Sit until the last second.

[iamcorey]

Made the rookie mistake of lowering my gun too soon. Sitting all afternoon with only one that was under the 15” restriction here. Got my rappel rope set up and was digging for the ATC when I looked up and saw him. Brought my gun up ricky tick but it was too late. All I could see his backside and the beyond the ears rack I’d been waiting on.

No excuse but after a windy afternoon in the tree and squirrels close by making racket just didn’t think it was going to happen.

Lesson learned. There is a reason we have optics and that is to operate in low light. I switched to my leupold for this reason recently, but I decided to get down earlier than I should have so I didn’t have to do it in the dark. The extra 5 minutes of shooting time would have meant a buck instead I got to walk out of the woods stomping and throwing a damn fit all the way home.



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[mtsrunner]

Been there done that. Wish I had that remote control from that Adam Sandler movie “Click”. If I could just have the ability to rewind in 5 minute increments, I would have some nice bucks that got away.

And a pile of turkeys.


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[Patriot]

Ben there too. We call it prime time for a reason!

 

[Sziggy2.0]

We have all done that......some of us more than once.

 

[Deltahuntr]

Yep, that is aggravating! I am guilty of the same mistake, unfortunately more than once.

 

[Bwhana]

If we could quantify it and scientifically map brain waves in a radius around us, I think we would find that we put out a different vibe because mentally we have turned off the predator switch and suddenly become benign to the deer. That, and getting down early during a normal peak movement time just compounds the effect.

 

[kyler1945]

I don't get down until I hear all the folks cranking up their atv's after their walk out. For two reasons - I don't want what happened to you to happen to me. And the less folks I run into in my hunting area the better.

Plus some of my most peaceful moments are in the quiet dark before and after hunts. Some good reflection time. I also like throwing stuff at deer under me on occasion for a laugh...

 

[Vtbow]

Had that happen this year during a ground hunt. Was on the nif-t-seat in my ghillie. IT was about 2pm and I had been sitting as still as possible since 1st light.. Decided I was hungry and ready to pack out for lunch(hunitng on my own back property) Stood up, pulled the long coat off, rolled up up on the ground and when I stood up the was a tail about 10 yards from me running away....aparently I was in good spot.

I'm guilty of packing up early at dark as well...sometimes it just gets so cold so fast physically my body is done, and mentally its hard to fight that...It happens to us all.

 

[Nutterbuster]

I don't get down until I hear all the folks cranking up their atv's after their walk out. For two reasons - I don't want what happened to you to happen to me. And the less folks I run into in my hunting area the better.

Yup. What's another 10 minutes after several hours. I ain't afraid of the dark. Plus, I'm curious to see how close I was to being right when I picked that tree. If a deer shows up a couple of minutes after light, maybe I'll come back and sit closer to where it came from. Same thing with morning sits. Get there early.

 

[TNSTAAFL]

I'm guilty of packing up early at dark as well...sometimes it just gets so cold so fast physically my body is done, and mentally its hard to fight that...It happens to us all.

Me too. It is remarkable sometimes how rapidly and how far the temperature can drop during the "magic hour".

I try to remind myself as I approach said hour that even if I am feeling comfortable now, I most likely won't be by the end, and I don't want to be moving to add clothing during those crucial final 10 minutes, or chased out early altogether. So I force myself sometimes to put on remaining layers, open up hand warmers, etc., even if I don't feel like I need them at t-minus one hour.

I don't always succeed at that and so I've also been guilty of getting down early. Haven't bumped a deer yet that I know of, though probably something just out of site reacted to my exit.

 

[BTaylor]

Silver lining is you know he is there and like Nutter said if you know he was coming from a bedding area, you can adjust your setup closer and put the smackdown on him.

 

[slonstdy]

It's actually good for you that it happened, as the saying goes "experience is the best teacher". I'm sure you have read or been taught to stay in your stand until dark but you didn't fully understand what it meant because you never had to suffer the consequences of your actions...until now. Looking on the bright side you have learned a valuable lesson which will more than likely equate to more deer in the future, it has for me!

 

[hokiehunter373]

Yuppp. Been there. Two years ago it had been a long rutcation and I was on my last strings with the wife. I figured I'd get down a little early and home to her and the 10 month old so I could be around for dinner and get some brownie points. Back then I was using a climber, and I think the sound of me going down the tree must have slightly sounded like bucks sparring? I don't know. But down the hill ran a shooter right into my setup. I was on the ground, and able to get drawn, but too much stuff was in the way to take a shot. Now I just decide if I'm going, I'm going. I'll get down when I kill or it's dark. If there's gonna be an attitude about it then I need to make my decision to hunt or not before I go, not in the final minutes of light.

 

[Wolverinebuckman]

Had that happen this year during a ground hunt. Was on the nif-t-seat in my ghillie. IT was about 2pm and I had been sitting as still as possible since 1st light.. Decided I was hungry and ready to pack out for lunch(hunitng on my own back property) Stood up, pulled the long coat off, rolled up up on the ground and when I stood up the was a tail about 10 yards from me running

I got burned on the mid day thing last year. The first week of November, I had done a ground sit all morning, and was pretty well done in. Decided to pack up and shoot across the 100 yard strip of woods to the north field to grab my camera's card. I was being stupid, too, just trouncing through without a care. Got 50 yards from my set, and notice rack 20 yards to my left. I turn my head towards him and he was ghost. I was set up on his trail...5 more minutes.