All day sit tips
Whitetail Deer
Most outstate deer hunts are 5-6 days a fairly short time. All day sits may be ones best bet to have an opportunity at a shooter. Any tips for dawn to dusk sits you could share to make the day more comfortable?
Thermacare heat wraps. Concentrates heat on your lower back/kidney area. Really helps to keep your core temperature up.
Comfortable seat. I really like my Summit Viper for all day sits because I can sit in it for 16 hours without my butt or back getting sore.
Coveralls with vents. You can be as warm or as cool as you want by just adjusting zippers.
food, water, and some reading material to keep the mind working without being soooo bored. Bring a camera along to take lots of picture of interesting things. A good thick comfortable pad to set on.
Take an extra battery booster for your smartphone. 5 hour energy drinks to give you a boost when needed. If it gets hot mid day and things are dead, I'm not above getting down and taking a nap close by for and hour or so.
I find it best to shoot the first deer i see whenever i plan an all day hunt. It guves me a reason not sit sit all day in a tree.
Paul has the right idea,Louis .And get out of the tree and hunt like a man!!
Hey deerplotter. It's mostly mental...being able to be that patient for that long...and providing yourself some comfort will go a long way. Lots of layers to control your body temperature...and less layers on your arms is preferred. I went as far as to cut the sleeves off my winter coveralls to reduce bulk in this area. Makes climbing and shooting much easier. As mentioned, a comfortable but silent seat is important so you can sit and stand for intervals without your legs getting too stiff...especially in your knee area. Next and once on stand, don't lace your boots too tightly (assuming your footwear has laces versus pull-ons). This will allow additional blood flow to your feet and improve warmth and overall comfort. I wear winter pack boots on stand in places like Montana...and they work extremely well. Also, having two sets of felt liners will allow you to dry the wet pair from a day's hunting while wearing the dry pair. Dry felt liners equals warm feet all day long. Finally, if you don't already use one, I'd highly recommend a three-section bow hanger like the EZ tree hanger so you can have a nocked arrow at the ready to speed up your response time should a cruising buck come in quickly. Just remember to have the "last section" of the hanger...that's the one your bow will be hung from....is bent in the direction that allows for the weight of the bow to "tighten" the hanger into the tree, instead of un-tightening it...which could send your bow crashing to the ground if it gets too loose from the weight of your bow (don't ask me how I know this!)
Although all-day posts on stand can be very fatiguing, I also find them very productive and have shot many deer during the middle of the day during the late fall and winter months when daytime activity is at its peak.
Best of luck...and let us know how you do!
Paul I think I read every Louis lamour book as a kid. Loved them.
Only sit all day if it`s something you really want to do....if not....don`t do it. Nothing will take the motivation out of, and the shine off of a hunt faster than an all day sits and not see action. I would much rather take a kick in the nads than sit in a tree stand all day...lol
My all Day sits start this coming Saturday. I have extra batteries for my phone, a good book and pretty much do as JTV does. Extra cushion seat and I have a pad for my tree stand part that I stand on. Ed
this year especially I have been on the move. I realize if your on an outfitter style hunt, your pretty much placed in a spot etc, but if you are on your own, I move. This year I have abandoned the tree stand, for the most part. I have gone to a Millenium Tree Seat, sometimes put on the guile top, not always, and am on the hunt. I have seen so much more in deer etc.......
I realize this is not for everyone, but I am in the game at all times, no time to read a book etc,,, I can do that back at the cabin,,,,,, again just a different style, that is outside the box. I tend to carry a lot less junk,, and stay more focus........ have had 14 encounters in the last 2 days, which would not have happen, if I was in one stand
I like my climber, and my hang on and sticks at times. but I like being in the hunt and its been a lot more fun
You guys are better than I did it one time during peak rut from daylight to dark and swore I'd never do it again... Am not a patient man, aside from squirrels and small gritters seen only one deer, a small 6-point cruised under my tree...
About a 4 hour sit is my max... I usually stand about 2-1/2 to 3 hours...
Sitka Incinerator
Colder? Heater Body Suit
Quiet snacks and at least one hot drink.
Paul that’s hilarious. My uncle was a Louis fan and when he died I assumed his kids got rid of his books. My cousin just gave me boxes of his books including what I think is everything L’Amour wrote. Brought back lots of memories.
