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Walk in early or at shooting time?

epe

Senior Member
6,113
93
Lancaster
For bow, I am in my treestand before it is light out. For gun do you guys do the same, or wait until shooting time so you can take a shot at what you might bump going in? That and so no one shoots your azz...
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
133
Hardin County
For Archery and when I used to gun hunt, I would walk in before shooting light for both, but with my red head lamp on, sometimes even my white headlamp during gun. I don't like to take any chances.
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,061
223
Ohio
Unless it's an area that I'm completely new to, I always walk in well before legal shooting light. This is all relative to the type of spot you're planning on sitting at, though. Most of my gun spots (the few I have anyway) are funnel or escape route type of spots. So if I'm late getting there it may cost me a shot opportunity, due to deer being pushed around by other hunters.
 

saddlepants

Member
1,224
0
central Ohio
On a clear day no matter the season I like to go in 45 mins minimum to sunrise table. If I can see first light coming on the horizon Im TOO late in my book. I feel deer may get spooked or bumped by my noise but if they cant see what it is and cant smell it they will be back. Biggest thing they cant smell it. Ive had great success with this for the last 12 years...where there are allot of deer. If its cloudy I can usually go later. I carry a green light if there is hunter traffic. Same at night I prefer to wait until dark to leave for the same reason. Ive made lots of noise in the dark and as long as Im scent free Ive heard deer walk close to my stand still well before I could see enough to even think about shooting. I know its wrong but my favorite part of hunting is listening to the woods wake up.
 
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bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I'm rarely in the stand during bow season more than 15 minutes before shooting light. Over the years, I have learned that not going in early is a safer move than trying to get on stand during the dark. I hunt mostly late moving deer (80% of sightings are 8-10AM) and have only seen a handful of deer in my career at first light. I do hunt another farm that warrants going in early for a couple spots and when I hunt those, I'm on stand 30 minutes before legal light. When it comes to gun hunting, I generally still hunt in during the mornings. I don't trust people and I could really care less if I shoot something (most times) so I'm not in "super hunter" mode. I just lay back and let it all work itself out...
 

saddlepants

Member
1,224
0
central Ohio
Funny you say that Jesse. ALL my trophy bucks were afternoon/ eves anyway. Where I would end up being late and had to tippy toe still hunt to my stand. Ive shot mostly does in the am and smaller bucks.
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
Bow, I head in early. 30-45 minutes before shooting light.

When I DID gun hunt, We would go in about 20-30 minutes before shooting time.

Just a small reminder to those of you going in early. You CAN'T load your guns before legal shooting light. It's considered HUNTING before legal shooting time. Same goes for the evening hunts. You better unload those guns right at last legal time. If the WO finds you walking out of the woods after time with rounds still in the gun, Your busted for hunting after legal time.
 
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JOHNROHIO

Participation Trophy Winner
2,824
136
When I am bow hunting I'm normally in 20 to 30 before but, I am also finding that I can't get up and just run out the door like I used to. Gotta get up drink coffee and then some more coffee watch the news and get rolling. Now when it comes to gun it's all out the window I don't really care if I shoot deer I'm just out to have fun with my homies, I prefer to be one of the drivers I just have to Much fun running deer. If I wanted to be on stand I would just rather have a bow
 

xbowguy

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
29,633
234
Licking Co. Ohio
1 hr before first light....Min of 45 minutes...Green Light on always going in or out after dark ~~ Nothing like watching the morning unfold.
 

Curran

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,971
172
Central Ohio
For me, I like to be in my stand like xbowguy, about an hour before sunrise, or half hour before legal shooting light at a minimum.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
I'm rarely in the stand during bow season more than 15 minutes before shooting light. Over the years, I have learned that not going in early is a safer move than trying to get on stand during the dark. I hunt mostly late moving deer (80% of sightings are 8-10AM) and have only seen a handful of deer in my career at first light. I do hunt another farm that warrants going in early for a couple spots and when I hunt those, I'm on stand 30 minutes before legal light. When it comes to gun hunting, I generally still hunt in during the mornings. I don't trust people and I could really care less if I shoot something (most times) so I'm not in "super hunter" mode. I just lay back and let it all work itself out...


I thought the same thing Jesse.. I always got in the stand about 15 min before because i didn't see deer until 9:00-10:30 anyway... So that's what I did for the longest time.. Rarely if ever did I see a deer right at daylight or a little after...

Then I started hunting up with JD.. He would drop me off and then drive to his stand on a dif property. Coincidentally I was in the stand sometimes an hour or more before daylight. And I saw deer right at daylight, before daylight, and all the way through 10:30+... Later in the season I started driving to the place myself and getting in the stand about 30 min before daylight... Back to not seeing deer till 8:30+.. hmmmmm.. It was enough to convince me that I should be in my stand an hour before daylight... So I started about there. And wala.. Started seeing more deer at daylight.. Granted there are a ton of deer up there. But still.. When i would get to my standard 15-30 min before i didn't see deer at daylight at all... If i was in an hour before i always saw deer right at the crack of legal time. Enough to make me say I'll always be in a stand an hour before light now.
 
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Schu72

Well-Known Member
3,864
113
Streetsboro
Trail cams can help with this as well. Mine were definaltely shhowing movement very near legal shooting. I did not want to risk bumping them. The morining I killed my buck this year I was in stand 1 hour before legal shooting. Although we were quite as early with my son, his was shot 9 minutes after legal shooting began.
 

saddlepants

Member
1,224
0
central Ohio
I thought the same thing Jesse.. I always got in the stand about 15 min before because i didn't see deer until 9:00-10:30 anyway... So that's what I did for the longest time.. Rarely if ever did I see a deer right at daylight or a little after...

Then I started hunting up with JD.. He would drop me off and then drive to his stand on a dif property. Coincidentally I was in the stand sometimes an hour or more before daylight. And I saw deer right at daylight, before daylight, and all the way through 10:30+... Later in the season I started driving to the place myself and getting in the stand about 30 min before daylight... Back to not seeing deer till 8:30+.. hmmmmm.. It was enough to convince me that I should be in my stand an hour before daylight... So I started about there. And wala.. Started seeing more deer at daylight.. Granted there are a ton of deer up there. But still.. When i would get to my standard 15-30 min before i didn't see deer at daylight at all... If i was in an hour before i always saw deer right at the crack of legal time. Enough to make me say I'll always be in a stand an hour before light now.

My point exactly. But it also depends on the light. In full moonlight deer can see better at night than we can because of the light receptor makeup of there eyes. Nearly as well as we see in the daylight. The more moonlight the better they can see over us. But its still an advantage as long as we remain scent free and try not to tromp around like a human they will hear us but not run off as far if at all. If you go in early it pays to still stalk carefully but , LOL, thats difficult bein as we cant see so well. At least dont walk in cadenced steps. I have seens tons of deer at daylight (on good deer property) when doing this and very few if any when I go in late and light is starting. Now one stand I would use nearly had to be entered at pitch black because it was a lone tree in an open meadow. Everybody any morning could get a deer from that stand at first light if they went at pitch black.
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
I am always in the stand 30-45 min before day light. I have been burnt too many times walking in right before the sunrises. I have always had the thought of, get in there early before they are on their way to bed, and hope they are a little late and catch them right at first light.