To early to the stand?

Is there such a thing?

I may only have one hunt this season for whitetail and I want to make the most out of it. I like to be on stand and settled, at least a 1/2 hour before gray light but I cut this close many times. Is there any issues with getting on stand to early? Maybe 1- 1.5 hours before gray light?

Andrew

 

As long as you don't knock your arrow (in my state legal time is 30 minutes before daylight) its ok!

There are some advantages to getting there early...

 

One of the potential downsides to that is you will be in stand a long time without the ability to shoot but still able to spook deer. For example if you have shooting light and a deer is working it's way downwind of you it is possible you can get a shot before he/she gets downwind where as with no light that deer is going to make it downwind and possibly blow out of the area.

I like to be early but not too early, I basically want to have time to climb up, get settled, cool off, let the woods quiet back down, then get light. 30 minutes is generally good for me but I can see how it could be differnent depending on the exact type of stand/location.

 

I'm usually in the tree at least one hour before grey light, which is 1 1/2 hours till legal shooting time. I like to relax settle in...close my eyes...and listen

 

Ya waking up even earlier! Lol. Nothing wrong going in that early at all.

 

good point.

Thanks

 

I think you can learn alot by being in the stand way early. It's amazing what you can hear and notice about the woods before all the sounds of morning begins. One thing I've noticed is that the deer are not nearly as easily spooked when your going in way before light. They also settle down much quicker. Once you start to get closer to daylight, they seem to get a lot more edgy and are much more alert to their surroundings. I think a lot if it is that they feel safe in the darkness. I try do be in stand at least an hour before shooting light, some times earlier.

 

My personal rule is to try to be in the stand & settled 1 hour before official sunrise. this results in me being there to let things settle down for 30 minutes before legal shooting light (30 minutes before official sunrise). Like, Swamp stalker, it gives ME time to relax and settle down too. Sometimes I might have just driven like a uber-caffeinated madman non-stop for 3 hours at max speed limit to the site and it can take me a while to get relaxed...

 

I don't think you can be too early. I've often considered spending the night in a box stand to see what might show up if I'm not walking around in the dark making noise on my way to the stand.

 

To me there is no down side to getting there way early. Anything that moves through your stand site between the time you arrive and daylight likely would have been spooked if you were running late, especially if you are hunting anywhere near a bedding area. A deer that smells you, well you can't do anything about that even in the daylight and getting there just as it's light or a little before would only compound that. Nothing I hate more is having to rush to a stand because it's going to be light soon, get up there and rush around to get everything ready to go as it's getting light.

 

An hr before is almost late for me. I like to be in well before light

 

That is somthing i've always wanted to do as well, spend the night in the tree! only in my summit viper with the surround seat though, and one of those heater body suits!

 

I plan 1 hour before shooting time to be in the stand.

-deer are less spooked in the dark and you may bust a deer close but he won't go too far.
-I like to cool down after the walk in before I get all gloved and hatted up.
-love hearing and seeing the woods wake up.
-i like to get in the tree before the raccoons come home.

 

Hunters are a funny bunch! I thought I was the only one who wanted to do this. I have stayed in the stand well past dark before watching a marsh or field or powerlines just out of curiosity. It is awesome to do with a good set of binoculars and some moonlight!

I like getting in early and I'm pretty much in agreement with what folks are saying here the only thing I'll mention is that sometimes different spots can need different approaches so don't get too set on having to do it a specific way, be open to trying some other options if you run into problems.

Just a quick easy example I can think of, we have a bottom on our farm that borders a nice stand of pines and 5 year old cutover but it is almost impossible to sneak into in the dark because the best way to access it is not on our property. The entry routes are very limited and the most direct, quiet route we have always ended up in multiple spooked deer in the dark. A few seasons back we decided we needed to switch it up. Our plan was simple, just get close to the area and stage up and wait til after first light. We would then sneak in after most deer have moved through the bottom into the thick stuff to bed. We were then set up perfectly on the outside of bedding on an oak bottom and have killed several deer in the late morning (0930-1130) sneaking in and around the edges. I'm not saying we've never spooked another deer walking in after light but it is very rare any more.

Knowing the specific area and general deer habits there made us realize that the standard "get in there before light" approach didn't really work because the majority of the deer were working through the area early and bedding before light which was the same time we were trying to sneak in causing us to "cross paths" and spook deer.

 

To me, another down side of getting in to early is just being in a tree for that long and no being able to shoot...or see. I'm just sitting in a tree in the dark. I can only stand being in a tree for so long, both patience and physically, and I don't want to spend an hour or more of it sitting in the dark not being able to shoot.
New61375 also brings up a good point. When I was younger I could sit longer and I would get in early and I cant count the times I had a deer bust me, most times on my walk in trail.
To each his own, if you enjoy sitting in a tree for 1 1/2 hours in the dark, more power to you. Now days, I like to be set up about 10 minutes before LST and spend my time actually hunting.Will I bust some on my way in? Sometimes. But I also had some bust me when I was in a tree early so I figure its a wash.

 

usually i get into my stand about 30 mins to 45 mins early... once i was in my tree about 3 hours early... but then again that's when i hiked up a mountain and basically i miscalculated the hike time... but it ended up being a great morning hunt as i heard deer move in and bed down right in front of me and as it got light the deer were already there... never spooked them at all and they had no clue i was only about 30 yards from them... i ended up taking a big 8 pt that came in scent checking the does that hung around me all morning! but i must say that drag really sucked.... 2 miles in up the mountain! now whenever this happens i DE-bone and pack out the meat!

 

Only one hunt?

 

no such thing as too early to me. it gives the woods time to settle back down once i'm in my stand because no matter how quiet i am i do make some level of noise walking in and climbing up. i've been in up to 2 hours before (really eager that morning) and saw the biggest buck i'd ever seen under my stand. i never got a shot b/c he moved out before legal shooting light, but i wouldn't have ever had that experience if hadn't been there early.

 

Did that once on a hog hunt during the summer and my thermecell died around 10:00pm. My Non-Deet bug repellant did nothing and the mosquitos chewed on me till morning and never even saw one hog. I heard the buzz of mosquitos in my ears for days.

 

Yeah:-/ Maybe another hunt in late December. The only bright side is my work end in Barcelona, Spain this year so I'm trying to get an archery Ibex hunt in while I'm there.