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Climbing in the dark

MNFarmHunter

MNFarmHunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2021
Messages
1,898
Location
Minnesota
For those going in without predesignated trees, how are you climbing in the dark?

Last year, I was strictly preset SRT so I knew exactly where and how high to climb. This year however, I'm going in blind which is causing problems for morning hunts.

Being dark, I can't see shooting lanes, other tree branches, etc. and so climbing to any appreciable height is pointless. Due to the age and various die-offs in this forest over the decades, there is no one set height anywhere and it's common to need to climb +/- a few feet to get a clear lane.

This has meant that I either hunt from the ground or go to a few, small areas with known shooting lanes with the understanding that these aren't very productive spots. I've gone as far as (and I feel dirty for typing this), resurrecting my 1-stick project as I know my climb is 6' at the heel plus another 2' for platform setup.
 
If I have a general idea of where I’m going I’ll check a topo map before hand, that way I can see coniferous trees vs deciduous trees. Depending where you live you can figure out ash, pine/Georgia pine, oak, birch, hickory, etc. I always use a head lamp with a red light so I can see why I’m doing and look around. Not because deer are spooked by white which I’ve not found to be the case but because I want to preserve night vision. I also have a small hand saw in my pack. The key is climb nice and slow. If you encounter a branch or two sometimes I’ll just unclip and climb around them. Otherwise might need a bit of trim. Once I get to the height I need I usually settle in until grey light when I can have a quick look around. If I’m satisfied I’ll stay, if not I’ll identify a tree I like and move that one.
 
Nutterbuster said:
For starters, that's another pro for ground hunting. What you see is what you get.

I find that climbing lower helps to keep you from a situation where you're blocked by limbs.

Honestly, that's something I miss about a climber. Super easy to adjust up/down a couple of feet once the sun rises.
Click to expand...
This is kinda where I'm at for morning hunts.

In my area, there have been significant die-offs over the decades due to oak wilt and dutch elm. As such, even though a topo or satellite photo will show a contiguous canopy, the canopy will vary my as much as 40' in height with canopy starting at 10' in areas even though the floor has clear visibility and little cover due to the canopy.
 
Often times on public, The first time I climb a tree is in the dark in the morning. I would have scouted the area and been very familiar with the area but never have climbed the specific tree before. Most times I know exactly what tree I want but occasionally I’ll pick a tree on the fly in the dark. I’ve made some bad setups in the past doing this but have gotten a lot better at it. I actually did it last week on a morning hunt. It was a bedding area and I knew I wanted to be closer to a funnel leading into it but didn’t know exactly where. I ended up picking a great setup with good Cover and shooting lanes.

A few bits of advice:
Get in EARLY. It typically takes longer than you think.
STOP and look. I often stand still for a bit, catch my breath, and let my brain think about the situation. Don’t be in a rush to climb the first tree.
Dont be afraid to walk out-and-backs a short ways to other trees 10-15 yards away to compare shooting lanes and canopy thickness. In my mind, even if a deer catches ground scent at this point it’s a chip shot.

and finally… your setup will likely not be perfect. Expect that.But if it’s ”good enough” then you’re good to go
 
Its tough this time of year with the leaves still on because it makes it so dark in the understory. Once the leaves drop it gets better. I find there's typically enough ambient light then to make out potential shooting lanes. That said, I'm not afraid to adjust if I need to go up or down a stick or two once I get enough light to know if I'm blocked out on a shot. Be slow and adjust as necessary.

Yesterday morning I started up a tree that, from the ground, I thought would be a long but otherwise easy climb. Not so. I had to go around 4 branches on my way up that I thought were attached to the adjacent tree.
 
Knew an area but not a tree yesterday. Went with the headlamp and do my best from there plan. Ended up going 1 stick less high than I had planned, when I got to height I originally went for I realized I had more in my way so I just went back down 1 stick. I’m only doing public land though and can’t trim anyway so I’m always just going to be just trying to make the best of it regardless unless I’ve really scouted well AND no one else is in the same area.
 
I only hunt morning and early afternoon. Mostly I know the area beforehand. But if I'm going in blind I use Google maps and try to find the bedding area and set up between that area and and area that look thick....bonus for edges and extra bonus if more than one habitat come together there. I get in about an hour before light. If there is no good tree to climb once I get there, I'm on the ground for the day, which for me at least is sometimes more exciting. Usually look for a tree that has cover( red light only) and climb, if I'm too high I'll move down a little bit typically hunt from about 12-16' in Florida. If I have to move, it's more of a hunt/scout day and won't get down until around 9. Honesty I see the most bucks between 10-2, so give me roughly an hour to find a new tree.
 
