I go in at grey light, find a tree and set up.
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Morning hunts: climb in the dark, or wait until light?
- Thread starter bluguitar89
- Start date
Safety first. If I climb or get down in the dark I have my head lamp on.
I have also found, for myself, that a deer "spooked" in the dark may not vacate the area, but a deer "spooked" in daylight doesn't tend to hang around. Obviously there are many different circumstances; whether it's the rut, a young deer, etc. I believe that it is more difficult for a deer to identify you as a human in the dark, although evidently scent belies that.
Last year I was trying to pick a tree in the dark about 1.5 hrs before legal shooting, you could not see your hand in front of your face. When I walk in or search for a tree I keep my fingers over the light letting some light out between my fingers so I am not sending out a full beam of light. I started hearing foot steps so I shut off my light. The foot steps kept coming and I could tell it was a deer. Pretty soon the deer is 10 yards up wind of me, milling around in the leaves slowly making his way towards me. Eventually he gets close enough (5yds) to either see me or smell me and he bolted down a run. I could hear his rack crashing through hemlock branches as he ran off. At 9AM a mature 6 pt with a wide rack (well out side of his ears) came down that same run, walked under me and ended up in the freezer. I do not know that was the same deer however if I had to guess I would say it was. Even if it was a different deer it still gives you a reason to stay if you blow one out, especially if it is the first time you are hunting the tree/area.
When I first started saddle hunting getting down in the dark especially with sticks and aiders is what I didn't like.
When I first started saddle hunting getting down in the dark especially with sticks and aiders is what I didn't like.
@bluguitar89 Definitely sound, especially metal.
There were some good podcasts on how deer see last year. On one of these podcasts the researcher said (I'm paraphrasing) at night white lights do not bother deer any more than green or red.
One time I was walking out in the dark with my headlight on and I noticed ahead of me 4 reflecting tree tacks on the side of the 2 track where I had never seen them before. When I got to about 10' from the tacks they ran away.
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There were some good podcasts on how deer see last year. On one of these podcasts the researcher said (I'm paraphrasing) at night white lights do not bother deer any more than green or red.
One time I was walking out in the dark with my headlight on and I noticed ahead of me 4 reflecting tree tacks on the side of the 2 track where I had never seen them before. When I got to about 10' from the tacks they ran away.
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@bluguitar89 Definitely sound, especially metal.
There were some good podcasts on how deer see last year. On one of these podcasts the researcher said (I'm paraphrasing) at night white lights do not bother deer any more than green or red.
One time I was walking out in the dark with my headlight on and I noticed ahead of me 4 reflecting tree tacks on the side of the 2 track where I had never seen them before. When I got to about 10' from the tacks they ran away.
Ep. 543: What Whitetails Really See & How We Know It with Bradley Cohen | MeatEater Podcasts
On today’s show, Tony speaks with Dr. Bradley Cohen about his research into whitetail vision and how we have come to know so much about what deer can actually see. Connect with Wired To Hunt and MeatEater Tony Peterson on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube Shop...
Yeah, this is what I hope and that hope fuels me just using a white light (along with convenience and brightness)
There's a field I have to cross on one set up
At night, I'll see eyes of deer feeding in that field
My headlamp goes up to 1,000 lumens, so I just crank it up to TURBO level and then hit them right in the eyes until they get bothered by it and just walk off, they usually don't spook or run....they are just annoyed by it and leave
I'd rather that than them smell me or know for sure it was a human, but maybe I'm off base here and what I do actually impacts their behavior more ("oh, that's the scary spot where the bright light hurts our eyes")
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I re-listened to the HUNTR podcast #108 above and at 1:26:00 He talks for 4 minuets about how deer react to head lights.
Most concerned about safety, then noise. You can get away with a lot of light disruption but noise is a killer
Dark always. I don't make a sound going up the tree. Not a peep. Everything that needs to be stealth stripped is covered, and through trial and error over the years the way I arrange my gear going up allows dead silence.
I climb believing there's a giant 12 point not 50 yards from me and I can't let him hear me.
In my experience, light doesn't spook them much. Not even mature game. Even if it did, I wouldn't care. It's a safety concern. You might carabineer in in the dark and not be completely in the loop or locked in properly. You need a light to identify that.
That said, it's the reason I use a zebralight, because the lowest setting is something like .3 lumens. Its just enough to see my hands as I climb.
You cannot get rid of all natural noise. It's impossible. If a buck ran every time he heard what he precieved to be footsteps he'd die of exhaustion. Get rid of unnatural noise. Any metal noise is a hunt death sentence. Cough quietly.
I climb believing there's a giant 12 point not 50 yards from me and I can't let him hear me.
