@alekfreiderich5040on December 10, 2024 at 9:24 pm
I mean if your getting to the stand any later than 2am then your too late. Sometimes I don’t even sleep, I’ll just stay in stand from the afternoon hunt the night before just to keep my spot
The buck either has a memory or not. 60 or 70 minutes shouldn’t make a difference. Unless it’s a real easy stand to approach I’m going to try to be able to see a little in hopes of not scaring deer. That has worked for me but we should all do what gives us confidence and works for us.
Our great grand pappys killed them chain smoking, sitting on a stump. And on the other end, I got buddies religiously going out an hour before sun up, scent jammer on the boots, doe estrous around the area, and kill deer. I think it’s all up to chance. Best advantage is to play the wind. I’m in the stand/blind 30 minutes before sun up, with nothing more then camo bottoms, blaze orange top and the scent on my breath. And it seems to work. To each their own
@Powerstrokekid1927on December 10, 2024 at 9:26 pm
Ngl last year I busted a buck and he was blowing and everything and then still came out within 15 feet then blew again and jogged down the field then turned brod side den he dropped 😏
Depending on the situation I’ve found it better to ease to my spot after first light. If you do it right you won’t blow out the deer I’ve actually had deer walking straight to me and came to 15 yards from me before he realized something was off. I would’ve never had a shot at him if it had been dark. He was a dandy one too 👍🏼
Just throwing this out there. The other weekend my dad got in his stand about 15 minutes before shooting light wearing shorts and flip flops. He had on no camo of any kind and the only gear he had was his rifle. He sat in the ground blind smoking a cigarette and shot a good buck a few minutes after official shooting light. He doesn’t wear camo, use scent blockers, or follow any kind of traditional hunting standards. I’m not saying this is right but just wanted to throw that out there for the guys that claim you have to get to your spot 2 days before, wear $100 camo, and spend thousands of dollars on gear to kill a deer.
I’ve always gone in an hour and half before first light every where i have hunted. I’ve always had the mindset, I’m going to jump up a lot of deer with my lights and sudden noise in a quiet dark so by the time day light hits, everything has had an hour and some change to chill out. Just a peace of mind for me. When i get in late cuz i over slept and coming in there when i don’t necessarily need a flashlight to get to my spot, my mind is jacked up thinking I’m doing this for nothing cuz I’ve scared everything out of there coming in.
I’ve always gone in an hour and half before first light every where i have hunted. I’ve always had the mindset, I’m going to jump up a lot of deer with my lights and sudden noise in a quiet dark so by the time day light hits, everything has had an hour and some change to chill out. Just a peace of mind for me. When i get in late cuz i over slept and coming in there when i don’t necessarily need a flashlight to get to my spot, my mind is jacked up thinking I’m doing this for nothing cuz I’ve scared everything out of there coming in.
So many variables. Everywhere is different.
And, what are you hunting with? I get it, with a bow, you aren’t expecting to get a shot at a deer on the walk in. But with a gun, seeing a deer on the walk in means getting a deer.
So first light… what about evening hunters? Ive seen just as many deer in the evening as first light. Ok hes saying pressured, but even if you hunt a private property and gun shots all around, you dont think that scares the deer just as much as hunting pressured
In the southeast everyone knows the wind swirls, it may blow a certain direction the majority of the time, but it swirls. So, for that reason alone, being scent free, and out of sight are my main concerns. Secondly are the moon phases, when a full moon is nearing, don’t waste your time with the early setup, the best movement will be 10am-2pm and 10pm-2am. Private land all depends on those 3 factors when I get to my stand. Public land, the early bird catches the worm is the truest statement. Hunt smarter, not harder!
I love how the deer act differently county to county and state to state. The deer where I hunt you want a good 45 minutes for the woods to settle and quiet back down from you walking in but we smoke cigarettes in the stands and in the blinds and I was smoking one last Saturday while on the ground at the base of a tree on public land. I was listening to a buck run a group of does and they got up in the field and he was going through the mountain laurel to get into the bottom to walk past me to go up the hill in front of me into the field ( I was on the top of the hill on the opposite side of the field ) but even smoking he was gonna walk right past me, but someone else was sitting 40-50 yards away from me on the other side of the mountain laurel on the same ridge as me and busted him while he was going into the laurel to make his way to me smh….
