How early into stand

[Pointer]

Where I hunt 30 minutes is legal. Never more than that and often les...depending on where I am hunting and what the deer do around there.

[longbow fanatic 1]

I try to get into my stand one hour before shooting time. In Illinois, that is 1 1/2 hours before sunrise.

[Gdpolk]

Depends on the hunt for me.  Time of year, stand location, weather, other hunting pressure, type of stand/blind, what I think the animals will be doing and where they will be at time of entry, and how deep in I go all have an effect on when I enter.  Sometimes I'm there 2 hours before legal shooting time.  Sometimes I don't enter the woods until after an early breakfast, bathroom break, hot beverage, good stretch, and goodbye kiss to the wife.  I know it's a vague answer but if my experience is that deer in the area aren't moving until 1-3 hours after sunrise I likely won't show up until 30 minutes after sunrise and then slowly still hunt my way in.  If my best shot is at daybreak and there's little to no pressure, no other hunters, and no odd weather I'm in location 15-30 minutes before legal shooting time and I enter very slowly.  If I'm hunting a crowded area with lots of pressure and I want to go deep and reap the potential rewards of other hunters bumping deer my way as they come back in to bed, then I get there as early as I can drag my butt out of bed.  I'll usually in these cases set an alarm on vibrate on my phone and put the phone on top of my head in my hat...no way to sleep through that and it doesn't make a ton of noise.  I wake up 20 minutes before legal time and I'm ready to go.

[Steve Jr]

I try to get on stand one and a half hours before sun up. I have my trails already cut and marked to get to my stands in the spring and try to maintain them until season opens. I hunt public land and this is standard procedure if you want to hunt deer that others aren't willing to get too.

Steve Jr

[Tedd]

Hunting public land/mountain  terrain - if I found good spot on a good day I want to be sitting for 1/2 hour before light. That can be a challenge if the hike in is long. I usually have a 40 minute drive from the cabin, then a 1/2 hour to 1 hour hike in. Then climb the tree. In early season the days are so long that I can't hunt all day after one of those early mornings. Some day I will have a cabin closer to my hunting area.
I don't usually hunt mornings on the few acres I have at home. If I do I would want to be seated 1/2 hour before shooting light. It's suburbia hunting. You get 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 hour in the eve when deer are moving.

In the morning, I like to be settled in my stand or blind 1 hour before legal shooting time.

The afternoon varies. Sometimes its 2hrs before dark, and sometimes its 4-5hrs before dark.

Bisch

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I used to always be religious about getting in an hour  early but after reading a post from Ryan rothaar about entering after light, it made sense to me.  I still will get to some spots early but it depends on the set up and location. I've bumped deer out of the area tripping over branches in the dark and have seen my best numbers after sneaking in late.

[jonwilson]

Originally posted by Bowwild:
I want to be strapped in, equipment set, and seated at least 30 minutes before legal shooting time.

+1

If I can get there earlier, I will. I start getting frustrated when I feel rushed. You can ask my hunting buddies.    I'll "shoot the bull" on the drive to the hunting location, but once we're there, I'm all business and working to get myself in the stand as quickly as possible. I like to be settled in before there is any hint of gray in the sky. Just a personal preference.

[jonwilson]

Originally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
I used to always be religious about getting in an hour  early but after reading a post from Ryan rothaar about entering after light, it made sense to me.

I'm interested in reading that post. Got a link?

[Mint]

I like to get in at least a 1/2 hour before first light. I've got an 1 1/2 ride to my spots and a 15 minute walk in to my stand. And if I'm using my wedgelock I give myself another 10 minutes. most of the time though I don't start seeing deer until at least a 1/2 hour after sunrise at the minimum.

[RedShaft]

Anymore unless I know that spot for some reason has deer in the area at daybreak I am setting in at grey light. Walking in just barely able to see without a headlight.

[RedShaft]

Originally posted by jonwilson:
 

Originally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
I used to always be religious about getting in an hour  early but after reading a post from Ryan rothaar about entering after light, it made sense to me.

I'm interested in reading that post. Got a link? [/b]

I'd like to read that also..

In the mornings, I have shot more deer after 9:30 than before 8:00, especially during rut.  I have also seen many deer bailing out of an area when the other predawners are goose stepping in or driving in as far as they can.  Some think that driving all of the way to their stands in the dark doesn't scare deer.  I suppose it's that old thing if we cannot see them they are not there and cannot see us. There is a reason that deer can be nocturnal, they can see in the dark way better than we can.

[catman1]

Me I go dark thirty. I have set in a stand for 16 hours before it happened though. I do hunt bear the same time as our deer season with the stick and string.

[Friend]

In my ground set and ready for action approximately 15"s before shooting hours.

[rws2]

Anywhere from 20 minutes before shooting time till just at daylight. One stand they never get there till about 30 minutes after daylight.

[BAK]

If I hunted mornings I'd go with Orions answer.  I seldom hunt before mid afternoon.

[woodchucker]

Hey Charlie!!! I remember 1 particular morning, after a night of "overindulging" & a HUGE breakfast... We didn't get in the woods untill 9am... EVERYONE saw Deer!!!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Chuck, I wish I could remember that morning, perhaps I overdid it too much? Lol. It was a spectacular morning, only problem was the 8 point was too close.

As far as finding Ryan's post about slipping in after the first group of does and intercepting bucks , I cannot find it but it's here somewhere

[YosemiteSam]

30-45 min usually.  But sometimes I've just got too far to hike in the morning so I'll come in later.  Learned the hard way that off-trail is a no-go in the dark if it's more than 100 yards or so.

Great thread.  Making me reconsider my habits.  I'm usually ready to get up and move around by 9:00 - 9:30 since that puts me sitting down for 3-4 hours by then.  I may opt to try a later arrival and longer departure this year based on the experiences many of you have shared.  I could use an extra hour of sleep anyway.