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When to climb down.

ThereWillBeSpuds

ThereWillBeSpuds

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2019
Messages
648
So I am up in the tree hunting deer for my first time ever and I have reached a quandary. The property I am on closes at the end of legal hunting light. So when do I climb down? As close to the end as possible I assume. What if I hit something? Do I have to leave and come back in the morning to get the deer?

So my options are to start down the tree about 30 minutes before the end of legal light and then sneak back out or try and get down like 10 minutes before the end of legal light and rush out with no concern about noise.

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ThereWillBeSpuds said:
So I am up in the tree hunting deer for my first time ever and I have reached a quandary. The property I am on closes at the end of legal hunting light. So when do I climb down? As close to the end as possible I assume. What if I hit something? Do I have to leave and come back in the morning to get the deer?

So my options are to start down the tree about 30 minutes before the end of legal light and then sneak back out or try and get down like 10 minutes before the end of legal light and rush out with no concern about noise.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
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What sort of area are you hunting? How many others hunt it and are you gonna hunt it multie times?
 
I would rather climb down a little early (when there are no deer around my stand) than stick it out 1 minute too late and educate deer about my stand or presence.
I guess it depends on how much land you are hunting.
I'm on small properties and I don't have a lot of other options for fresh stands.
Educating deer is a major mistake on small properties.
 
Its a 4000 acre piece of public that is only open for archery from sept 15 to oct 10 and has antler size requirements. After oct 10 its lottery gun hunts. I probably wont hunt this section of it again this year.

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ThereWillBeSpuds said:
Its a 4000 acre piece of public that is only open for archery from sept 15 to oct 10 and has antler size requirements. After oct 10 its lottery gun hunts. I probably wont hunt this section of it again this year.

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If it's a 1 and done tben by all means sit until you can safely get down and out of the property by the time needed with some small cushion.
 
ThereWillBeSpuds said:
Its a 4000 acre piece of public that is only open for archery from sept 15 to oct 10 and has antler size requirements. After oct 10 its lottery gun hunts. I probably wont hunt this section of it again this year.

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In that case, you may as well stay in the tree until you cannot effectively shoot (within the law of course).

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I have done both on public land. If I want to have an easy walk out I get to the trail before dark. If I wait till dark I will stumble out with a headlamp.
 
Well I decided to get down with plenty of time to go. Unfortunately I had some trouble getting my rappel rope down out of the tree and by the time I got packed up it was dead dark within the woods.

Veered off course a bit and ended up in some thick stuff and the woods grabbed two of my arrows, found one (the one I lost didnt have a broadhead on it, so no big loss)

Needless to say I learned some stuff.

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Good call. A few more hunts out there and you'll get to know the woods better and get your system down, it'll all get easier.
 
ThereWillBeSpuds said:
Well I decided to get down with plenty of time to go. Unfortunately I had some trouble getting my rappel rope down out of the tree and by the time I got packed up it was dead dark within the woods.

Veered off course a bit and ended up in some thick stuff and the woods grabbed two of my arrows, found one (the one I lost didnt have a broadhead on it, so no big loss)

Needless to say I learned some stuff.

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It wouldn't be hunting if there weren't all kinds of little misadventures. Those people who say everything always goes to plan are liars or they just hunt in their imagination.
 
bj139 said:
It wouldn't be hunting if there weren't all kinds of little misadventures. Those people who say everything always goes to plan are liars or they just hunt in their imagination.
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lol ive been hunting for 20 yrs and every hunt is pretty much just one big misadventure (yesterdays hunt i forgot my headlamp, rappel device, and left my hoodie at the bottom of the tree). one thing i am not is a liar!
 
PEEJAY said:
lol ive been hunting for 20 yrs and every hunt is pretty much just one big misadventure (yesterdays hunt i forgot my headlamp, rappel device, and left my hoodie at the bottom of the tree). one thing i am not is a liar!
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Did you ever get in the woods and forget something and think of how can I make this work? Candle, Munter hitch, etc.
 
I think each hunt will be different....u have to make that decision based on what's happening around u....if I have a long walk out I'll get down early and hunt the fading light on foot on the way to the truck...if I'm closer I'll stay up till dark, and if there are animals in the surrounding area I'll wait for a long time so hopefully they moved on before I start getting ready to go if I plan on being back to that area
 
bj139 said:
Did you ever get in the woods and forget something and think of how can I make this work? Candle, Munter hitch, etc.
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yea but sometimes when you forget your bow there's just nothing you can do but watch... :rolleyes: i guess i could haul up a bigass rock n pray he walks directly under the tree next time. Tim Wells might have already slocked a few like that lol
 
I had an older hunter tell me once to look around when you get close to last light. Deer move slowly and if you don't see or hear any nearby start getting down with some light left because it is easier and quieter and you won't have to turn on your light anywhere near your stand.
 
I feel like I'm missing something here. I'm assuming the property closes to hunting at the end of legal light. Depending on the state, legal light is usually around half an hour after sunset. Where I hunt, the norm is that you have to be done hunting at the end of legal light but you usually don't have to be to your truck by then. The most common time for deer to be on their feet is the first half hour and last half hour of light, that's when I'm most optimistic to see deer. If I couldn't be in a tree then, I wouldn't to start with. I'd just ground hunt since I'd be walking during the best time anyway. What am I missing?

And idk where you're hunting but no you usually do not have to come back for your deer in the morning.
 
This property is unusual in that you are required to go through a Time operated gate to get onto and off of the property I've tried calling the game warden in charge of the property to get a clarification about staying past when the gate closes because the gate will open for a car exiting but I haven't been able to reach him.

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hokiehunter373 said:
I feel like I'm missing something here. I'm assuming the property closes to hunting at the end of legal light. Depending on the state, legal light is usually around half an hour after sunset. Where I hunt, the norm is that you have to be done hunting at the end of legal light but you usually don't have to be to your truck by then. The most common time for deer to be on their feet is the first half hour and last half hour of light, that's when I'm most optimistic to see deer. If I couldn't be in a tree then, I wouldn't to start with. I'd just ground hunt since I'd be walking during the best time anyway. What am I missing?

And idk where you're hunting but no you usually do not have to come back for your deer in the morning.
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"Dark" varies from day to day. A gloomy day is often too dark to shoot long before the end of legal hours.
And don't be sucked in to the paradigm that the 1st and last half hour are best for deer movement. Those time might be good for deer movement but are they the best times for YOUR STAND LOCATION?
I contend that if deer are coming past you at the beginning or end of light, then maybe your stand is in the wrong spot.
I have great action hours before dusk (and well past dawn).
And take this to the bank...the worst thing you can do is to be seen by deer climbing down at dark. I would rather call it a day and get down a few minutes early, than educate deer because I wanted to eek out 5 more minutes in the tree.
We screw up WAY more often in those last 5 minutes than we kill deer.


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ThereWillBeSpuds said:
Well I decided to get down with plenty of time to go. Unfortunately I had some trouble getting my rappel rope down out of the tree and by the time I got packed up it was dead dark within the woods.

Veered off course a bit and ended up in some thick stuff and the woods grabbed two of my arrows, found one (the one I lost didnt have a broadhead on it, so no big loss)

Needless to say I learned some stuff.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
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Check your regulations but I believe atleast in Ohio you cannot carry anything but a arrow with a broad head. Can't remember 100% though
 
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