countertop

I didn't say wide open field. I said in the open. As in, not in the forest. And I didn't say at all times. I said at Dusk.

Actually, here is precisely what I said:

Some days the light is flat. Some days its bright and sunny. Sometimes they are in the shadow, sometime they are in the light.

Not sure about your eye sight, but mine is 20/20.

And if a deer is standing still, 50 yards from you, on the edge of a field (or in the field but in a shadow) at dusk or dawn and the backstop is a supply of rolled hay, your going to be hard pressed to see him if he doesn't move. That's his natural camaflouge, and it works.

Here in Virginia, we can hunt till 30 minutes past sunset. With a pair of decent binoculars and/or a decent scope you have no trouble seeing a deer in any conditions 30 minutes past sunset on most properties I hunt.

Without them, especially in the woods or in the shadows (even shadows out in the open), you may not see the deer.

Hence, having good glass WILL EXTEND THE HOURS YOU ARE ABLE TO HUNT ie: your hunting hours.

NY Bowhunter

Oh... in the open. You mean not in the brush or timber? Hence a field?

Actually, here is precisely what I said:


Quote:
Get a pair of binoculars. Deer come out at dawn and dusk. They are well camoflouged. At dusk, even at 50 yards, you might be hard pressed to see a deer standing still in the open with your bare eyes. Decent binoculars will help you see them better and extend your available hunting hours. As will a scope.
Yes thank you for stating it again. I understood it the first time. You can't make out a deer at 50 yards with the human eye and need binocs to verify and then shoot it? Again

20/20 as well. That's why when I'm not i don't have to rely on optics to make sure it's a deer. If I do, then I'm not shooting.

If you cant see the deer unless it moves at 50 yards, how do you know your target and BEYOND? Hunter ed 101. What about what might not be moving 150 yards behind the deer that you can't see at 50 without binocs?

If you can't see a deer (not even singling out vitals) with the naked eye and not relying on optics, you shouldn't be shooting. Hunting hours and laws are structured that way.

What if someone was hunting with open sights?

Gunplummer

I don't know what the law is there, but I would think twice about sitting concealed in a ground blind on public land. Seems a little unsafe.

warshade14

I also take my handgun just in case I get ambushed. You never know what happens in the woods.

23owner

Im pretty sure that's not legal where I live.

23owner

The land in VA is 100+ acres in a valley, hunted by one or two others. Mostly wooded, with a few fields around the river that cuts across it. They are planted off and on with crops. Problem is its a 2 hour drive from me.

The public land is in NC, 10 mins down the road. I'm not sure how much its hunted, but I don't see many cars in the parking area.

countertop

What's not legal? Having a handgun with you? In Virginia its 100% legal. In North Carolina (where I hunt a lot) its legal on private land not sure about public land.

Is the NC hunting in East, Central, or West? I do most of my hunting in NC on the Eastern plain. Sampson and Duplin County.

In Virginia, I'd spend some time looking around for deer trails. Set up along the edge of one of the clearings and wait for dusk.

countertop

Actually, you didn't understand.

In some situations the light and the background is such that a deer could appear, and if its not moving, will naturally be camouflaged and you may never notice it (ie: see it) unless it moves. This has nothing to do with verifying a deer. It has nothing to do with knowing your target and seeing behind it. It has everything to do with possibilities of specific local conditions in some light.
It has to do with knowing the deer is there in the first place. Once you know he's there, he's as apparent as can be. But in low, flat light, with the right colored background the deer completely blends in.

For instance, the blind I was sitting in tonight. At dusk, if your looking off to the right, a deer could enter the field from the left 50 yards from you and wind up standing in front of some hay piles. The hay is the same color as the deer. In flat light, if the deer doesn't move, it will be perfectly camouflaged and you may never know its there when you look back to your left . You would have no problem seeing the rest of the field, as well as the fact that there is a hill behind the hay. And of course, since your shooting on a downward slope a double lung shot will hit the ground about 6 yards behind where the deer stood.

23owner

I was certain that I had read that in the NC regulations, but I just went back to confirm, and I'm wrong. I believe I was confusing that with the bow season regulation of no firearms.

In NC, I'd have easy access to game lands in Rowan and Davidson Counties. Central NC.

nodog

People who haven't used glass are the ones who don't know how valuable they are. If I didn't have mine with me on a hunt I'd feel naked. Invaluable tool to those who know their value.