How long do you guys usually sit in the AM and PM hunts. Also how long before sunrise are you in the stand?
I usually sit 4-5 hours, sometimes not that long if its just a quick hunt after work and I get there late. I try to actually be in my stand hunting about a half hour before sunrise on AM hunts.
I try to get in the stand at least 30 minutes before first light, but deep in public land ill get there and hour or more before. I sit for as long as the wife allows usually climb down around 11. I've shot most my deer around 9 am.
I like to be in the stand and ready to hunt at least 30 minutes before light. That usually means leaving the truck an hour before first light. In the early season, I hunt from first light until 11-12. Then return and hunt from 2 until dark. From about the 25 of October on, I hunt daylight till dark, sitting all day. Once in a while I'll call an audible and move to a different stand at mid day, but its out of one and right into another.
I only hunt evenings in the early season and usually get there 2-3 hours before sunset. During the rut, I'll sit as long as possible. I arrive at least 30 minutes prior to first light and sit until I'm required to leave for work or other responsibilities. If I don't have anything going on that day, I'll sit until dark.
I get in an hour before light. I come out around 10:00am. In the evenings I get 3 hours before and come out right after dark.
I am an opportunist hunter and by that I mean if I think I can get in a 1 hr hunt in the evening after work or before in the A.M., I do. I am fortunate in that I have lots of country to hunt in 4 different properties so I don't over hunt anything and tend to hunt the edges on short hunts so as to disturb as little as possible, but I hunt a lot of different days during a 100 day season with this approach. On hunts in which time is not an issue, I seldom hunt more than 2 1/2 hours per sit. I do try to get in at least 30 minutes and prefer 45 minutes before daylight on morning hunts.
45 min before light and sit until 10 unless I see deer are moving. go in for the evening sit around 2:30.
45 mins to an hour before legal light. Typically I'll sit until 10:30-11:00 unless action has been steady I may sit until noon. I'll go home and eat, nap, go through the descent regimen again and hit the woods by 3:00-3:30 pm. That's my early season routine. When daylight activity increases as the rut approaches, somewhere typically in the last week of October, I try to do all day sits and stay put. It wears on you after three or four days in a row, but totally worth it when a rut crazed Kansas brute shows up. On the all day sits I have been known to climb down with my bow and catch a nap against my tree.
This is my routine too...........has been for years, and it works out well for me........most of the time anyway!
I get to my stands just before first light. I usually can sit about 3 hrs without seeing anything. I then get down and still hunt the rest of the day, or I try another stand that's close by.
Man,some of you guys have way more patience than me. This time of year,in the mornings I'll try to hit my stand about 10-15 minutes before LST and sit till 8-9 tops. In the afternoons,I'll get there about an hour and half before the end of LST.I much prefer afternoon sits!