Good advice especially a good seat pad (Hunt Comfort here). I'm the only all-day sitter in our deer camp. Only thing to add is Clif Shot Energy Gel Mocha at about 2-3pm. I will also pick a time that I will shoot a field point arrow into the ground, climb down and retrieve the arrow. Just moving around a little gives me a fresh start. I'm sure that is heresy to some folks but I shot my biggest buck soon after climbing back up into my stand.
Have more than one stand that you can stillhunt to. It helps "change the scenery", and if you do it right takes a substantial amount of time and patience, and you damn sure won't need to read books or play on your cell phone because your mind and all your senses will be 100% engaged, in other words........"HUNTING".
You can also take a nap in the middle of the day, but nap IN THE WOODS. Yes, if they come by when you're snoozing you won't see them, but at least you're still THERE, and you won't disturb or let the pattern you with yet another trip to and from camp/car. A woods nap (and there's NOTHING sweeter....) will "take you out of the game" for the time that you are actually snoozing. As soon as you open your eyes you are hunting again. If you travel to and from some other place to nap it triples or more the time you are out of action, not to mention the disturbance of your travels.
Besides, you can't kill them when your sitting in camp or in town or snoozing in your truck. You gotta BE there!
Same as woods walker. Change the scenery at mid day and go to another stand. Makes the all day easier
My only battle is staying warm all day. I thought I had the best Idea to make ramen noodles ahead of time, but don't do that. They just continue soaking up water and by the time 11:00 came around they were as thick as caterpillars and no water left. Just a pile of mush. Disgusting. So this year if I try it I'll keep the water separate. Having a nice hot stew has been nice. Seeing more deer would really help, but I just don't see that many especially from 1-3. For some reason around noon seems good but the early afternoon is when I see the least.
Comfortable stand with a comfortable seat and warm clothes. Plenty of water/snacks. Book or magazine helps pass the time when stuff is not moving. Personally, I rarely do all day sits unless a nice buck beds close to my stand. I just don't have the patience to be in stand that long. Hunting at water holes in Africa was different because animals and birds were coming in all day long so rarely did you have extended time where there was nothing to look at and keep you entertained.
Staying on stand all day can be tough. I usually find at some point I'll have to push mentally to get over a hump but then I'm good for the rest of the day. I will say I am usually ZONKED after an all day sit, even worse after doing it a week straight. I think it's the combo of being on extreme alert for that many hours straight, and being cold. (Sitka Fanatic has helped) I have definitely moved during the day to another stand, as usually you don't have one consistent wind all day, and that sure helps break it up. But when playing the odds game for myself, my favourite is choosing a great pinch in a great spot with a good consistent wind and being there dawn till dusk. #1 tip I can give, is it happens so fast, so often. Always be ready. Plan snacks, or anything that you do besides hunting so that with in a second or two you could be in shoot mode.
"Paul has the right idea,Louis .And get out of the tree and hunt like a man!!" I hunt 40 acres if I got out of the tree I could walk the whole property in about an hour then what ?
For me once I got a good seat it made the sits much easier.
I did an all nighter in Alaska. Sat in a tree stand from 6pm till 6am. The good news is I arrowed a brown bear at 345 am. Then I slept in the stand till 6am. Doubt I could do it for white tails.
I play the mental game with myself and break the all day sit into 3 separate sits; morning, mid-day, afternoon. The thought of "I've been sitting here for 7.5 hours" in the late afternoon, now turns into, "I only have 3 hours left".
I also use the breaks in between the 3 "sits" to treat myself to a snack. It helps spread out the food as well as breaks up the time. If the activity is slow, it gives you something to look forward to.
As others have said, an all-day sit is not for everyone. I've been asked many of times how I can do it. Unlike those that ask me, I don't have unlimited time I can spend in the woods so I try to maximize it when I can.
These days I’ve gotta have something to read or I just can’t make it . Gotta have a seat pad also .
I did it once, about 20 years ago.
Never again.
I find that I need to work up to an all day sit. At the beginning of the season 3-4 hours seems long....by the time the rut happens I'm good for the whole day. It's a mental thing for me.
Hunting is supposed to be fun. All day sits feel more like work so I rarely do them.
Done it 3 times. Can take a mental strain. Not worth it if you are forcing yourself to do it. I like the idea of changing stands mid-day. May try that this year. Saw 1 shooter I would have missed if I did the typical morning/evening routine. Regardless of how you prepare I'll tell you this, having ANY deer walk by midday gives you a little motivation. It's the 7 hour drought while you are sticking it out midday (which happened once) that will make you go crazy.
