Hunting hours. When is it to late to shoot?

[Pete W]

My watch, GPS and Cell all have time for sun rise/set. I am not going to chance loosing my hunting priveledges, gear and money by being mistaken about the time to shut it down.

Telling a judge that you are using eyesight and twigs, or color of the arrow and that should be sufficent to determining legal defined times is probably not going to get you very far in the direction you hope to go.
 A cheap watch in your pocket solves any possible conflicts.
 I hang a watch in my blinds so there is no doubt about when "legal" starts and stops.

Not having a time piece is about as good an excuse as not having a speedometer.

 Pete

[Paul WA]

I have stayed until the last minute and taken one shot that late at 10yds in the timber. Had to locate my arrow to see if it had any blood on it, thats how dark it was...PR

[Bill Turner]

I would expect that more deer are wounded, and more mistakes are made in low light conditions then at any other time when bowhunting. Knowing that, I am constantly aware of my surroundings. Like Terry said, when I can't make out that pencil size twig at 15 yards, its time to go.  

[hvyhitter]

I too go by Terrys guide. I know too many guys that filled their "buck" tag shooting at last minute "does".

[waknstak IL]

1/2 hour past sunset seems pretty clearly defined from a legal standpoint. I'm sure your state has a chart to reference or you can look on the weatherchannel.com for your location to get the times. If there's not enough light before that then put your arrows away  

[Bonebuster]

When the snow covers the ground, and the moon comes up, put the grunt call away and get out the distressed rodent, or fawn bleat. Teach a coyote a lesson!!!

(Just make sure you have a fur harvesters license)

I call it too late, when it is too hard to see the arrow flight. Our end of legal time comes after it is usually too dark for my tastes.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Furthermore, Officials dont give people a hard time entering the woods before legal hunting hours, why would they give people a hard time leaving the woods after legal Hunting hours.  

DNR and DEC officials have larger fish to fry.  If you are a whale, sorry, stinks to be you!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Originally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
 

Didn't mean for that to sound nasty or hateful at you Cyclic Rivers, just trying to make a point on the discussion. The chart that MDC goes by is printed in every Hunting/Fishing Regulation Flyer that can be picked up just about anywhere in the state of Missouri. [/b]

No Offense taken,

I guess its hard to sense sarcasm when you are simply reading my typing.

I was trying to be stupid, Basically quoting   "It all depends on what the definition of Is, Is"!

I feel the same way and have never heard of anyone actually getting a fine for getting out of stand within reason. Sometimes people get way to caught up with rules that they are willing to throw judgment out the window.  I have an entire department full of those guys. People should get so caught up in specifics, that's why I love the simplicity of Stick and string.

Ethical is ethical and lawful is lawful, There  is no reason why people cant strive to be both.  I have a stand that gets dark a 1/2 hour before printed sunset. If I have a problem getting out of the stand before legal sunset, I wouldn't hunt it.

Same is true for stands in dense pines. It gets darker much earlier and hunters should follow Terry's advice and know when to leave regardless of legal time. [/QB]

[KSdan]

58 in a 55 hardly makes one a "criminal." Until we all set our watches continually (including wildlife officers)to Greenwich Mean Time, knowing the approximate time in the current time tables and using good judgment for safety is good.

Dan in KS

[Eugene Slagle]

Originally posted by Terry Green:
Here's what I go by if I don't have a time piece on me.

I find a few pencil sized dead twiggs on limbs at 15 yards away....and I know exactly where to look for them at.  When I cant see them, its time to get down.......

I like this responce because I too do a similar thing while in the woods, I carry my phone but hardly ever cary a watch so looking for something that in low light conditions I may not see is a sure bet that I'm coming out of the woods within the Regulated time alotted.

I've also had my Cell vibrate when the time is up for that just in case moment I'm simply asleep.

[Bowwild]

Sometimes, when someone is cited for violating shooting hours the officer believes they have broken other laws and this is the only one they can document at the time.  During an "interview" with the cited hunter, if they've done other things wrong they often fess up.   I definitely wouldn't live in fear of being cited walking to and from or even being in the stand before or after legal shooting times.

The main point I'm making in my posts is we (bowhunters) have a bit of a reputation (with some officers) for ignoring shooting time rules because it is so much easier for us to do so stealthily.  When that duck hunter unloads a volley 10 minutes early - everyone in the marsh knows. Same for the public land firearms deer hunter.

I would rather we were the group, as many of the posts above point out, with a reputation of following the letter of the law because we know it and choose to.  We claim (and I believe rightly so)to be very ethical hunters, part of that ethic is to know and obey game laws. There are other parts of our ethic that go above and beyond the law -- for example, those above who aren't comfortable shooting even close to sundown for fear of losing an animal -- that is an ethic above and beyond and is to be commended.

[Bowwild]

By the way, according to my daylight calculator it will be daylight here in Lawrenceburg, Ky at 7:39am this morning. I'm 800 yards from my tree stand .... got a get going.

[VTer]

I also go by being able to see color. On my arrows as well as the surrounding leaves (in Oct). I've tested this method for years now off and on, and it's pretty accurate to hunting times. In the afternoon, i generally quit earlier anyways.

[OkKeith]

Seems like an easy question to answer.

Here in Oklahoma the law says shooting hours are over one-half hour after legal sunset. Look up when sunset is and quit a half hour later.

Shooting hours start one-half hour before legal sunrise as well.

OkKeith

[wapitimike1]

When I can't feel my bow hand!!!

[reddogge]

In MD it is 1/2 hours after sunset and our guide posts legal sunset for everyday in the season.  It happens to coincide when I can't see well enough to pick a spot so it's a good time to quiver the arrow and walk home.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Well Put Roy!  

[Olin Rindal]

Here in Alaska there is no such law. You can not use artificial light only natural light. If you can see it you can shoot it. On a well lit full moon when you can see very well you can actually hunt through out the night. Of course the further north you go it stays light out most of 24 hour period during early season. This is a good thing for me because I hate wearing a watch. I'm not out there to keep track of time.

[Burnsie]

I'm with OkKeith and Vermonster on this one.  Pretty simple, look at your states sunrise/sunset tables, make the appropriate add or subtract of time and that's what you go by, its not brain surgery.