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. ;)

RE: When do You leave
 

How long I stay on stand depends on several factors. Early bow season and muzzleloader, I sit till 10 or 11. When the rut kicks in, some days i'll stay put in one spot all day or i'll move to another if the action is slow. I'll be hunting in N.J next week, and i'll sit all day Monday and Tuesday...even in the rain...which it looks like that will happen. The rest of the week, i'll come out of the woods around 11 and head back in around 1, or my Dad and I will do one man pushes in the afternoon after lunch.