RE: In the dark...
 

Natural boundaries and memory. I have "drug" my feet in the leaves every so often to make a "makeshift" trail to my stand. Anything that helps you get there. :D

RE: In the dark...
 

Honest to god, dude - I've had a grown man look me in the face and say "Will you walk me out to my stand - there are BEARS around here."

Seriously.

Been there bro. That totally sucks.

RE: In the dark...
 

NATURAL BOUNDARIES AND MEMORY SHOULD BE ALL THAT YOU NEED. should you be in real unfamiliar territory, then maybe a guid could be used of som sort, but you should always try to know the lay of the land

RE: In the dark...
 

There are advantages to packing a climber in each time.;)

RE: In the dark...
 

Memory and natural boundaries....I don't use reflective tacks or tape because I hunt public land, and don't want anyone seeing my spots.

RE: In the dark...
 

I've got some tack lines at my place, but I'd like to get rid of those. I also think it's too tempting for the trespassers. I've got a LED flashlight that has both green and red LED bulbs in it too so I use this quite a bit to help find my tree.

This year, for the longer hikesI'll be using the GPS on my iPhone. [8D];) Already have a few stand sites saved in it.

RE: In the dark...
 

I go by memory (using natural landmarks when needed). Of course most of my hunting is done on land I’ve been hunting for 20 years and could probably find a couple of my trees literally with my eyes closed. Hunting a lot of new spots out of state this year, I likely will not tack, probably back up my memory with GPS, but only use it if I have to. I also carry a red lens light.

Good story here, I’ll try to keep it short. Back when I was probably 14 yrs old, opening morning my Dad walks me in to my stand, then proceeds to his tree. It was about 120 yds thru thick woods, with a meandering route. We used no lights. The next Saturday morning, we get to the trail to cut in, and he just keeps on walking?! “Dad, how am I supposed to find my tree?” –‘I showed you how to get there last week. You can walk in to it now, or wait here till it gets light.’
Ok, so I head in, trying to maintain the right heading. I got to where I thought I was close but just could not find my stand(climber left around the tree as high up as I could reach) So I figured I’d sit down & wait for daylight. I hadn’t been seated for 2 minutes when I made out the silhouette of my stand against the sky not 10 yds away.

RE: In the dark...
 

I use my non spooking game light. I have a cableas headlamp that switches between a regular flashlight and the non spooking light.

If I can't find it I will just sit still until light.

RE: In the dark...
 

I've looked at a map of my land and walked it so many times I usually don't need anything. I still have a headlamp just for some reason I'd doubt myself. Or if I hear coyotes coming closer then I can take off running:D

RE: In the dark...
 

Mainly memory, new stands I'm not accustom to yet....tacks and natural boundaries