I say that about smells and stuff because one county over the spot i hunt you better have whatever smell is naturally in those woods coming off your breath or they will smell you since we scent kill all our clothes and ourselves before hunting there.
@christopherwatson283on December 10, 2024 at 9:39 pm
Private? No Pressure? With a good population of Deer? Those are like Pet Deer. Make yourself known. They get use to you. To a point they pretty much ignore you. Do your pre-season work and wave at them. When Season opens. Go in when you can barely see to walk. Busting them doesn’t tell them where you’ll be. God Bless, C.
@BrianRhodes-mx2fvon December 10, 2024 at 10:01 pm
So…working with your own logic, if you bump that Massive Buck your targeting a half hour before light, your chances of seeing him again later that same day are Slim to None, correct ?
So, even if you came into your stand 2 hours before light and you bump him (which the probability should be the same at anytime before light) the chances of seeing him again that same day are also the same, Slim to None !!
By arrival at your stand a half hour before light, you would tilt the odds in your favor by not giving that Massive Buck an hour more of darkness (where your not able to see him) to walk across your path or walk right up to your stand to investigate the noise your making so early after midnight.
So again, using your own logic, your sure lock down, bulletproof tactic would be to sleep in your stand from your previous evening hunt .
What’s Your Thoughts ?
@Spartansthepowerof3on December 10, 2024 at 10:08 pm
That is completely inaccurate. This isn’t criticism. This is fact from 40 years of experience! If you bust a deer out and that deer has a very good reason to come back to that spot they will be there within two hours if there’s no reason for him to come back thenthere’s a good chance you won’t see him again. So the fact of the matter is where you hunt is what really counts. There should be a reason. The big buck is coming to that spot in the first place.
@arthurshingler2025on December 10, 2024 at 10:09 pm
I agree with you. While I can’t get out early anymore….and have become a "PM hunter"…. I always had better luck seeing deer. (before first light)
The deer seem to be more acceptable to your presence when you’re there when the sun comes up. Often even if they move off… They’re more apt to return to that area when the pressure mounts during the day. If they aren’t fearful of an area… they will return.
This unpressured deer thing is bullshit. Guys always think they have unpressured deer because they are on private land. I have hunted private land and the guys that hunt the land pressure the deer. They all blow, they all smell you for 2 weeks after your were there, the cameras make them nervous…..lol I almost killed a buck the other day that the neighbor wounded. Was he an unpressured wounded deer? 😂
Yeah I’m gonna try going out earlier this year I was thinking 2 hrs! I got a old truck bed camper I converted to a deer stand that I use so I got a bed in it I can sleep until about a half hour before first light
The funny thing is with all the smell and scent stuff, i have deer. Come right up to my game camera. Four point six point does three days later.They’re still in the same spot where i’ve been, it’s funnyThey must have bad sense of smell😅😅
I just need more sleep than this
I get in about the same amount of time. Just enough to take a nap
I mean if your getting to the stand any later than 2am then your too late. Sometimes I don’t even sleep, I’ll just stay in stand from the afternoon hunt the night before just to keep my spot
The buck either has a memory or not. 60 or 70 minutes shouldn’t make a difference. Unless it’s a real easy stand to approach I’m going to try to be able to see a little in hopes of not scaring deer. That has worked for me but we should all do what gives us confidence and works for us.
