How early do you get into the setup for a morning hunt? I hung a set today about 30 yards off the edge of a very large bedding area on our farm. It's been nicknamed "The Buck Patch" for many years, as several bucks are always seen moving in and out of this area. The tricky part will be getting in undetected, but I think I have came up with a game plan that will make that possible. The 2nd part to make this work, is getting in early. I usually try to be settled an hour before first light, but I'm thinking that I may need to be in earlier than that for this particular setup.
I'd say somewhere between 1.5-2 hours, especially if you are that close. Here, I try not to get that close to bedding areas until late season, if I need to get it done before the season is over. I just like to leave them comfortable in those areas as long as possible.
Like Bill Winke(Midwest Whitetail Host and Founder) said " If you spook deer in the morning going to your stand then most likely they will not return. The woods do not settle back down after you spook the deer you are hunting". At least the deer don't settle down. " You are better off going in at first light just when you can see the ground". This approach has worked better for myself. If I was hunting a travel corridor it would be one thing to be in early but that close to a huge bedding area I would hate to push those animals you are hunting away from that spot. The only way I would hunt that close was if you had a way in to the stand that was quick, quiet, and easy. That is just my opinion though. I use both tactics depending on where I hunt. Good Luck this season.
1 hour before first light in the bedding areas. The wind has to be right and my set ups are on the fringes of bedding areas where I have BF scrapes set up well in advance, conditioning bucks to check them after first light when they get back to their comfort zones..
I'm still sleeping 2 hours before sunrise. Earliest I ever arrive is 1 hour before (30 min before shooting time)...as I prefer to walk in when still dark, but no flashlight is required.
It might be "crazy" for you and your sleeping schedule, but in a hunting sense it might be right logically. If a wise old mature buck arrives 30 minutes before sundown to bed and you are just coming in to set-up at that time, you spook him. If you arrive 1.5 hours early and set-up with the hopes of arrowing him at first light or when he leaves his bed to scent check around 11am or so, then that is a good plan. Every situation is different and calls for a different plan. And really, the only way to really know is try the plan out. Then you will have some real life experience to draw from in the future.
The earliest I've been set up is probably 30-45 minutes before shooting light. I don't need to kill one that bad in order to be ready & sit there for 2 hrs in the dark. Back in the day I tried to time it so I didnt have to sit more than 5-10 minutes before I could shoot.
If I was that close, I'd worry about a few more things: 1. How do I get OUT? 2. Where's my scent blowing? Think about this one, a little more in-depth. 3. What time of year is it? How big of a chance am I willing to take?
IMO this is much to broad of a topic to answer. Each setup and especially the time of the season could dictate a different approach.
All of these thoughts/ideas are great, but if you hunt public land where other hunters come in or out of these places at their own convenience, then you simply have to deal with what takes place. This being said, I still like to be in my stand an hour before first light.
number 1 is a very interesting point. I am only out there 30 minutes before shootin time. If the temp is to hot they will be up and moving or settling down while its dark? I dont have any experience in this type of situation so I won't pretend like i do unfortunately im still a newb
Blue ace... There's valid reasoning behind why we don't see as many bucks in the early season AM's as we do later in the year. One of those reasons is......he's likely in his bed, by sunrise. Scott's exactly right. Time of year has a lot to do with how one approaches these setups. Many people won't hunt the early season AM's for this reason. IMO....unless you KNOW he's out later than most, you're peein' in the wind hunting buck beds in the early season (AM's). And, you're likely doing more harm than good to an otherwise good hunting spot. Right place - wrong time. Knowing where a buck is sleeping is great. Knowing when to hunt that spot (and when not to) is AS important. Most of us would be more successful at buck hunting, if we got out of our own way.
No from my experience and my preference it's crazy, doesn't mean it's wrong. It is something you experiment with...he could be heading to bed 2 hours before light and come out an hour after daylight, so those heading in 2 hour early run the same risk...This is one argument that never gets anywhere an hour, two hours, 10 minutes...everyone has their own time.
I had good luck last year on opening day hanging a stand on the fringe of a bedding area in mid summer and then slipping in around 1 p.m. to hunt him for that NIGHT... I approached from the back side of the tree in which I had screw-in steps, hugged it tightly and CAREFULLY crawled into my stand. After I got my harness attached and bow pulled up, I scanned the area with my Nikons... and spotted a beautiful chocolate-brown 10 pointer bedded about 50 yards away. I could just see his head and rack in the deep brush/weeds. Edit -- when he stood and stretched, I never had a clean shot; he was on the other side of a couple trees.... I watched him for almost six hours as he would stand and stretch, and bed right back down in almost the same position. He finally got up 30 minutes before dark and made his way to the bean field beside me. I ALMOST got a shot as he walked by at 37 yards, but wasn't comfortable with it. I've got a stand hung in the same tree for this year.
My best spot is a stand 40 yards to the east of a large bedding area on the back side of my property. During gun season, morons, also known as hillbillies and white trash rednecks love to drink beer and hunt in the middle of it... But during bow season, i get in between 45 and 30 minutes before daylight. I have a small path cut through the branches so i can get in real quiet. I even walk accross some logs in a few places. Last year i rattled in alot of bucks, including a 3.5 year old named Handlebar and a young stud 2.5 named Freak Daddy Jr. from this stand. Me and Isaac both took does from it. Now to relate it to you. I only hunt it when the wind is out of the south or the east, and i enter/exit on the same path everytime, directly from the north.
I rarely morning hunt in the early season. For me, I usually find that it is too risky for me to try to beat a mature buck to his bed in the morning. I have better luck camping out near his bed in the evenings.
You bring up a good point. I don't start hunting mornings until later in October. If wind conditions are right I may slip in for 1 afternoon hunt early in the season, but I plan on leaving this area alone until the bucks start to get moving a little more in daylight. My entry plan is to dip into a creek that runs through one of the roads on the farm. I can follow this for 250-300 yards and within about 70 yards of the stand and then I am going to have a small path cut to the stand. This would be the best route with the preferred wind conditions as well.