In my experience, light doesn't spook them much. Not even mature game. Even if it did, I wouldn't care. It's a safety concern. You might carabineer in in the dark and not be completely in the loop or locked in properly. You need a light to identify that.
That said, it's the reason I use a zebralight, because the lowest setting is something like .3 lumens. Its just enough to see my hands as I climb.
You cannot get rid of all natural noise. It's impossible. If a buck ran every time he heard what he precieved to be footsteps he'd die of exhaustion. Get rid of unnatural noise. Any metal noise is a hunt death sentence. Cough quietly.
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I'm always trying to be in my tree ready to hunt 30 minutes before legal shooting time. I don't always make it. Sometimes that's because I was just plain old late getting going, other times I get held up by deer I can hear, not liking the tree I had picked out, wind not being as forecast, or whatever else happens.
I usually use a light walking in unless the moon is really bright, and always use one when climbing before the sun is up. I want anyone else nearby to know I'm there, and once I start climbing, I'm not paying attention to who might be walking through.
Couple years ago, I got set up, only to see another hunter 50 yards away on the ground. He had to know I was there because I had a light on the whole time. Really wish he would have had a light while I was walking up to my tree. I would have gone somewhere else.
I usually use a light walking in unless the moon is really bright, and always use one when climbing before the sun is up. I want anyone else nearby to know I'm there, and once I start climbing, I'm not paying attention to who might be walking through.
Couple years ago, I got set up, only to see another hunter 50 yards away on the ground. He had to know I was there because I had a light on the whole time. Really wish he would have had a light while I was walking up to my tree. I would have gone somewhere else.
One sticking everything is right in front of me so a headlight is fine for climbing in the dark. I’ve walked right up on deer with a light and they just walk off like no big deal as long as they can’t get your wind. Leaves crunching in the dark is a natural sound and won’t blow them out, but again, they may saunter off. Metal noises are not natural and carry a long way. IMO deer don’t hear as well as people generally think. The ears certainly aren’t near as sharp as the nose or the eyes.
i have climbed in the dark, but more of my hunts are @BTaylor (or gandalf i suppose) style. i once climbed a dead tree in the dark though, I climbed right back down at first light when i realized my error, and now use a better headlamp to check the canopy first if it's a tree/ area i havent hunted before. sometimes the tree doesn't look/feel dead for the lower 20-30 feet, but there was obviously dead large branches and rotting trunk not too much further up from where i climbed to, glad nothing happened. @Bigterp is spot on with safety first, noise second, light last in terms of priorities.
Due to an everyday obligation, I usually arrive to the woods at gray light. At the start of last season I would rush to an area I wanted to be in, find a tree then hang and hope. Spent time in the woods, but that was all I was doing. Now I take my time, scout my way in until I find sign that the deer want to be here, then climb. Some days I don't even put a stick on a tree. Taking my time also gave me the opportunity to see where other hunters were parked and avoid the easy places they were probably going, based on map scouting. I get to spend all day out, and see more deer in the middle of the day, so slowing down turned out to be more enjoyable and productive than the got to get there fast approach. I'm usually never in the same tree. Same area but different tree base on previous observation.
BowhunterXC
Well-Known Member
Buy a high quality headlamp that has a good red light capability, along with white light, turn it on and go. 
There's no replacement for being able to see what you're doing in the dark with a good quality headlamp.
Menards has some good quality Coast brand headlamps that will get the job done. I use rechargeable batteries to keep fresh batteries in the lamp at all times. I also carry a high quality flashlight for tracking, because headlamps don't last as long as a high quality flashlight that's 300 lumens or higher.
There's no replacement for being able to see what you're doing in the dark with a good quality headlamp. Menards has some good quality Coast brand headlamps that will get the job done. I use rechargeable batteries to keep fresh batteries in the lamp at all times. I also carry a high quality flashlight for tracking, because headlamps don't last as long as a high quality flashlight that's 300 lumens or higher.
I try not to use any lights going in in the dark. I hunted years ago with some hunters in Illinois that told me going in at dark that they were using a green light and it didn’t spook deer. I tried it and at least it seemed it worked. I saw lots of deer eyes and they didn’t seem to freak out or get spooked. I still think by letting your eyes acclimate to the dark you can get to your spot easier without any light much easier than you think. I like to get in a stand in the dark if I know where I’m going and feel I can do it safely. I’d rather be in an hour early than a minute late.
I don't understand how guys say you can acclimate your eyes to the dark. With minimal moonlight and a thick canopy, some of the places I hunt you can't see your hand stretched out in front of you in the dark. How do you not walk into trees? Lol