Hunt till dark?

[TJK68]

I hunt the legal time set by WV DNR, but try to sit until I am sure I am not going to bump any critters.
Tom

[Red Beastmaster]

I usually head out before dark and hunt my way out, especially when I'm in a bear area. Same thing going in for morning sits. I step out of the woods at dark, I rarely ever have to use a flashlight.
I shot at a doe well into the evening one time and luckily missed clean when I deflected off unseen branches. Won't happen again. When it's that dark you can't shoot accurately anyway. Way too much can go wrong and it's not worth it.

Coming down out of a tree in the pitch dark is not all that wise either.

[Bowwild]

Half hour after official sunset and I'm climbing down UNLESS there are deer around my tree that would catch me moving. If that happens (rarely) I quiver the arrow, pack up, and quit hunting.

I strongly believe in knowing the legal shooting times for each day. The time changes about 1 minute/day.

There have been times when cloudy and no moon that I couldn't see to pick a spot 30 minutes after sundown. I come down then.

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

I hunt mornings mostly . Will hunt maybe 4-5 evenings in our season . Just don't like the fact that it is getting darker every second you wait on a deer . Plus I hardly ever see bucks in evening .

[Traditional-Archer]

Got trapped in the stand last night by a big mouth doe who just wouldn't give up blowing, stomping and creating a ruckus around me. So I got down anyway, I was hungry. According to my tables quitting time was 7:02 which was when I wanted to get out but had to stay 10 minutes longer thanks to Ms.Big Mouth.  

Interesting, if the doe was still there even if blowing she was not convinced you were a threat and didn’t know exactly where you were I think. By you getting down she now knows and is going to tell all her friends.
         

[Traditional-Archer]

A lot of concern about legal hunting time I just didn’t get that in the question.

I hunt according to the time of year and what stand sight I have decided to hunt for that day. I have stands that you have to be in at first light settled in and quiet, usually a half hour  before light but some days a little earlier. I have never considered myself a poacher for that, I love listening to the woods in the dark and watching the world come to life again, but that must be against the law I guess, I didn’t know that.

During the rut I sometimes walk in at first light, if I’m hunting all day and know deer travel through an area all day. I like to get in between bedding areas and food plots like a lot of guys. What is the difference in still hunting in the morning or in the middle of the afternoon when you get bored? If you are using the wind correctly and still hunting correctly sneaking into your stand could be a good thing at daybreak. There are so many different times to be on stand or getting to a stand. A lot depends on the deer and what time of year it is.
 

[Shane Reed]

Hunt as many hours as I can, when I can. Afternoon hunts are always until I can't see which is before legal shooting hours ends.

[jax]

I have more luck in the evenings than mornings. I stay until I can't see to shot a deer right under me. Have kilt a number of deer right at dark

[Dan Bonner]

I killed my best one yet by the light of the moon at about 11pm. On a full moon I like to stay a little longer on stand. It gets dark for a while but when the moon rises you can see pretty well if you have clear skies. Our equipment is well suited to night hunting what with no sights and all...
 

Had you going for a minute didn't I?

[nineworlds9]

My favorite time of day to hunt is about 4pm until dark.  I have seen and gotten close to far more critters in the afternoon and evening than on any morning.  So yup, I hunt until 30 min after dark.

[Recurve50 LBS]

I stick it out the 30 minutes after sun set OR until I can no longer see because of not enough light. Last night I called it early thanks to a sow and cubs.

If one wants to hunt the full 30 minutes after sunset, it is easier if you are in a nice bright open area like a hill top corn field. The 30 minutes after thing does not work so well in deeper ravines with lots of dark cedars.  What makes me nervous is that right now we have the early season muzzle boys in with us and one of those is convinced that everything that moves is a huge buck. I don't make a move in low light with out shining my flash light around first.

[RedShaft]

I used to hunt till pitch black. Not any more!! Only time I hunt till dark is on fri or sat evenings... The reason

I hunt after work. And getting a deer at dusk is a PITA! You got work next day. You have to find it, get it out. And then I do my own deer so it's a long long night. If it seems dead. I'm Outa there before dark. Packed up and walking out. I don't worry if I spook one or not. I didn't wan to shoot it anyways.

Tough thinking but that is how I do it now. To many nite time tracking jobs and long nights being worn out for work next morning.  Plus I doubt I miss much anyhow. I figure good lord would have given me one if it was to be.

[Alexander Traditional]

I always hunt until dark. I just always make sure I leave a flashlight in my coat pocket so I don't forget it and have to walk back to the truck in the dark.

[swamper]

What redshaft said for me too,

[Sam McMichael]

I generally don't hunt evenings, even though it is a great time for it. I just don't want to be in the position of possibly trying to track and handle a deer late into the night.

[KodiakMag]

I hunt every minute of legal shooting time i have. Unless it's been a long day at work and I'm hungry or the wife is waiting on me for a little "honey on the biscuit" back at home.  

[Montanawidower]

I'm with Redshaft... But out here its about the cold.  Whitetail hunting is a November game in Montana (elk, antelope, and pheasants sort of chew up the early season)

Anyway, the temps regularly go from 30 something during the day to 0 after dark in November. Tracking and dressing and packing out deer in the single digit degree range late into the night is not a ton of fun.  I must be getting old.  

Heck, I'm usually half hypothermic by the time I leave the stand in the evening and sometimes GLAD I didn't drop the string.

[joe skipp]

Your in New Jersey Bucky...just as many bears as there are deer and I think this has you looking over your shoulder when your leaving the woods.

Prime time is that last 15-20 minutes before dark. Hang in there, then ease out quietly. Those bears are more afraid of you than you are of them...I hope...   :eek:

One thing that can help if one is pushing the 30 minutes after sundown time limit.  As an amatuer astronomer, I have learned that it takes a minimum of 15 minutes for human eyes to fully adopt to low light. Try avoiding looking at the sunset, you will be able to see into the shadows better.  The evening that I lost sight of the 8 pointer, I remember it was a beautiful sunset with lots of bright clouds reflecting yellow, white and gold.