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My hunting has changed for the worst over the years!

rutjr

rutjr

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2018
Messages
2,178
Location
Cumberland, RI
I was just watching a video about a guy that uses a Lone Wolf Climber and in the video he talked about going into the woods very early in the morning. This reminded me I used to do the same thing, I used to plan it so I would be set up an hour or two before the lights came on. I guess life got in the way and I worked too much and stopped. Mostly I would go after work in the evening. I retired almost four years ago and only hunt when the sun is up. I've been concerned about what I would do if I managed to get a deer at dusk, which I have never done. So this year I plan on doing what I used to love to do, set up in the dark and be ready when the woods are waking up.
I feel like my internal clock has changed. I used to start thinking about hunting in the summer but right now that's all I can think about.
 
Maybe it’s just changed for you and not necessarily for the worst. Over the years I’ve had 95%+ of my action in the woods between 8:30-10am and almost none before or at dawn. That’s kind of told me that I don’t necessarily need to be in the tree an hour before light. If anything that realization has taken the pressure off me a little and made the whole thing a little more enjoyable. Not sure if that’s the case in your area but maybe it’s not gotten worse but the perspective/approach to hunting has shifted a little? If that makes any sense.
 
When I was young I did the same. Now I find myself scouting more and hunting less. I’ll scout until I find a hot feed tree and setup for an evening hunt. Once I find hot sign it’s easier to go in and set up for a morning hunt being careful that the deer are not there before me. Hot feed trees change constantly during the hunting season. I also look for good pinch points during scouting and plan my all day sits during the rut in those spots.
I used to wear myself out sitting from daylight til dark all season long. That kind of hunting wears an old hunter out quick.
 
Like Whiteaoks, I seldom approach a feed tree hunting situation in the predawn dark. Too many times I have bumped them out from under the tree groping around in the dark trying to get in quietly. For feed trees I like to get in after sun up, when the deer have eased off and are bedded down sleeping and chewing their cud. In those cases I like to sit from 7 or 7:30 to at least noon. I've killed quite a few deer in that 11 to 1 time frame under feed trees.

If I am hunting in a bedding area, I do like to get in really early to beat them back and be there when they return. In that case it pays to get in plenty early.

I also think I have gotten a little lazy about getting out early to the woods. I can somehow do it no problem for those ungrateful turkeys. I just have a hard time getting out early for deer, in spite of being a morning person.
 
That is the reason I liked to go in early to give the woods time to settle back down. I have bumped deer leaving and going into the woods in darkness but they don't seem to be very alarmed. I have had them come back looking for me in the morning very cautious but they have come back sticking in the cover but I feel they were looking to see what I was.
My title is not really what I mean. It's just that I got away from my favorite time to hunt because of my working all the time and basically forgot about it lol. Now I'm going back to it.
 
rutjr said:
That is the reason I liked to go in early to give the woods time to settle back down. I have bumped deer leaving and going into the woods in darkness but they don't seem to be very alarmed. I have had them come ba ck looking for me in the morning very cautious but they have come back sticking in the cover but I feel they were looking to see what I was.
My title is not really what I mean. It's just that I got away from my favorite time to hunt because of my working all the time and basically forgot about it lol. Now I'm going back to it.
Click to expand...
I'd say it's your tag do what you want. I'm not an all day sitter and used to get in way before light then by 9 I'm ready to get down, now I prefer to slip in at gray light and be hunting the entire time I'm on the stand instead of burning an hour in the dark especially if it's the rut when they can move anytime during the day. I also think it's better to get an extra hour of sleep and be move alert on stand but to each their own. I do have a public spot that I like to hunt on opening day were the deer come back into the park off the neighbors fields and I will get in early because I've had deer under me before light and have to get "your" spot before anyone else does.
 
Personally, I don’t think deer spook as bad in pitch black, at least not like at gray light. I’ve had bedded deer at night just stare at my headlamp and watch me walk the log road. Others just stand and stare. Just an anectdotal opinion.
 
There are so many styles, hunt what fits you. I like being in early and hunt bedding but I also like to sneak in and set up on the fringe of bedding in the evening. Most of my good bucks have been evening kills personally, but the best movement has always been in the AM oddly lol.

I don’t have feed trees near me here in Nebraska, and all the mature bucks move off of the ag before sunrise and don’t get back on the fields until after dark. Thus the early mornings beating them to bed or sneaking close to bedding and catching them at last light.
 
The older that I get, the less I like to wake up at "zero-dark-thirty" and head out...go figure... ;)

That's why when I hunt close to home, I normally go out at mid-day or 1-2pm at the latest, & hunt until dark.

This practice also keeps THE REAL BOSS happy, as all of my chores are done before I leave!;)

But for morning hunts, when I can, I like to be on my way from the truck to the spot at grey light, then I usually stay out for the rest of the day-either at the same spot or I move a bit. I hunt on the ground these days, so it's not near as difficult for me to talk myself into moving if nothing is going on where I am. At mid day, I can just eat my sandwich and move or stay where I am and maybe take a little nap in the good 'ol pacSeat!

I do this except for early season where it might hit 80 deg at mid-day. Then I go out while it's dark, & come in at mid-day when it's hot & I figure that they're all bedded in a nice shady spot to escape the heat. Then back out for the afternoon when it starts to cool off.
 
I am usually up and settled in at least a half hour before shooting light. I feel at a disadvantage if I’m not but that’s just my head. With the exception of one, ALL of my biggest bucks, weather I killed them ir not, have been from around between 11:30 to 2:30. My theory is there is just too much commotion they scares the bigger bucks and they wait or linger to have things settle down for awhile. Once they get comfortable again they start moving. I want to be there waiting when they let their guard down..
 
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