Wear yourself out before the sun comes up
Our great grand pappys killed them chain smoking, sitting on a stump. And on the other end, I got buddies religiously going out an hour before sun up, scent jammer on the boots, doe estrous around the area, and kill deer. I think it’s all up to chance. Best advantage is to play the wind. I’m in the stand/blind 30 minutes before sun up, with nothing more then camo bottoms, blaze orange top and the scent on my breath. And it seems to work. To each their own
So he can take a nap
100 % truth and they may come back in the day to verify if what spooked them are still there and that is your opportunity
Ngl last year I busted a buck and he was blowing and everything and then still came out within 15 feet then blew again and jogged down the field then turned brod side den he dropped 😏
Depending on the situation I’ve found it better to ease to my spot after first light. If you do it right you won’t blow out the deer I’ve actually had deer walking straight to me and came to 15 yards from me before he realized something was off. I would’ve never had a shot at him if it had been dark. He was a dandy one too 👍🏼
Yea I got busted a half hour before first light this morning
Lmao we have to be at the trailhead by 3am just to get into the area to even be the first at the elk in the areas we hunt. And it’s limited entry!
Just throwing this out there. The other weekend my dad got in his stand about 15 minutes before shooting light wearing shorts and flip flops. He had on no camo of any kind and the only gear he had was his rifle. He sat in the ground blind smoking a cigarette and shot a good buck a few minutes after official shooting light. He doesn’t wear camo, use scent blockers, or follow any kind of traditional hunting standards. I’m not saying this is right but just wanted to throw that out there for the guys that claim you have to get to your spot 2 days before, wear $100 camo, and spend thousands of dollars on gear to kill a deer.
I’ve always gone in an hour and half before first light every where i have hunted. I’ve always had the mindset, I’m going to jump up a lot of deer with my lights and sudden noise in a quiet dark so by the time day light hits, everything has had an hour and some change to chill out. Just a peace of mind for me. When i get in late cuz i over slept and coming in there when i don’t necessarily need a flashlight to get to my spot, my mind is jacked up thinking I’m doing this for nothing cuz I’ve scared everything out of there coming in.
I’ve always gone in an hour and half before first light every where i have hunted. I’ve always had the mindset, I’m going to jump up a lot of deer with my lights and sudden noise in a quiet dark so by the time day light hits, everything has had an hour and some change to chill out. Just a peace of mind for me. When i get in late cuz i over slept and coming in there when i don’t necessarily need a flashlight to get to my spot, my mind is jacked up thinking I’m doing this for nothing cuz I’ve scared everything out of there coming in.
So many variables. Everywhere is different.
And, what are you hunting with? I get it, with a bow, you aren’t expecting to get a shot at a deer on the walk in. But with a gun, seeing a deer on the walk in means getting a deer.
So first light… what about evening hunters? Ive seen just as many deer in the evening as first light. Ok hes saying pressured, but even if you hunt a private property and gun shots all around, you dont think that scares the deer just as much as hunting pressured
Get there before he dose ur odds are much greater
In the southeast everyone knows the wind swirls, it may blow a certain direction the majority of the time, but it swirls. So, for that reason alone, being scent free, and out of sight are my main concerns. Secondly are the moon phases, when a full moon is nearing, don’t waste your time with the early setup, the best movement will be 10am-2pm and 10pm-2am. Private land all depends on those 3 factors when I get to my stand. Public land, the early bird catches the worm is the truest statement. Hunt smarter, not harder!
I figure the time u get in stand is situational but i like ealry too
Depends on the spot, more pressure, arrive earlier. No pressure, 30 minutes before daylight, maybe 45 if it’s warm.
I love how the deer act differently county to county and state to state. The deer where I hunt you want a good 45 minutes for the woods to settle and quiet back down from you walking in but we smoke cigarettes in the stands and in the blinds and I was smoking one last Saturday while on the ground at the base of a tree on public land. I was listening to a buck run a group of does and they got up in the field and he was going through the mountain laurel to get into the bottom to walk past me to go up the hill in front of me into the field ( I was on the top of the hill on the opposite side of the field ) but even smoking he was gonna walk right past me, but someone else was sitting 40-50 yards away from me on the other side of the mountain laurel on the same ridge as me and busted him while he was going into the laurel to make his way to me smh….
I say that about smells and stuff because one county over the spot i hunt you better have whatever smell is naturally in those woods coming off your breath or they will smell you since we scent kill all our clothes and ourselves before hunting there.
