Advice for all day hunt
 

Does anyone have any advice on how to sit in a treestand all day long without going insane? I've tried it many times but never seem to be able to make it more than 3-4 hours. I have a comfortable stand and take plenty of food. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions on how to pass the time.

Thanks for your time.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

bring a book along. or something else that wont make so much noise

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I take my Bible. You be amazed how much you can read, in on season. Not that that's the only time I read. but it is how I started reading it regular.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

Get a psp or something, you can watch movies, but dont get to invovled, because joe hatracker could be right under you.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

The Bible is a good idea, I've been wanting to get into that habit.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

Check out these guys. http://www.teamharvest.net
They're Friends of mine. we hunt together. The new video just came out. Its 2.5 hours long and all bow hunting whitetails. I believe it's only like $5-$10.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I take an MP3 player ...listen for about 15min at a time ..sure breaks the day up some.

ROLL TIDE
dd

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

It would seem that if you want to sit all day, you believe you might see a deer at any time throughout the day, right? So, why would you take your attention fromtrying to see deer, by reading, texting, or game playing? I don't get it.
Most of the days when I'll be hunting all day will be during the rut phases. These deer are on the move at any given time. I just keep reminding myself, my shooter could be the next deer I see. Having belief in your stand location isBIG for self confidence/alertness as well.;)

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

comming from the guy with the names, Early in????

J/K lol.


I want to sit all day but I couldnt, wont even try it.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

As far as taking my attention away from seeing deer, maybe. However, I only have a limited numbers of days I can hunt and would like to get all the time in the woods I can. Yes, I may devote less time scanning the area if I am distracted, but I would still have a better chance seeing a deer while on the stand than at the camp. Hopefully anyway!

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

Took the words right out of my mouth!I love to hunt all day.I don't get to bored on stand.I watch the squrriels and the birds when im not seeing deer.My luck would be me reading or doing something else and a once in a life time buck come cruising on by and rightonby he would go!

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

Bring a few aplles to eat, some water, a book, and comfortable clothes.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I sat in stand for 6 hours the other day. I thought I was about to lose my mind after about 4 hours. There were no squirrels, no birds, no wind, nothing. It was just dead out there. Needless to say I didn't see any deer either. And the solunar table said it was supposed to be a great day, HA! Well, any time above ground ain't bad, but it sure does make for a long day if you don't see anything.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I was the same way as you, I would be good for about 3-4 hours, till one day I decided to climb down with my climber and I lowerd my bow and I got about half way down and low and behold here comes Mr. buck, about a 130 8 point, came right in on me at 15 yards, I was busted and no bow in hand. now when I think about getting down, I think back to that day and tell my self if I start to get down thats when he will come. I then take a good strech, get a drink, load a chew, and finish out the day. Tahts what works for me.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I only sit all day if I have a good suspicion something is going to happen. Like the rut, good buck you know is in the area. If nothing is moving, bad weather, I prefer not to sit all day. IF you are seeing animals, great scenery different story. When I am seeing several bucks in a day I could sit for days or at least I think I could. It really changes things.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

Ive done the all day thing a few times. It is definetly hard. Its even harder on the ass that nite.

couple year ago, I bought a handheld yatzee game at walmart. I can turn off the sound and you can hit the roll button and look around, make your choices (hold, roll, score), hit roll again, look around, etc. Its also small so if something comes in, you can shove it in a shirt or pants pocket pretty quickly. I usually play a game and put it up for while. maybe once an hour. a game can take up 10-15 minutes. If you stop for so long, it goes to sleep but you dont loose your game.

ive tried books, but im not much of a reader and reading puts me to sleep. I also try to use the little sounds of grass or leaves moving as a mind game that somethings coming.

I too have wondered how other guys do it. Even those on tv. I wonder if they truly 'hunt all day' like they claim or are the up and down all day.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

Get out of your stand, get snuggled in on the ground and take a nap. I cant tell you how many times a deer woke me up. Makes the evening hunt better.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I like the nap idea. I think I'll try it by bringing along a ground blind and using it to take a break and not have to stroll in and out of the woods making my presence known.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I just get down below my stand. Never nap in your stand, unfortunately that's when a lot of guys get hurt. I'll tell you, just a little rest and breathing clean air can do a lot for a man. I dont even bother with a blind, just kick out spot and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Sometimes its the little things that make a trip a success..

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I rarely hunt all day, because deer are most active (even during peak breeding) within 1-3 hours of sunrise and sunset. And because I pattern most of the bucks I hunt, I hunt near their daytime core areas, which is where they are most active during daylight hours. So, I hunt when they are coming (morning) and going (evening) from their core areas - along their rub route.

