When do You leave
 

After 44 years of hunting I still have a fight with myself when to leave a stand for the day.
I'm sure as soon as I leave one will come by. Terrible decision. So I often stay all day even though I'm cold ,hurting and disgusted

RE: When do You leave
 

depends....sometimes i got places to be and HAVE to go....if i dont i sit there like you...until i cant bear it any longer.....monday morning i had enough by 9am....only reason i made it past 8 was because i got busted somehow at 8...wind perfect...i was perfectly still....deer wasnt able to see me yet....but i heard it blow 3 times.....might have crossed my trail?...but i never seen it.....so i sat another hour....i HAD to warm up....i was shivering...but i hunted all day after i warmed up and had lunch for an hour.......the thought of the big one sneaking out when you leave makes me stay as long as i can....

RE: When do You leave
 

You and me both. I always think the "big" one will walk by right when I get up or out of my stand. Go figure

RE: When do You leave
 

I always have some kind of committment to attend to whether it be work or family, so alot of times I'm out by 10am.

RE: When do You leave
 

I had the wonderful experience of watching the buck I had scouted all summer and fall come up a gas line right to the entrance of my woodlot......but I was halfway down my ladder and the gun was laying on the ground.

I only got down because I had already downed two does that needed gutting, dragging etc. There are absolutely no words whatsoever to describe how I felt...then to physically watch him turn around and follow the gasline to the next woodlot, and hear a single blast from a shotgun...
I pushed him right to the lap of another hunter...a farm hand sitting on a white bucket... what luck.

Don't get me wrong I was happy I had gotten two does, but Im sure you can understand where I am coming from.

RE: When do You leave
 

Mauser ,I sat 12 hours Monday ,did not see a tail.Sat 8 hours Tues,did not see a tail. Boy I was glad it rained Wed. I was really burnt out

RE: When do You leave
 

It depends upon the time of the year. If early archery, I'm out of the woods no later than 10:30 unless it's the rut. Normally during rifle/shotgun season, I sit for a few, then walk for a few. I enjoy the cold weather, but when it's subfreezing temps, enough is enough, that's when it's time to go. Between freezing and the excitement of a deer coming torwards me, I'm sure to miss :D.

RE: When do You leave
 

I always stay in my tree until 10:30 or 11:00 and then go and eat for an hour. In the afternoon I always give myself enough time to get my treestand down and all packed up and through the woods before it get pitch dark.

RE: When do You leave
 

It's funny I've killed more deer in that 10 am - 1 pm time slot then any other time! Opening day the morning is good after that the magic time is when everyone else is warming up and pushing deer! I stay put as long as I can! I love that mid-day rush hour!

RE: When do You leave
 

if i am hunting with others we normally leave the woods around 11, go eat lunch and be back in the woods around one. if i am hunting alone, i go in by flashlight, spend the day, and come out by flashlight. i am a firm believer that deer move a lot during the middle of the day, that is why i stay put. i do cheat a little, have one of those tree umbrellas that i put on the ground in front of me as a blind, if it is cold, i take a small heater with me and tuck it in behind the umbrella, works just great. heck, sometimes i even wake up before dark. ;)