hokiehunter373
Well-Known Member
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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Very interesting. Hopefully you can get some clarification soon
"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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As with all things hunting, it depends on your property options, stand locations, and deer in your area. My stand location is wherever the sign and wind take me for that hunt on that property. My last hunt I was hunting between several acres of corn fields and bean fields in just a little hedgerow of woods that's about 75 yards wide. Bucks bed in the corn and move through the woods to munch on acorns before getting to the beans. Legal light end was 7:38, a shooter emerged from the corn at 7:10, munched acorns until it was dark, and moved out of the woods after last light. He was the only deer I saw that night but that's what I expected. I was going after an old buck and not expecting to see lots of does. If I would have set up in a different spot on that property, I know I would have seen more deer, but not the one I was after. They like bedding in the corn because of how that property lays. On other properties, I'd have a better chance to hunt closer to bedding and see deer earlier. My first hunt of the season I had action around 4:50 because of where I was located, away from ag fields. I'm not saying it's not possible to see deer well before dark but odds grow in your favor the longer you can stay on stand. How you exit your stand and the impact that has is another topic entirely but should be considered in your choice of stand location to start with.