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More than two hours before sunrise
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Morning Hunt - How early do you go to your stand?
09-01-2007, 07:13 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 37
Morning Hunt - How early do you go to your stand?
Just comparing notes: Assume you have either a ground stand or tree stand. How early do you get to your stand for the morning hunt? Any comments on what has been most successful for you - please post.
09-01-2007, 07:33 AM
#2
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location:
Posts: 50
RE: Morning Hunt - How early do you go to your stand?
I always try to get in an hour before sunrise. That way if you do boot anything it gives it a chance to calm down. As the season goes on and I am hunting for a week straight it gets a little tougher to get out of bed, but I am in at least in 45 minutes before daylight.
09-01-2007, 07:51 AM
#3
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: MN
Posts: 752
RE: Morning Hunt - How early do you go to your stand?
it all depends on where I'm hunting ., if I'm hunting on public land it Will be 1 1/2 to 2 hours before daybreak.,when I'm hunting on privet land that all depends which land imhunting on ., sometime its 1/2 hour and sometimes its 1 hour., but for sure I'm in my stand in the morning when it is still dark.,good luck to you this year.,
09-01-2007, 08:14 AM
#4
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 321
RE: Morning Hunt - How early do you go to your stand?
Where I hunt at in Pennsylvania - it is public land - state game lands.
The State Game Lands are owned by the state and are a first come - first served system. Which means that if you get there too late - chances are if you had a good stand to watch for deer. There might be someone sitting in your seat.
The walk from my vehicle was a 1 hour walk back in.
Most camp hunters had the same walk, except they got out of bed at 5 am and left the camp at 6 am and got to their stand at 7 am. Which is about the legal hour for hunting in Pennsylvania in Rifle season.
My thought's was to walk in before they got there. At 5:15 - 6:00 am. Which was not legal shooting hours. Move the deer towards them sit and wait. Then when they walked in from the other direction, they moved the deer back into me.
I shot 7 bucks in 9 years that way.
Then my family noticed all my success and honed in on my action and posted above me and the deer stopped before they got to me and I had to find a different place to hunt.
Now my dad has shot nice bucks the last 5 years in different places above where I hunted at with 100% success and my brother Steve shot 1 trophy buck there and last year someone removed his stand a week before deer season and on the first day they walked in 15 minutes later than what I did and there was a hunter in the tree above where he liked to sit.
So they screwed me, then they bragged about it and my tactic’s and now they got back what they did to me in spades.
Rule of thumb,
1. Never tell anyone where you sit.
2. Never brag about the big buck you shot!
3. Never get over confident and think that the deer will just be sitting there waiting for you when you get around to getting there.
4.In the State Game Lands, most bucks are shot on the first day - before 9 AM.
The second day is almost as important as the first day - because hunters that did not have success might be tempted to move to a different location or put on drives to find a deer. Especially when they are city hunters and they only have two days to hunt.
Since there are only two Saturdays in Pennsylvania to hunt deer in Rifle Season - they are almost as good as the second day - since there are more hunters in the woods to move the deer around.
Shooting a doe first - to fill your tag, will almost decrease your chances of shooting a buck by 60%! By the time you field dress it, drag it back to the vehicle, smoke a cigarette, eat lunch and walk back to your stand. Half the day is already over and most hunters will get careless - because they already shot one deer and don't care if they get another.
Which brings up my one of my other theories, most bucks are shot before 9 AM.
1 other little hunting fact that I learned is that one of the best times to be in the woods is between the hours of 9 AM and 10:30 Am, because that is when most hunters will take a small break from hunting, go get a drink, eat a sandwich, go to the bathroom etc. The anticipation of the hunt keeps them going the first three hours and then they get bored.
Same with between 11:30 AM and 1:15 PM
Hunters that didn't see anything 0r even if they did, will head back to the truck to get warm, eat a sandwich, hang out with their buddies.
On the way out of the woods, they will kick out deer they didn't even know were there.
If you sit on your stand at that time - you will see as many deer - or even more than you will at 9 AM!