Exhumis said:
If I have a general idea of where I’m going I’ll check a topo map before hand, that way I can see coniferous trees vs deciduous trees. Depending where you live you can figure out ash, pine/Georgia pine, oak, birch, hickory, etc. I always use a head lamp with a red light so I can see why I’m doing and look around. Not because deer are spooked by white which I’ve not found to be the case but because I want to preserve night vision. I also have a small hand saw in my pack. The key is climb nice and slow. If you encounter a branch or two sometimes I’ll just unclip and climb around them. Otherwise might need a bit of trim. Once I get to the height I need I usually settle in until grey light when I can have a quick look around. If I’m satisfied I’ll stay, if not I’ll identify a tree I like and move that one.
Click to expand...
Not sure I’m understanding your wording. Are you saying deer are or arnt scared by white light? Thanks buddy
 
Last night I had
Bowtie747 said:
Not sure I’m understanding your wording. Are you saying deer are or arnt scared by white light? Thanks buddy
Click to expand...
Last night I had a doe directly in my path to leave around 75 yds. I waited and waited till I just shined the headlamp at her with brightest setting white light...turns out there was 3 deer. I shined them with the bright spot over and over then switched to green for my tear down. I periodically switched to the bright white and looked toward them to see if they gone....they watched the whole time and only took off when i hit the ground. I think each deer gonna react different but in general I think they are curious and cautious more than scared
 
Weldabeast said:
Last night I had

Last night I had a doe directly in my path to leave around 75 yds. I waited and waited till I just shined the headlamp at her with brightest setting white light...turns out there was 3 deer. I shined them with the bright spot over and over then switched to green for my tear down. I periodically switched to the bright white and looked toward them to see if they gone....they watched the whole time and only took off when i hit the ground. I think each deer gonna react different but in general I think they are curious and cautious more than scared
Click to expand...
I’ve noticed this too, I just thought he was saying he thought they did scare deer. Like you said I think every deer might be different. In general I’ve noticed a they arnt scared. Haha thanks
 
Somewhat related but I’ve had them stand and watch while I gut their buddy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I think deer don’t care a whole lot about light color. I can’t tell you how many deer I’ve walked 25 yards or so from in the dark with a white light and they usually just pitch off a few yards and let me walk on by.
 
I do too, also not to let other hunters know my area as I hunt public. Can see a white light a mile away in the dark!
 
Bowtie747 said:
Not sure I’m understanding your wording. Are you saying deer are or arnt scared by white light? Thanks buddy
Click to expand...
Sorry, words are hard. In my exp aren’t. Now I’m not saying feel free to walk around the woods with a spotlight but I’ve climbed plenty of times (back when I used a climbing stand) near bedded deer and they didn’t spook. My hunting partner also would wear a headlamp in with white light and I could watch him walk all the way to his tree and climb and then literally watch deer walk around him in grey light. YMMV, just telling my exp. I personally don’t use white light unless I’m blood trailing cuz I find my vision is taking longer to recover as I get older. Red is enough for me
 
The arborist in me cringes at the idea of climbing ANY tree without a good solid pre-climb inspection. the TLDR is that you CANNOT do that in the dark. Its just not possible to verify the condition of the tree adequately to see if you're putting yourself in a needlessly dangerous situation. Let alone setting yourself up for an unproductive sit because of bad shooting lanes etc.

If you're going in cold with no previous scouting of a property, go for an afternoon sit, and GPS pin other possible trees for future use. If it has to be a morning hunt due to circumstances, I'd stay on the ground.
 
KYHunter said:
A few bits of advice:
Get in EARLY. It typically takes longer than you think.
STOP and look. I often stand still for a bit, catch my breath, and let my brain think about the situation. Don’t be in a rush to climb the first tree.
Dont be afraid to walk out-and-backs a short ways to other trees 10-15 yards away to compare shooting lanes and canopy thickness. In my mind, even if a deer catches ground scent at this point it’s a chip shot.

and finally… your setup will likely not be perfect. Expect that.But if it’s ”good enough” then you’re good to go
Click to expand...

This is pretty spot on. I'd say 90% of my hunts are in the AM, walking in in the dark, in spots I've never hunted before. Use a good light, the deer don't care. Be quiet and have the wind in your favor on the way in. I scout my way in to a predetermined general area but without an exact tree. I'm methodical about trying not to overwalk my spot and using my light to pick a tree with good lanes. While I'm looking over the area, checking my maps, etc., I'm cooling down and catching my breath. Feel free to use the light when you're at height to see if you need to adjust up or down a couple feet. I usually find that hunting this way helps me think more about how I expect the deer to approach and where I need to be. It makes me slow down and I usually pick a better tree because of it. The buck I killed last Monday was done in this exact manner.
 
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