Not worth it. Slip in 30 min early and hunt til 1100
Atleast
Private? No Pressure? With a good population of Deer? Those are like Pet Deer. Make yourself known. They get use to you. To a point they pretty much ignore you. Do your pre-season work and wave at them. When Season opens. Go in when you can barely see to walk. Busting them doesn’t tell them where you’ll be. God Bless, C.
And if he busts you 90 minutes before same thing. And now your scent is in the woods that much longer for him to bust you.
Getting out extra early works better if it can be in an enclosed blind that you can seal up tight and keep your scent in.
Exactly!
I enter my stands at all different times depending on their locations
Depends on the moon. If it is a bright moon youll spook deer at 3am..
I sleep in my stand. And my deer are not pressured. I spook em when my alarm goes off.
One time i got to my blind late around 7:15 and killed a buck at 7:45. Not always gonna happen but it did happen. Lol
30 minutes before sun starts to pop up. Course this isn’t always true when your partners are waiting on the coffee machine.
Does first light mean sunrise? So 60 minutes before shooting time?
It doesn’t take 90 minutes. That’s an absurdity.
Learn how to walk in the woods and you won’t spook them. Quit marching. Take a few steps and stop.
If u don’t mind
Get in there 2 hours before 1st light
I do the same thing.
So…working with your own logic, if you bump that Massive Buck your targeting a half hour before light, your chances of seeing him again later that same day are Slim to None, correct ?
So, even if you came into your stand 2 hours before light and you bump him (which the probability should be the same at anytime before light) the chances of seeing him again that same day are also the same, Slim to None !!
By arrival at your stand a half hour before light, you would tilt the odds in your favor by not giving that Massive Buck an hour more of darkness (where your not able to see him) to walk across your path or walk right up to your stand to investigate the noise your making so early after midnight.
So again, using your own logic, your sure lock down, bulletproof tactic would be to sleep in your stand from your previous evening hunt .
What’s Your Thoughts ?
Everyone can do what they want . It’s all opinions. There’s no right or wrong .
You can bust them 1.5 hrs before daylight too, what’s the difference? The hunting industry is a bunch of bs.
Doesnt even have to be pressured
My Grandpa and Dad always taught me that. 90 mins before sun rise. 120 minutes before sundown
That is completely inaccurate. This isn’t criticism. This is fact from 40 years of experience! If you bust a deer out and that deer has a very good reason to come back to that spot they will be there within two hours if there’s no reason for him to come back thenthere’s a good chance you won’t see him again. So the fact of the matter is where you hunt is what really counts. There should be a reason. The big buck is coming to that spot in the first place.
I agree with you. While I can’t get out early anymore….and have become a "PM hunter"…. I always had better luck seeing deer. (before first light)
The deer seem to be more acceptable to your presence when you’re there when the sun comes up. Often even if they move off… They’re more apt to return to that area when the pressure mounts during the day. If they aren’t fearful of an area… they will return.
I don’t think deer like my snoring anyways…
Ditto
This unpressured deer thing is bullshit. Guys always think they have unpressured deer because they are on private land. I have hunted private land and the guys that hunt the land pressure the deer. They all blow, they all smell you for 2 weeks after your were there, the cameras make them nervous…..lol I almost killed a buck the other day that the neighbor wounded. Was he an unpressured wounded deer? 😂
What happens if you spook a deer 90 minutes before first light? It’s still pressured and knows your there and not coming back for a day or a few days.
90 minutes!??!! I’d fall right asleep
Yeah I’m gonna try going out earlier this year I was thinking 2 hrs! I got a old truck bed camper I converted to a deer stand that I use so I got a bed in it I can sleep until about a half hour before first light
I hunt in the night because nobody else is out there and buck move a lot at night!!!!!!
The funny thing is with all the smell and scent stuff, i have deer. Come right up to my game camera. Four point six point does three days later.They’re still in the same spot where i’ve been, it’s funnyThey must have bad sense of smell😅😅