What's everyone's opinion? Would putting a stand in at noon the day before be less of a disturbance than doing it early morning (4am) the day of my first hunt of the year? (Lone wolf hang on with climbing sticks)
I do if I can. I don't use them that often so getting them set up in advance mean I won't be such a sweatie mess the next morning. I'll even set my climber around a tree the day before for the same reason. Kilboars Hunt Club
I'd never set a stand the day prior, it gives the deer all night to smell and spook from your scent. I'd set the same time you're planning to hunt unless you can set it months in advance.
I've spooked deer walking in to hang stands and had them come back by later in the hunt, deer come walking out while setting up, etc...I just hate hanging them in the dark and not seeing what I'm doing so I would assume you have a head lamp?
If it's an easy set to hang and you don't feel like you'll make much noise or sweat too much, I'd wait till that morning. If it's anything like I've experienced before though I always think it's gonna be easier than it ends up being. If you think you'll make noise and get all hot and sweaty I'd hang it the day before and spray it down with scent killer when you're done.
I would never leave my LW stand over night on public land, unless I'll be there before first light the following morning.
If I was planning on hunting opening morning, I would definitely try to have the stand hung prior if legal. If I was just hunting the afternoon, I would get in the morning and hang it so it is ready for me to come back, clean, not stinky and ready to hunt. If you are going to leave it up, take 2 or 3 of the sticks down and with you when you leave.
Yes I do. I also hate hanging in the dark. That's why I was considering going in the day before. Thanks for the reply!
Exactly... If I did put it up before, I would lock it and take sticks with me and be back before first light, but I'm thinking I just need to hang it the morning I hunt. Thanks for the reply!
Also, putting a cable lock deters thieves, but it doesn't always stop them. I had a LW sit and climb cable locked at the base of my tree on PRIVATE land , and had it stolen!! Sadly, anything left in the woods is at risk these days.
This can be a tricky question that depends on your state laws some states you have to take your tree stand in and out with you the same day example new york others you can put your stand in a week before bow season and leave it till one week after late bow season see if your state let's you keep the stand up that's the best option
In my opinion there is a huge difference between spooking deer in the way in through sight and sound than a deer actually smelling you. We've all probably gone into stand and kicked deer out of an area to see them come back that same sit, but I can almost guarantee that deer spooked prior to smelling you if it came right back. Deer see and hear things that startle them constantly, they'll vacate an area not being sure what it was that spooked them. If a deer gets a nose fill of scent where that scent should not be they know exactly what that predator was and the likelyhood of their return in the near future is slim. Virgin sits are the best sits, being mobile will consistently put you on more deer throughout the season because you're catching unaldaltered movement, catching deer completely be surprise.
