Do you guys that go in in the light walk out in the evening before it gets dark. Wouldn’t going in without a light and walking out in the dark with a light kinda contradict each other. Just wondering cause I’ve always went in 1.5-2 hours before light and never really given much thought to it. Just wondering.
We can't be "static" with how we do things. Adjust and roll with what you have to work with.
For some of us with small properties, or limited access routes, the worst thing you can do is educate deer that they are being hunted. If I plan to hunt a particular spot in the rest of the season, I sure as hell don't want to bet busted climbing down the tree, or blow all the deer out of a field on the way out every evening if that's the only access I have. I often struggle late in the day with the decision of when to get down. Sometimes I make a lot less disturbance if I get down 15 minutes early because there are no deer present. Plenty of times, I decided to wait just a little too long and I end up being trapped in the tree long after dark. It's pitch black and I have no idea if deer are still in my lap or not. Too many times I guessed wrong. It's amazing sometimes how deer will watch you climb down and not really spook until your feet hit the ground.
Old does don't forget when they see a human in a tree. They come in look up in that tree that they saw the predator in. Fawns watch mom and they learn. I know a successful hunter that was busted in the tree and deer actually looked for him when they approached. He left the 1st stand in the tree and hung a 2nd stand in a tree a few yards away. He shot a does while she was standing there staring up at the empty stand.
I'm not really crazy about those last minute shots before dark. Knowing the exact location of the hit can be crucial to recovering the deer. Even with lighted nocks, guys misjudge where the deer was hit all the time. Plus the odds of deflections go way up under low light conditions.
On the other hand...If it's one of the last hunts of the season for that spot, I really don't care if I wreck it by getting busted at dark.
I often laugh to myself walking out of the woods on the last day when I get busted. Deer snorting, stomping and crashing away and continuing to snort up a storm the whole time. No reason to be bothered by it then, but if it's the beginning of the prime hunting period (Halloween-ish) I'm not so happy when I screw up.
Take what the deer give you and make the best of it. Sometimes getting out 15 minutes early is the prudent thing to do.