I agree with this. Also, this past season I used a tinks drag line going into my stand. It was a cold frosty mourning. I got to my tree and was resting a minute before I climb up. As I was standing there in total darkness, I hear leaves crunching. As I listen, I can tell its a deer following my trail. I hurry and climb up into the stand. As I'm standing there in the dark I can here the deer make its way to me and start to circle around the tree. It messed around there a while before spooking and taking off. It was a pretty cool encounter, but I don't want it to happen again.
Early is good, but there are a few of my stands that I actually like to sneak into in the very first minutes of light. I can walk much quieter, never need a flashlight, can sometimes see deer and take an alternate route to the stand without spooking them. I think there are perks to each
During the rut hunting in the morning is fine if you have a great way in without bumping deer and tipping them off to your stand sites. At my place that has heavy pressured deer,the bucks are in or close to there bedding area by first light so I feel for the most part I do more damage then good. I would rather hunt from 11 until 1 pm on my place. All but one of my big deer were killed in the eve.
I ideally like to be in stand at least an hour before shooting light. Sometimes I go in a little earlier but generally prefer about an hour.
Yea, I was thinking the same thing. I can't even conceive hunting only one day in a season. At any rate, I'm a big fan of getting in early, hence my username. I like being in my stand 45mins to an hour before fist light.
My favorite time of the morning is sitting in my stand that hour before legal shooting time. I like kicking back and listening to the owls and whipper wills. Gives the woods plenty of time to calm down. As long as I'm not rustling around I won't bump deer. If they wind me in the dark they would have got me when it's light too.