There is no sense hunting a particular buckall day long along their rub route (near their core area), because they generally travel it only in the evening and morning.You might want to learn to pattern a particular deer.

I guess if you don't know where the deer bed (their daytime core areas), or where their travel route (rub route) is, and if you are after ANY deer, instead of a particular deer, then you might want to hunt all day. But, I'd rather hunt one articular deer, in the best spot I can.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

you could take a crossword with you or suduku or something. when i start to go stir crazy i willstand up pull back on my bow look at differnt shots or with my gun shoulder it and look at the shooting lanes. the best thing i do to pass time is eat sunflower seeds. youll be suprised what that can do for ya. its not gonna scare the deer as far as scent i shot two deer last year with seeds in my mouth so i dont think it will be a bad idea. i think if anything it would give of a salty scent. good luck. if all else fails go to sleep its still better than being at home with you know who

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I can usually sit for the most part of a morning before I start doing the funky chicken(that's when my head starts bobbin and weavin from falling asleap).Best thing I can do then is stand and stretch and I think of an article I read about persaverence:just give it another half hour,then another and another,IT PAYS OFF.Cource there's the time I snored in an eight pointer,but that's another story.Hang in there

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I don't really do hardly anything in the stand waiting, don't know how I do it, but when it's time to go, it's just time to go. Usually, we'll take a break and go into town for lunch, we might do it late morning, say 10:00 or 11:00AM if it's not the rut, and if the weather's bad, most times we wait 'till 12:00 noon.

We just figure we want to use our best judgement. Hunting is for the hunters, not the hunters for the hunting. It's supposed to be enjoyable, because when it becomes an obsession that makes you hurt yourself or do irrational things, it's not good, period.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

books, puzzles, i don't know if you even have one or anything but i've got a friend wo takes one of those game boy things, he says it is pretty good at chewing up time. and even if you have an hour when you know the deer are not gonna show up take a short nap

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

"if all else fails go to sleep its still better than being at home with you know who"

Close to one of my favorite lines of all time: Still beats sittin' home gettin' b*tched at....

I know a ton of guys who actually read books in their stands...if anything would get me sleepy...it's reading a book in the fresh air.Itry to pretend I'm an owl or a hawk and see if I can catch anything moving....mice, squirrels, whatever..It's amazing the stuff I've seen over the years. Sounds goofy, but works for me.In gun deerseason, I try to count the number of shots I hear in an hour's time also.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I know it sounds lame, but I just gut it out. In my youth, I could do it day after day, not any more. I pick my spots now, and do it when all the signs dictate it.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

Bring your smartphone & read hunting message boards ;-)

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

On the first few days of hunting I try to observe everything meaning everything I see and hear. I "memorize" the lay of the land from my stand...bushes, trees, saplings etc...so when I see something out of place I hone in on it easier. We don't always have snow on the ground here in NY so making notes of your surroundings is a good idea. I also try to listen real good to the sounds around me. Ever noticenow and then you get that beech sapling that refuses to give up those last few leaves and from 20-30 yards away can sometimes sound like a deer making its way to you? I sit as quiet as possible to get my ears in "hunting mode". Maybe it's just me but it seems like after a few days in the stand my senses get sharper and I can seeand hear a whole lot better than normal. So my advice is just sit, look and listen. Memorize your points of view and keep a sharp eye cause you never know what is trying to sneek thru...especially after they smarten up after getting shot at.

Mack

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

take on tracking. youll never have to worry again about being bored i garentee ya! its an all day adventure and you always find more pockets of deer then you realized were around. of course you have to have the room to track.by that i mean big woods,vast wilderness.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

Sitting all day is NOT easy! A lot of hunters talk about huntingall day, but few really do. It really is nothing more than a mind game. Some can play, and most can't. Determination plays a BIG role in winning the game.
I think that most guys who can/do sit all day, are hunting the rut. At least for the most part. This being said,the hunter must be convinced that his big buck can come along at ANY TIME. That's the truth too! Also, having belief in your stand location is importantin your mental outlook.
I have found that breaking up your day's hunt intothree segments ofthree hours each,for example, makes it not seemas long a period of time as it really is.After each 3 hours, you get up and stretch, take a leak, or whatever. This helps me deal with the all day sit.;)

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

100% True!!! I'm in full agreement. Also, take in the fresh air, the scenery, kick back, relax, reflect and most importantly, enjoy the great outdoors and what it has to offer. Good luck!

