When is the best time to get to your stand in the morning? Use a flashlight or daylight? Load your gun when you get to your spot, or before you leave your car?

I usually go out in the dark with a flashlight.

For example...I was out last weekend hunting, and sunrise was @ 6:25am, it was light enough to see by 6:10am. So I was in my spot by 5:30am.

Gives you enough time to settle in and have everything quite down. You also have to consider how long of a walk you have.

Go in while it's still dark. Leave yourself about 1/2 hour before daylight.

I go in during the dark.

Legally you are supposed to have your gun unloaded and encased during non-hunting hours. I admit on my way in its usually not encased and it does a have a couple in the magazine, weve got bears and wolves where I hunt, dont really want to run into one with an encased gun!

go in at dark with a flash light

Get in BEFORE light.

In my state (IL), legal shooting time opens 1/2 hour before sunrise.
If I want to be in the woods, set up, quiet, and ready for a shot when shooting time opens, I need to get there at least half an hour before shooting time opens. I actually like being on-stand an hour before it opens, but you should at least give the woods some time to forget you are there once you are set up.
I have to set up my stand every time I go because of the rules at the public land I hunt, so I've got extra setup time to consider.

I'm not goin to lie to you and say that I haven't seen deer right after I sit down, but I think your chances are far better if you are there and ready long before you have to be. If you hunt public land like I do you will also have less of a chance of pissing off other hunters and will have your choice of stand locations.


As for flashlight use, I think you have less chance of spooking game if you go in early and occassionaly use your flashlight to navigate than if you come in at the start of shooting time without a light. Use a light if you have to, but get there early!

Keep 'em all in the Bull.

Spook a deer walking to your stand 1 hour before
daylight and he just might come back at sunrise.
Spook a deer at sunrise and hes usually gone for good.
I am usually in my morning stand one hour before legal
shooting time . This gives plenty of time for the woods
to settle down and if you leave any trace
scents they should be undetectable by the time the
deer get to you. Most hunters head for their stands
30 minutes or so before daylight. I want to be in my
stand before these other people get the deer moving.
I load my gun as soon as I get in my tree stand.

Go to your stand before it gets light. Load your gun once you get to your spot!

I always get to mystand early in the dark, because fro experience, I have flushed deer and have them come back later that morning. But if I went in at daylight, I dont think they would have come back.

If you load your gun once you get to your stand before it gets light (as one said, one hour before legal shooting time) ...isn't that against the law? I know I am not alowed to have a loaded gun, a Muzzleloader with the cap in place or a bow with an arrow knocked before legal shooting hours. I am curious to find out if it's legal where you hunt to carry a loaded rifle well before legal shooting begins. I have never heard of this.