I have had a deer show up a few minutes before legal shooting time that i would have taken if it came in a few minutes later. I could have easily taken this deer.
I print the timetable from the US Navy website for the zipcode i'm hunting in.
I do wear a watch and keep checking it. Yes, I did forget my watch one day and i was forced to "best guess" it but otherwise I wait until the bell goes off( not literally a bell of course).
That being said...That's just me. I don't think badly of those that take the shot. It's not even some huge moral issue for me. I have only been at this a couple of years and like any other sport I play I follow the rules. If a deer comes in too early and is out of range before legal shooting time then he deserves to win.
It's like playing 18 and about to break par. I hit the ball behind a tree. If I move it a little, easy shot and probably break par. If i leave it behind the tree then I probably won't.
In the case of the deer he wins, and keeps his life today. If he shows up and I'm allowed to shoot, he loses and dies. he deserves the chance to winwithout me breaking the rules