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I second that!!.. just today me and my step son(13) was out for an early morning bow hunt.. planned to follow it up with afternoone squirrel hunting.. well..i was in my stand.. he was in a blind within site.. as 11 am approached.. i notice him waveing at me from the blind ( he is new to hunting.. so i set up near him to kinda keep an eye on him) he was bored.. squirrels was thick.. and wanted to trade the bow in for the gun.. I was a bit bored myself.. so i agreed and no more got my climber down.. he says A DEER!! lol it was.. key word there was.. heading straight to where we was set up lol 10 more minutes and he would have gotten a nice doe.. moral of that story is i was reminded..patience and that any moment the deer will appear... and he got a crash course in the waiting game ;)

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I dont get many days in the woods to hunt so I hunt all day to maximize my efforts. You have already started with the first key ingrediant, a comfy stand, cant stay on stand all day if you're uncomfortable. My summitt Razor allows me to sit all day long, love the seat. Second thing is enough food to withstand the long stay, and Im not talking about mt dew and potato chips, get you something to drink that wont make you drowsy, like water or crystal light, lemonade, etc and eat a good trail mix (I make my own cause I dont like raisins) and good granola bars. I like to take a sandwich or two out as well to really fill me up. Obviously weather has not played a factor into you getting down but prepare for that too, you're not moving much and not generating body heat so you need to stay warm when its cold. And last, get it ingrained in your head that you're going to sit all day. Its a mental thing, I keep telling myself the one key factor that is commonly true, you cant kill a deer sitting on the couch in the cabin/house. While others are going to the truck for lunch or a nap, Im on stand while the deer move or being pushed my way by other hunters leaving the woods. Take in the sights, use your binos to spot deer way off in the distance, count the number of does seen to the number of bucks. Easier said than done but you have to believe that sitting there is the right thing to do, its hard to do, but it can be done.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

If your not seeing anything and the weather isn't in your favor, It's tough sitting all day. Unless it's opening day of gun season or the deer are moving, I usually take an hour break sometime during the day, just to go grab some lunch or a coffee. I really don't enjoy reading that much in a stand, but Sodoku is one of my favorite things. Its quiet and doesn't involve much moving so you can hear everything around you. I usually hear a lot of deer before I see them so silence is the key for me.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I forgot to add this. I also havea radio on me to Co-ordinate when people are going in and to see if anyone needs help tracking/dragging after a shot. During the morning I'll put the radio on scan and listen to the people hunting on properties within a few miles. There are two older gentleman that I have never met before or probably ever seen before, but I listen to every year. They are like the guys from "Grumpy Old Men" I think they hunt about 500 yards apart and literally make fun of each other all morning through the radio. One of those many small things I enjoy about opening day of deer season that keep me occupied.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

I tend to bring reading material with me. Usually magazines. I'll read a paragraph, look up, read some more, look up. And so forth. However, I should caveat by saying that I too have a lot of trouble sitting all day. I almost always take a break around lunchtime. Most often, I'll get out of the stand and go get something to eat. Usually at the local diner or just back to my truck if I bring something. Sometimes I take a quick nap. Many times when I head back out, I'll try a different stand just to have a new patch of woods to look at. Following this procedure, I'm able to hunt from sun-up to sun down. My midday break is rarely over 2 hours. Obviously I risk not seeing something in that short span. My opinion is, so what? I'd much rather ENJOY hunting than EN DOUR it.

I have sat in one spot all day long though on a couple of occasions. One time was in a blind. I had food, reading material, and a very comfortable chair. I let an arrow fly at a large doe that afternoon but missed rather badly. I should mention that I fell asleep around 10am and slept for about 2 hours! :D

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

There maybe a lot of advice to help stay on stand all day but if you're not cut out to actually do it, you probably won't.
It's difficult staying 20 feet above the ground for 11-12 hrs, especially if the weather in uncooperative.

My suggestion is to move if you feel you must. Why continue to do something, that to you, is not fun?
Hunting is supposed to be fun. Stay on stand for as long as you feel comfortabe. After that, get down, check for sign, still hunt, have lunch, whatever your little heart desires.
Maybe later in the day you'll decide to hunt from that stand, maybe not. No big deal do whatever you think is best.

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

hey u live i ncincinnati i do to but actually to the north of Butler county near hamilton

RE: Advice for all day hunt
 

Why do you have to stay in your tree stand all day long? I drive out to the deer hunting ground early, hunt the morning, go back to the house (about 20 miles away), return for the afternoon hunt, and then go back to the house. If I didn't want to waste gas, I think I would return to my truck and sleep about four hours in the middle part of the day. If you don't want to leave your stand area, I would climb down out of the stand and sleep on the ground. I think this makes a lot of sense unless you think the middle part of the day is a time the deer will be moving. It could happen, but in my experience deer bed down and move around precious little in the middle of the day. If bucks are in the rut that could be an exception -- I guess it depends on how your season falls.