Don't give yourself an excuse to get down. E.g. running out of food. Plan your meal/snacks to occur at fixed times, and abide by the times.
I have done it a lot both in a treestand and groundblind. Most of all day sits in a groundblind is antelope hunting and sometimes for turkeys. I am not sure what is worse the hot or cold. I guess being that antelope season is just in the rearview mirror the heat seems worse. 95-100 degrees in a black box get hot, especially if no wind. Also antelope season in August and the days are longer so I am 14 plus hours in blind. If it is really cold I will bring my Mr. Heater buddy along and sit in a ground blind. It works great to knock the chill off. I enjoy most my all day sits be it a treestand or groundblind. Beats the hell out of 8 hours in an office chair!!
I am trying to figure out if I could get a hot meal delivered via drone to my blind. Seems to be a gray area in the law. But if anyone wants to volunteer let me know. ;)
I don't get a lot of time to hunt, so during the RUT, I wanna give myself the best opportunity to shoot a mature buck. That means staying IN your stand!
Used to be easy when I hunted a spot deep in the State Forrest. There was no option to go back to the truck. Even if I shoot a doe, I get down and tag it and leave it in the shade(weather permitting). Get back up in stand and keep hunting. One day I shot a doe at 8;45, got back in stand and almost got a shot at a buck at 10:30(he circled just out of range) and then shot another doe just before dark.
You HAVE to have a comfortable stand, though. Would not consider an all day sit before buying a Summit stand. I take an oversized fanny pack with all my gear plus trailmix and a pack of crackers, water bottle filled with sweet tea and a thermos of Chunky SOup. I get it to a rolling boil before I leave the house and then pour into a Stanley wide-mouth thermos. By noon it is the perfect temperature. And if it is a cold day, helps to warm me up at mid-day.
I take a rattle bag and calls and either buck grunt, estrous bleat and/or rattle about every 30-45 min. That tends to keep me alert and focused. And alternate standing and sitting in the stand all day. I have it down to a science now and if it warms up and sun starts hitting me, sometimes I will take a short nap after I eat the soup. ANd I have been known to check bowsite during those "dead" times, so I bring a backup power source just in case. ;-)
I am very comfortable in my stand, so all day sits are no problem. Of course I rarely hunt more than a week at most, so we're not talking 14 or 15 days.
Being comfortable, warm, great property with great potential keeps me hunting all day. Smart phone also helps. Never did it while I was younger but it’s something I have done more since I got older.
Dale, I would think that after arrowing a brown bear, there would be no way that my adrenaline level would drop enough to let me sleep, especially in brown bear country with dead meat nearby!
My Secret = Food. Lots of food. Not sure if I can pack enough tho since mine is usually gone by 10.... maybe 10:30. I swear I could eat an entire turkey, 11 Oatmeal Creme Pies, 7 apples and 4 Snickers on an "All-Dayer". Thats how I deal with boredom on the stand. Maybe I should write a book... "Tree Stand Meal Planning". Warm clothes help too ;-)
I do all day sits from late October until the start of gun season. I stay alert by bird watching and just enjoying being out. If the day seems long I'll check the time remaining until I need to get out of the stand and if it 7 hours, I tell myself that it is only two 3.5 hour sits. Before too long it time to get back to the camp and get ready for the next day. I truly enjoy all my time in the woods.
gottoohunt
Best thing to do is get down and move to a new,stand site. Even just a couple hrs can refresh you and than move back or to another stand. I would rather shovel shite all day than sit all day. It beats me up bad. At the very least get down a couple times and eat somthjng, pee, stretch a bit. Good Luck!! Shawn
I'm with Fuzz on this. Bring lots of food and water: a book, some TP, and a cell phone charger will keep me in a stand all day.
will do it for a week each year or until there is no tag or time left.
almost always will change stands at about 1pm. the walk, stretch, piss is good and normally the AM and PM stands are different anyway.
I do it once or twice each season in November. Only time I ever take a backpack with me to stand, extra clothes, food, water, 5 hour caffeine/energy drink.
I will change stands around noon or 1ish - eat before I leave the stand, and use the walk to stretch my back, go to bathroom etc.
I will probably walk by one of my trail cameras on the way and swap cards then kill additional time on stand by looking at the pics on my camera.
Get as many hunts in as you can, staying as long as you can each hunt. It really helps conditioning your body for the all day hunts during the rut.