The State Game Lands are owned by the state and are a first come - first served system. Which means that if you get there too late - chances are if you had a good stand to watch for deer. There might be someone sitting in your seat.
The walk from my vehicle was a 1 hour walk back in.
Most camp hunters had the same walk, except they got out of bed at 5 am and left the camp at 6 am and got to their stand at 7 am. Which is about the legal hour for hunting in Pennsylvania in Rifle season.
My thought's was to walk in before they got there. At 5:15 - 6:00 am. Which was not legal shooting hours. Move the deer towards them sit and wait. Then when they walked in from the other direction, they moved the deer back into me.
I shot 7 bucks in 9 years that way.
Then my family noticed all my success and honed in on my action and posted above me and the deer stopped before they got to me and I had to find a different place to hunt.
Now my dad has shot nice bucks the last 5 years in different places above where I hunted at with 100% success and my brother Steve shot 1 trophy buck there and last year someone removed his stand a week before deer season and on the first day they walked in 15 minutes later than what I did and there was a hunter in the tree above where he liked to sit.
So they screwed me, then they bragged about it and my tactic’s and now they got back what they did to me in spades.
Rule of thumb,
1. Never tell anyone where you sit.
2. Never brag about the big buck you shot!
3. Never get over confident and think that the deer will just be sitting there waiting for you when you get around to getting there.
4.In the State Game Lands, most bucks are shot on the first day - before 9 AM.
The second day is almost as important as the first day - because hunters that did not have success might be tempted to move to a different location or put on drives to find a deer. Especially when they are city hunters and they only have two days to hunt.
Since there are only two Saturdays in Pennsylvania to hunt deer in Rifle Season - they are almost as good as the second day - since there are more hunters in the woods to move the deer around.
Shooting a doe first - to fill your tag, will almost decrease your chances of shooting a buck by 60%! By the time you field dress it, drag it back to the vehicle, smoke a cigarette, eat lunch and walk back to your stand. Half the day is already over and most hunters will get careless - because they already shot one deer and don't care if they get another.
Which brings up my one of my other theories, most bucks are shot before 9 AM.
1 other little hunting fact that I learned is that one of the best times to be in the woods is between the hours of 9 AM and 10:30 Am, because that is when most hunters will take a small break from hunting, go get a drink, eat a sandwich, go to the bathroom etc. The anticipation of the hunt keeps them going the first three hours and then they get bored.
Same with between 11:30 AM and 1:15 PM
Hunters that didn't see anything 0r even if they did, will head back to the truck to get warm, eat a sandwich, hang out with their buddies.
On the way out of the woods, they will kick out deer they didn't even know were there.
If you sit on your stand at that time - you will see as many deer - or even more than you will at 9 AM!
09-01-2007, 12:18 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Posts: 1,309
RE: Morning Hunt - How early do you go to your stand?
Legal hunting starts half and hour before sunrise so I try to make it to my hunting spot at least 30 min. before that. Even though I'm always there early the majority of deer that I have shot have been during the last 30 min. of the day.
09-01-2007, 01:51 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 4,264
RE: Morning Hunt - How early do you go to your stand?
Hour before sunrise, it's pitch black, so nothing sees you, and, like previously mentioned, you spook something, it gets a chance to cool off.
I also do one hour to 90 minutes before sunrise for turkey hunting, since it takes awhile to set up the blinds.
I also do one hour to 90 minutes before sunrise for turkey hunting, since it takes awhile to set up the blinds.
09-01-2007, 08:47 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Eastern Virginia
Posts: 661
RE: Morning Hunt - How early do you go to your stand?
Depending on what stand I hunt will determine my actually getting settled in. If the wind isn't in my favor and I must choose another stand my walk can be 1/2 mile instead of 300 - 350 yards.
09-02-2007, 07:09 AM
#9
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location:
Posts: 9
RE: Morning Hunt - How early do you go to your stand?
Anytime I plan on being on stand and especially while bowhunting i like to be on stand at least 30min before sunrise. That allows me to be all set up and lets the woods calm down from me coming in. I also can't get enough of that good ol sunrise and first light sightings.