What time do you go into your stand?

[MonRiver]

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.

[ChuckC]

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

[TooManyHobbies]

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.

[TxAg]

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.

[RedShaft]

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.

[PeteA]

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.

[customcrester]

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.

[Sam McMichael]

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.

[BOHO]

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.

[ron w]

When ever I can.......

[rugrat]

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.

[Brock]

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...

[JO_EZ]

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.

[ericmerg]

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