I would use a light if hunting  unfamiliar property and for stands not on edges.

If, for some reason I'm late getting out I will change my stand plans. I have one stand I can be in  13 minutes from the back door. Other stands are further, some 30 minutes.  If I don't have that much time, I try to do better next time.

I abhor spooking deer in, out, or on stand. Of course I've killed deer on such days but my confidence goes way down if it happens early.

[MnFn]

I can sit in a stand for most of the day. Usually take a half hour break or so.

When bear hunting I have sat from 3:30 until 10:30  in Northern Canada- don't remember for sure but think that was about right.

The least amount?  Twice I have climbed into a stand at about 7:00 and shot a deer within an hour and a half.

[TooManyHobbies]

If two hours is ALL you can do, don't waste it by sitting for an hour before legal light, IMO. I do many two hour hunts throughout the season. Do what you can, when you can. Better than two hours on a couch.
The buck I killed last year, I spotted within five minutes on stand, five minutes later he was dead.

[Hummer3T]

really changes with conditions, time of year, feeding activities and moving post rut, rut pre-rut, location of stand, day light hours and critical feeding need (+10 compared to -30), etc.  

for me I can normally only sit for 1-4 hours depending on how cold it is to how my body holds up and comfort of stand.

So I look at when movement is happening at that time and how long I think I can last in the stand. (experience, trail cameras/timers), etc.

no matter what you do you will miss deer and opportunities, you just have to try to manage the risk of not being there at the right time.

[Kip]

I have not read a post maybe missed it.I read when hunting stands small paperbacks I can stay on stand longer than just sitting looking at the same trail.I can usually set aside the book and grab my bow hanging with an arrow on the rest and held with a rubber band that silent when drawing.Kip

The only rule is enjoy yourself. When it starts to be a drag, do something else.

[RedShaft]

I would not worry and push yourself
To being miserable!
Who cares. Go hunt. If ya gotta move. Move.
 Go in right at first lite to maximize sitting time. I no longer go in at dark anymore. Do what ya need to have fun and be comfortable.

[J-dog]

Here n NC during early bow season it is so hot the deer really don't wiggle to right at sunset or sunrise? Just don't move as much??
If I was sitting on food just be there for the first or last hour. If I am sitting in a cool bottom area where they bed I might spend more time.