How early do you get in your stand
 

In the morning i like to get in my stand well before dark. I make as little noise as possible, but just like to be in stand and ready at day break. when do you arrive at your stand in the morning?

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I like to get there so I can listen as everyone else at the camp is starting to start their atv's up an leave out. I would say about 30 mins before it starts to break daylight.

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RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I hunt public land, so I like to be in my stand, and set up,a full hour before it starts to get light. Hence my username.;)

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

4:30 am sharp.It gives me plenty of time to let the woods settle down after before sunrise.

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RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I get in early. Gives everything to settle down. I think it might be ok to get in later, but I do not want to take the chance...

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

Quite the imagination DT!:D:D:D

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RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I go in when I feel like it. I don't worry about noise since any deer I spook will be replaced by the stragglers who come in after the spooky hard to target early crowd. I'm a meat only hunter, but I've noticed that there are plenty of trophy class bucks that stay out to the last minute to maximize their chance of breeding. Most trophy class deer are still young enough to make mistakes, only the very wary bucks breed at night exclusively, andyou will rarely see them after dawn so I don't concern myself with them since you will almost never see them. The hunter who breaks the current record should be viewed with a jaundiced eye since he or she will almost certainly have poached their trophy in some way, deer in that class are almost exclusively nocturnal.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

One hour before sunrise ...

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I've been in my stand as early as 3:30 (just went to stand instead of going to bed). I HAVE to get in there early in my favorite spot to beat them coming home. It's a transition area.

I've never heard of a legitimate downside to getting in too early......so I go early. It's some of the best sleep I've ever gotten at that time, too.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

so the guys that get in early what do you do before daybreak? I just sit and listen and count the minutes before shooting time

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

1/2 hr before light, sometimes I cut it closer though!! I hate morning hunts anyway, I love the afternoon.....

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

Thats about all I do too.I like to picture the hunt in my head.I try and tune into every twig snap or leaf movement andtry and figure out what made the sound without being able to see it.When the sun comes up and I can see all my senses are tweek'd and on high alert.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

Do you mean well before light?? Just giving you a hard time bowtech!;)

As for me half hour to 45 minutes before light works for me. Sometimes its later being I don't want to get my butt up, usually happens when its December and its around 0 degree's.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

It's hard to think about a zero degree day now, My meter topped out at 100 deg today!!! It will be 104 on Monday, and that ain't index, that's the real temp!!!! fun!!

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

Jeff, I shore hope you have your safety harness on when you snooze!!;):D

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RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

95% of the time im in before sunrise. One of the best things about being our in mother natures world is to listen to everything wake up!

Really it depends on the wind, precipitation, and which area I want to hunt. Some take time to get to so I like to get in about 4:30 in case I run into to some coming towards my location. Fortunately I have at least 5 good stands up with all of the above being the determining factor. I have had really crappy mornings with nothing but squirrels and crows, and fantastic evening hunts catching them either in rut chasing doe or on their way to the food source.

Personally I would rather get into the woods at about 1 pm and wait for the afternoon action. All of my deer kills were in the afternoon.


This clover/chickory field was planted in late april. I went in today to check cameras and the clover has grown several inches since this picture was taken. I will wait a week and cut it, and cage a part to see how bad they are nailing it, but it mostly a nocturnal thing with the deer around here. Im hoping that the afternoons will give me an opportunity to harvest a nice buck guarding this secret spot.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

The "john" at camp is an outhouse, you want to be early in or hold it til lunch time.
As far as a good joke goes try setting your buddies alarm clock two hours early and just pretend to sleep in.:D

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RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I like to be in my stand at least 45 minutes before first light. Ideally I am set-up and ready a full hour before first light. I have been out there 90 minutes before first light before so things really settle down. Boy that is tough!

In the afternoon I like to be on stand at 4 hours or so before sundown.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I once heard the same thing from a Former USMC Sniper named Steve who used to date a friend of mine;)

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

It depends on where I am hunting and if I am using a climber or fixed stand. If a climber and I am packing in I might get there a full 2 hours before. I try to make it 30 minutes to an hour at the spot I primarily hunt which has fixed stands and a short 300 yard walk.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I try and be on stand an hour before day light

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I've been getting on the stand earlier and earlier (when possible).