4 sandwiches 2 20oz mt. Dews. 2 king size kit kats. Cell phone and power bank. I did I think 12 all day sits last year in Kansas plan on doing the same this year. I go in with the mentality that I am sitting all day and like some have said break the day into pieces. 9 am half a kit Kat. 10 sandwich 11 another half of kit kat 12 another sandwich etc.. I've seen a lot of good movement mid day...
That's where one's needs to enter the season in Whitetail shape as sitting, eating and daydreamin for 12 hours isn't for weak flat bellies.
You betcha Genesis, those sheep shape guys don’t know nuttin!
If you don't have type2 diabetes by the end of season, you didn't hunt hard enough!
lol, I know whitetail conditioning is way toughest! Although honestly I find it a heckuva lot tougher mentally. I can walk and walk and walk always wanting to see over the next rise on an active hunt, but stapling your arse to the same 12"x8" pad for 9 hours is no joke. Nevermind when it's so cold you pass the time by watching the icicle grow off the end of your nose.
Nothing like a hot breakfast in the tree stand. Forgot to include the insulin pen in the picture, Nick! ;-)
I've spent a little time on all-day hunts for whitetail deer, antelope and sitting water holes in Africa (2 hunts with no guide in hide). Here are my suggestions for all-day solo hunts:
1. comfortable, appropriate weight clothing 2. comfortable seating 3. reading material or cell phone (with extra power source, if needed) 4. rubber hot water bottle (pee jug and temporary hand warmer, if cold weather) 5. appropriate weight gloves and Hot Hands, if cold 6. appropriate weight head cover 7. liquids to drink 8. toilet paper 9. all food items in sandwich bags (quite than paper wrapping when opening contents) 10. writing tablet and pen 11. raingear (for rain and to block wind) 12. rutting sound tools, if during rut
I'm thinking drugs, maybe a little alcohol. Hell, maybe both. Pretty sure that's what it would take to get me to stay in one spot all day.
I'm so jealous of guys that hunt in places it's warm enough to use your fingers in all day sits.
But how in the heck have I never thought of bringing a sip of whisky for an all dayer?!!?!^^^^
I try and remember things while sitting there. I try and remember all of my teachers names throughout school. Old friends names. Names of people or places. Then I try to remember every deer or animal I have ever shot, recovered or not. Then I try and remember all the places I have hunted and when. I just sit and think and daydream. Nowadays if I have a cell signal I surf the web, but a lot of places I hunt I don't have internet so that is out. Oh yeah, when I used to do a lot more hunting and all day sits, I would think of all the stuff I could've accomplished that day instead of sitting in a tree.
Knowing that I’m not at work and have nothing to commit to for the WHOLE day soothes my mentality. At one point the all-day sit was difficult, but I look forward to the few I can commit to every year.
PS: I’ve done all-day sits in cold and windy rain, but will not do that again. Not being able to hear anything but the rain and wind is more mentalling eating than the cold.
Best laid plans.. On a number of occasions set-up for an all day sit. Was successful after 2-3 hours. Have also shot them at 12 noon, 1:00.
That have been on stand numerous times this year, have yet to see anything in the woods. 5 spots in various parts of the state. I haven't had a season this bad since the 70s. Must be because I received the state bowhunter satisfaction survey in the mail before season started. Not much to write down.
I am starting to get nervous about all the hunters in the woods jacked up on caffeine...lol. Does Ozonics kill the smell of hot coffee and a baloney sandwich?
JohnMC... lmfao !!
Um... yes. I've had to resort to dropping "Brown Mortar Shells" on waaaayy too many occasions. I try so hard not too but the cramping, gurgling and 7 Oatmeal Creme Pies take their toll on a fella.
I try not to go back to that stand for a day or 2 when that happens...
It's hard to figure out how America is so damn fat... ;-)
One other thing! If you get down for whatever. Dum, nap, to stretch bring the bow with ya. I got down in Kansas 3 years ago just to move
Around a bit and take a break and had agiant 9pt walk up to 10yds and hang out for 5 minutes. Shawn
I think all day sits are 90% mental so i try to mentally prepare the night before by "planning" on an all day sit. Like othersr, several of my planned all day sits resulted in killing a buck before noon.
A tip for snacks: I take candy bars, oatmeal cream pies, etc. but i always take them out of their individual wrappers first and put them in a small tupperware type container. It keeps them from getting smashed, avoids losing garbage, and most of all it eliminates the deer hearing me open my oatmeal creme pie!
