how early?

[iamgmc]

Just curious how early everybody climbs into the deer stand in the AM?

[tealitup]

an hour before light

[Cooter]

I like to get there a half hour before shooting time - if I can't make that, I'll wait until shooting time and slowly still hunt to my stand.

[BigWadeS]

about 1-1.5 hours before shooting time

[midwesthunter]

A half hour before shooting time, if I get there any earlier I know I would fall asleep during prime time.

[harvey lee]

30-45 minutes before crunch time.

[David Frank]

Somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour before shooting time. This gives everything in the area a chance to calm down before daylight.

[soldoncass]

depends if we are hunting a public area or not. at least an hour early if you want a good spot on public land-- 15-20 minutes on private land we went on last year and will be this year. no competition!

[love to hunt]

45-60 min. I that is my calming time.

[Jeremiah Johnson]

i like to be in there about 30-45min prior to shooting time!

[BobT]

My brother and I hunt together. He is one that likes to pick a stand and sit there until we pry him out of it. Don't know how he does it. Me, I can't sit still that long. I can sit for an hour or two but then I have to get up and move around or someone will have to pry me out of my stand.

We take advantage of our two different styles in this way. We have a rather long walk from our parking area to our stands. He will get to his stand before daylight and I wait near our vehicles until I can see. Then I'll still hunt my way toward my stand. Every once in a while this has paid off by me pushing deer past him. It seems to be a good combination for us.

Bob

[96trigger]

It depends on where the stand is, I like to get in my stand 15-30 minutes before shooting time. Especially if its a stand between feeding and bedding areas. Most of my stands are only 15 minute jaunts from truck to stand.

[cupper]

I like to get their about 45-60 min before shooting time as well. I like to get in and get settled before things start waking up.

[Froggy4371]

I leave the truck about 50 min before shooting and get to my stand about15-20 min before shooting.

[paceman]

I also like to be in my stand somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes. It also depends a little bit how cold it is.

[iland99]

I leave the house about half an hour before legal shooting light and I'm settled in my stand about five minutes later.

[dadman]

I like to get there so early I'm going up on the 28th of October till the 11th of Novemember. Hope I leave a few for the rest of You!

[bigbucks]

30-60 minutes, seems like legal shooting is usually about 6:30, try to be there no later than 6:00, but like to be there more like 5:45. I leave the truck or at least the house an hour before time, it's a 5 minute drive, probably 10 minute walk if you take your time & try not to get sweated up. Gotta get there early so I have time to finish getting dressed.

[UdeLakeTom]

Ever since the first time we went deer hunting, parked near a clearing and started walking only to have it so dark we didn't see what went thumping off, and not seeing any deer the rest of the day, we wait until about 5 mins before legal shooting time to head into the stands. But then most of the stands are only 5 mins from were we head out from.

And the neighbors on the next 40 wait until we are out in the woods before they head out. Don't know if it's because they are worried about us, or if they figure we can get things moving towards them.

[B@ssmaster]

30 minutes minimum. Gives me time to get the warm clothes on and have a cup of coffee and a donut while everything calms down.

[BradB]

Interesting discussion. I always have gone in quite early and waited in the dark. But I've felt that I've made too much noise bumping around, trying to get everything set, and I've been thinking about walking in when it is light enough to see. That way I could avoid stepping on dead wood, whipping branches, etc. I am thinking about wearing a face mask and walking deliberately to my spot as if I were not hunting--no looking around, stopping and looking, etc.

[iffwalleyes]

I wait till it is light enough for me to just see enough to make my way to the stand without any light. I usually walk a pretty good clip to get to my stand. I believe that if a deer sense you walking by but you aren't stopping or noticing them they won't get up. So I usually end up in my stand 20 minutes before the hunt is to began. In ND the hunt starts when I step out of the truck.

[Bubbadust]

20-30 minutes early.

[livintofish]

sounds about right, "shooting time" can be a relative term for some though. Opening morning I was hearing shots on the walk out to the stand when I couldn't see a tree 20 feet away. Anyone else expierience the same?

[onthefly]

Opening morning I heard shots while nearly at my stand - about 30 minutes before legal shooting! And it wasn't just one shot, it was 3 or 4. Unbelievable.

[walleye vision]

Hey guys...if you're worried about not seeing in the dark and making noise, just get a LED headlamp and put it on the low setting. The light level is so low that it's hard to notice unless it is shown directly on something. Just shine the beam straight down about 3ft in front of you, and you're golden. I started doing this last year, mainly for safety reasons...I don't want some (Contact Us Please) climbing into my stand and shooting me when he hears something walking his way.

WV

[Tinkhamtown]

5 AM and wait for legal shooting hour. Sitting super still is still a problem for me. I seen more deer when I can get it done. Sometimes I pretend the back of my head is nailed to the tree and the only thing that I can move is my eyes. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. What do you do?

[walleye vision]

WOW!!! I can't write the word (i. d. i. o. t.) This site is way too politically correct.

[BLACKJACK]

I wear my headlamp on red AND carry a flashlite, even if I'm on private land, I don't want some excitable ahorn mistaking me for a deer!! Too many 'hunters' lose their common sense when it comes to deer hunting, hopefully even those types won't mistake two flashlights waving for a deer.

As far a getting to the deer stand, my rule of thumb is one hour before daylight. That gives me 1/2 hour before shooting light to adjust my clothes, hang my bow, let the woods settle down before shooting light. Twice this year during archery hunting I had deer coming by my stand right at first shooting light.