I really like sitting in the calm of the still morning and hearing all the critters and deer move by me in the dark.
With full moon, and eye adjustment you can see a good bit.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

i usually go when i can see that way i dont step on branches and twigs and dont have a flashlight sweeping around scaring everything away, but if we have a really good trail to the stand, i go 30 minutes before light

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I usually get to my stand 30 minutes to an hour early. I think this gives any animals bedded within hearing distance a chance to settle down before daylight.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

After a nice chat with Dukemichaels about this it will be much earlier this coming season. This getting there half hour to a hour just dont cut it especially with a stand near their bedding area.
My cam pics show that most of the bucks are already past my current stands before first light so I will be closer to the beds and hopefully getting a kill shot.
Now as I get closer to the rut these current stands will work as the boys are out playing later.

This is also especially true on public lands for sure.

T

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

Im all way's in my stand 2 or 3 hours be for day brake..

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

Damn, you may as well stay over night!:D:DThat's cool though.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

It all depends on what standI am hunting that morning and knowing your area.

My arrival time will vary from 30 minutes prior to as much as 1 1/2 hour prior.

One of my favorite stands is a funnel area between feeding area and bedding area but closer to the bedding area. (About 250-300 yards to bedding area and about 1/2 to 3/4 mile to the feeding area.

It is amazing how many animals move through there way before daylight. I can seldom make them out good enough to know what they were, but they are always big bodied deer that I just know are 150" plus deer.:D

Since I hunt it only when the wind is favorable, it is my thought that by coming in so earlythat I do not disturbthese early arrivaldeer, allowingthe deer to continueto feel safeincreasing the chances thatthey will continue to use this bedding area whereas if I went in 30 minutes prior, chances are I would bust a lot of them andnever even know it.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I try to be in the stand 45 mins before first light. I usually try to figure out what time the people on the neighboring properties are going in and make sure I am in there 30 mins before then.

Once Im in my stand I basically shut up and listen. You can usually hear where the deer are wrestlign around at and focus on that area at first light.

Had this happen to me about 5 years ago while rifle hunting. A guy who's land we hunted on used to be a DNR officer and had a nice 8 point 1/2 mount that he had used to catch poachers. He put it behind a brush pile and about 20 minutes after first light I spotted him. Waitedfor the Damn thing to move for 30 minutes fora clear shot, but never moved!! I figured it out after about 45 minutes, I was pissed but I give credit where credit is due for a good joke!;)

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

10 minutes before shooting light.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I would "imagine" the answer to this question varies greatly and is dependent upon when the deer you're hunting are moving through the area you're hunting, that day.

Proximity to the type of area you're hunting would also play a big part (i.e. destination food source/funnel/transition area/proximity to bedding area).

I get to my stands when I do out of necessity......based on my experiences with varying my entrance times.

I've just never heard of a good reason NOT to get there early. Like I said....I nap REALLY well in my climber, anyways;).

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

When i am hunting the edge of the woods i like to get to be ready 30mins before first light. But when i hunt the interior during the rut i like to get in an hour before light.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

Me too. I don't get the need for earlier. I guess if you have to beat a buck there you can always listen to him walk by you while you sit there in the dark...LOL.

In all seriousness though...I want to get in quickly, and quietly, without spending extra non-hunting time in stand giving any early passers the chance to detect me. I feel if I bump a deer getting there (before legal shooting time)the chance of me getting a shot at it was slim anyways.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

I am usually in my stand about 15 minutes before legal shooting time.

RE: How early do you get in your stand
 

As early as I find it necassary. Depends on way to many factors to totally answer this Q.

However.. because many areas I hunt are in close proximity to food sources (not Ag.. I'm talking acorn or apple trees.) I prefer a very very early visit to my stand. 1-2 hours before shooting light is often my goal. Especially on heavy pressured land.

I've many times been in stand 2 hours before daylight and within 5 minutes had whitetail feeding below me for hours.. then returning to bed just after shooting light and walking by me unaware.