Food, water, something warm to drink (i'm not a coffee guy so i take hot chocolate), and a portable phone charger are my most important all day sit accessories!
Extra layers of clothes never hurt either but in some cases i've actually shed a layer by noon on some of those warmer, sunny days. So layering is always a good idea.
I think the most important thing is you have to enjoy being in out. I love being out in the woods. I hunt where most of the time it is not practical to go home mid day. I would rather be in the woods than sitting in the truck. Unless I can get the Oklahoma football game on the radio!! I think it easier to do as you get old. When I was younger it was all about killing something and if things got slow I got bored. Now I guess I just appreciate being out. You got to enjoy all of the experience not just the chance to kill a deer/elk/antelope/turkey/ect. I do read a lot when hunting. Where is a better place to read a book than where you can have your bow next to you and only distract is what nature puts in front of you?
I like to set all day but until I picked up a Millennium it was tuff to do. I was 71 when I bought it. But I would not set all day without my Heater Body Suit if it is cold. Killed my best WT at -5 degrees after a week of waiting for him Dec.19th. out of a ground blind. I have a hard time hanging in a stand no matter what. I am a wool person as well to stay warm in pursuit of any critter. Foot wear @ 25 or below is Ice Breakers I got at Sydney Neb. Cabela's sidewalk sale 10 years ago.
On a recent antelope hunt where I was covering large swaths of land scouting and hunting and really sound is not and issue for finding game my smart phone had service and I put ear buds in and listened to music it was great maybe on a deer stand one bud turned low...musich talk radio a book on tape......is it optimum maybe minimizes hearing a twig snap but if it keeps you in the stand and happy all day I say the balance is worth considering...reading once cost me a bull elk I looked up and there he was staring at me...tried to set down my book and busted....
Didn't read them all so pardon if I repeat previously given advice. After 30+ years of 95% tree stand hunting I have found 2 factors above all other matters most if you plan on all day hunts. #1-COMFORT. I prepare all my stands for all day sits, and feel that is the single most important factor in having a successful all day sit. I have never had any real issue staying warm unless the temps weren't supposed to get above freezing for the entire day. With todays 100% synthetic insulated LJ's, jackets, hats and pants and if need be invest in items like "The Heater Body Suit" staying warm on stand in all but severe (>+10*) temps can be done. #2-It literally is mostly a mental game. If you are prepared and committed you can do almost anything.
I'm surprised to see all the guys that dread or refuse to do all-day sits. I love doing all day sits unless I'm cold.
Big p jug, comfy chair, plenty of snacks, layers for comfort. Used a zero gravity chair in a blind on the Kaibab for twelve, 14 hour sits trying to kill a bison. Seems like a bit much but for that kind of marathon its nice.
I believe in it fully but only have managed it twice in my life without getting down and taking a long walk and getting back in! How many of you fellas move to different stands throughout the day? I never have but know it can be productive. Was going to try it this year bc I know where the does are from morning til dark and thought about doing my travel routes morning and evenings like usual but possibly trying to slip into a couple more core areas closer to their bedding areas midday? Have any of you had luck good or bad doing this? My problem is i'm always thinking a buck can stroll by me on the trail that's more heavily used looking for does just as he could wander into where they're bedding midday? Thoughts?
"#2-It literally is mostly a mental game. If you are prepared and committed you can do almost anything."
X1000!!!! You have to have total confidence in your stand so that you know beyond any doubt that it's the "right place", and that it's simply a matter of timing so that the longer you sit there without seeing anything the more pumped you need to be because you KNOW that the odds are ever increasing in your favor.
Last year on thanksgiving week I did two things I never thought I would do. I purchased a tree stand umberella (best $19.99 ever spent for a western Oregon hunter) and took up with me a thermos of coffee. Those two things made those long sits a joy. Now I. Late season I have my umberella and a full thermos of coffee. Oh and throw in the goose down and wool.
For your phone, boatloadpuzzles.com Crossword puzzles on your phone. Do the easy ones! Free app.
I've been deer hunting over 50 years and do all day sets all the time. I'm from the age of no phone until I was 18 and black and white TV on a outside antenna. I don't need outside help keeping my mind working. Bring hot coffee, lunch and a snack and I'm set for a all day set. See nothing or many deer and I'm satisfied.
All that sitting with little to no mevement. Anyone ever take an aspirin beforehand to prevent blood clots in their legs?
