How early is to early?
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
30-Dec-22
How early it to early to head into your whitetail stands
From: Jaquomo
30-Dec-22
March?
;-)
From: Aspen Ghost
30-Dec-22
Lou is right. March is too early. February is too late.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
30-Dec-22
Haha Lou. I have a swamp I’m going into tomorrow that I’ve been getting a tons of pics midday and little before dark. But also occasionally morning. They’re not bedding far so I’m planning a all day sit. Which this late I usually don’t do. But it’s gonna be 45-50 here tomorrow. And 44 in the morning. So I’ll be in about 90 minutes before legal light. This spot was on fire until no rain all fall and end of summer. It’s not flooded again and the activity is right where it left off. Hopefully I can connect tomorrow. Samdwiches and some water should get me thru the day
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
30-Dec-22
Blind
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
30-Dec-22
From: greg simon
30-Dec-22
Why go in so early? I’d wait til I could see then head in if activity is later. I can’t see to shoot out of a blind early.
From: Corax_latrans
30-Dec-22
Depends how long you can sit before you’re too cold to shoot good.
And Lou has a point: stay out of the stand at any time when you could be prosecuted for being there.
From: t-roy
30-Dec-22
90 minutes ought to be plenty early, as long as you can get in clean. Just make sure you don’t doze off at the wrong time! Good luck to you!
From: Jaquomo
30-Dec-22
Seriously, things change weekly during the season. Go in as early as you can tolerate and won't screw the deer, then stalk your stand. Lucky you have deer movement this late. My spots are basically a 10 minute hunt every afternoon right now. Total hit or miss. Good luck!
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
31-Dec-22
Greg going in early because they tend to come back this way in morning to bed not far from my blind but this is there only path thru. And they don’t always come back out at night before dark. So rather take my chances last day of the season and catch the either early, or when the fat lady is about to sing.
And, Troy I can get in pretty clean. Worst part is I’ll make some noise getting thru the water.
From: RonP
31-Dec-22
completely stand and deer movement dependent. they can be different and change throughout the season for many reasons from hunting pressure to weather.
when i had stands for morning hunts, i liked to get there about an hour before daylight. on the other hand, i recall one where the risk of bumping elk on the way in was too great and i would slowly sneak part way, wait until there was enough light that i could see with binos to avoid bumping elk, and then proceed to my stand.
From: Charlie Rehor
31-Dec-22
With the temps as warm as they are today I’d be hunting a field edge where there’s grass or next to green food plots.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
31-Dec-22
No greens here Charlie. They’re eating brows and left over acorns.
From: RD in WI
31-Dec-22
I tend to get to my morning stands a full hour before legal shooting hours. When I hunt behind my home this is mandatory, as the local deer filter through the woods a little later before dawn and I have to precede their movement. In one setting, I saw a nice buck an hour before dawn in the light of my headlamp, so I headed in a half hour earlier. This increased the number of deer I saw on stand. Tough to be up and moving so early but it can pay dividends. Good luck
From: bentstick54
31-Dec-22
I’m the opposite. I go in just as the dawn allows me to sneak in without the use of a flashlight. I’ve spooked to many deer in the darkness and educated them to my presence for future hunts. If they move through before legal shooting time you can’t shoot anyway, even if you can see their silhouettes. I hunt a transition/travel corridor between feeding and bedding areas and the deer come through at various times so I try not to accidentally bump any in the dark.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
31-Dec-22
Well…nothing moved today. 25 minutes after legal light and I left the two amigos went past the blind. They came from where I suspected them to be. On to next year! Last sit of the year was the longest. 11 hours and 45 minutes.