In and out?
 

What I consider to be one of the most important factors of a succesful morning or evening hunt is what time's you arrive. How early do you guys get to your stands? I get to my stand right as there is barely enough light to see to walk to my stand, I cant stand not seeing where im going and I dont like using a flashlight to alert all the animals that im there. What times do you go out for a night hunt? How do you get to your stand flash light or no flash light? etc, etc.

Considering taking new strategy this year, so looking forward to hear what you guys do.

I am in stand at least 20 minutes before it gets light. I have found that by walking the travel route to and from before season a time or 2 helps with the use or not with a light. I have to walk a 1/2 mile to my get away stand and that includes through a swamp/mud thicket. If I need a light, I use the new hat bill mounted one that comes in greena and I have seen deer walk right up to me with the wind on their back to almost 5 yds before they realize their mistake.

I am in 15 to 20 minutes before it starts to get light,I dont think deer are afraid of a flashlight.

I'm not saying the deer are afraid of the light, but other animals may be and I dont want to change the environment that was there before I arrived if that makes sense.

Yea makes perfect sinse to me thats why i dont like using one either. but i try to be in my stand ready 20-30min for the crack of daylight and i get in my stand around 2 in afternoon(when it gets dark around 530) and i stay till dark.

Well from what you guys have said so far rather than waiting til it starts to get light I should be out 20-30 before it starts to get light. I have been succesful in every situation mentioned but this year I am going for a big buck. Haven't had a buck unless you count the large spike I shot, had about a dozen doe's and 3 spikes..time for a big guy. Hunting from a ladder stand this year too.

Using a flashlight is a whole lot better than getting fired at from another hunter who is creeping through the woods, or happened to have reached a stand before you have. I dont think deer are bothered by a low power light, but getting shot bothers me!!

90% of my bucks taken in morning have been just at shooting time or later around 9-10 A.M. I like to get i my stand atleast 1/2 hr b-4 legal time and stay till 9:30. most other hunters get board by 8 and start walking around.

As far as the flashlight deal goes...try a red lensed flashlight. Its used for the same idea in the military - does not give off a solid beam of light, doesnt screw up your night vision, very hard to see unless looking straight at it, and even harder for an animal such as a deer. I have a LED one and can see great while still sneakin right in on top of 'em.

I've found that using a flashlight is better than crashing around in the brush that you can't see, assuming you're going cross country and not walking down a clear trail. I either use a small hat-mounted light, or aim a small LED light immediately in front of me. If you're illuminating a small spot 3 feet in front of you, it's hardly visible from more than a few yards away. After all, there's no need to shine it up ahead into the woods 50 yards in front of you.

i never thought that deer were afraid of a flashlight until last year when I was in the stand 30 min before sunrise and my hunting partner got to his stand 10 min after me. His stand is half a mile away from mine and I could see his light and heard the deer from his sport right past my tree. He said he was very quite walking so the only thing that could of busted them that bad was the light. I use a green light if any and have never busted them with that.

I agree with the red light. They are very hard to spot unless you shine it right in their eyes! I use a flashlight because I HATE getting hit in the face with branches! If you have a clear trail that you can walk down then I say no light at all. As far as getting on stand I hunt close to the bedding area right at a swamp crossing. They usually don't show up until an hour after light. I try to get there just before first shooting light. If I were hunting closer to the food sorce I would get there at least an hour before first shooting light. If you jump them on the way to the stand I say go in earlier or move your stand further down their trail if you can. Closer to the bedding area.

How many "lumens" is a good l.e.d light??

Nobody has night vision goggles, J/K, I get there half hour before light and sometimes later depending on if I can wake up or not. During the Rut I will wait till 9-10 am before I head out and sit on trails to and from bedding area. If a buck is searching that is where he'll be but to get a mature buck away from a doe, good luck.

at least 30 minutes before light, and i use a green light

I prefer to get in there early, at least 45 minutes prior to sunrise if I am hunting public lands. The reason is simple, as they guys who wait for light go in, they push the deer through the woods where I am already set.

Deer travel long distances every day deer move fast even when they are walking. The deer you see 30mins after daylight could have been miles away when it was dark. A deer do not fear light I have walked right up to them from downwind on my way out of my stand. No flash light sounds like a good way to poke you eye out on a stick that you did not see because you were walking in the dark. 30 mins before dark is perfect.

You're not gonna walk through south Mississippi during bow season without a light or you'll have cotton mouths latched to both ankles. So I can't relate

Im in 30 minutes before sunrise and out 10 min after sunset. I use a light with an orange filter on it.

Here at home the beginning of legal shooting hours is 30 min before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. If I arrived 30 minutes before sunrise, I am already too late. I usually have about a 45 min walk in, so a flashlight is always part of my gear.

I hunt from my treestand from dark 'til dark every day (weather permitting). That's about 11 hours a day. I always try to be in my stand and settled at least 30-45 minutes before I can legally shoot. I then begin leaving 30 minutes after sunset or at times before, if low light conditions exist where I am set up.

Like most hunters, I have shot deer at all hours of the day but that deer I shoot just as the hunting day begins was obviously not aware I was there. He may have been 1/2 mile or more away when I finally settled in to begin the day. That's why I arrive early and I can then enjoy the deer woods as the sky turns from black to light blue. I also appreciate all the critters who make their rounds just as the sun begins to rise in the eastern sky.