When to leave

[sbertram87]

Hi this past Saturday bow hunting opend and i only got to go last night. At 7:35pm a doe and fawn came out and i am not shooting does or fawns so they got to live and went away from my santd. Season ended at 7:45pm it was getting really dark but there was a some light left. So as i was came out of the treestand i looked back and saw 2 deer looking at me and they were 60 yards away. So i came down and they both ran away my guess is they were a doe and fawn.

My question is when do you leave the stand? Do you leave once it is total dark or do you leave with some light left?

Thanks

[4khorn]

I hunt until the end of legal shooting time. Then I will take 10 mins or so to pack up and get down. I like to have a bit of light when walking through the woods, but will sometimes wait til it is totally dark before stepping out into the open fields.

[buckhunter21]

For me, it all depends.  For sure I am there till the cover of darkness...But sometimes, like what happ to me last Sunday, I had deer under me for quite a while after dark eating acorns, so I just sat in my stand till I thought they went away.  The last thing you want to do is have a deer see you get up and down from a tree, but it does happen and isn't the end of the world.

[sbertram87]

Hi every one thanks for the answers so far keep them coming

[kribbz]

I am up there until after dark if i see anything at all. If i have not seen anything all night i will get down after legal shooting hours are over.

[danesdad]

Typically, I'll stay out until it's too dark to see well enough to shoot. In the woods, that's usually a bit before legal time is over but due to the cover of the trees, it gets darker a little sooner around some of my stands. If deer are around at this time, I try to wait until they leave.

[USNavyChiefRet]

I usually wait until it's past legal shooting hours then pack up and get down out of the stand, by that time it's usually darker. Last week I hunted up at my daughter & son-in-laws place. I waited until legal shooting hrs were over, got down, untied my bow from the haul line and mistakenly left my Thermacell laying on the ground right next to the ladder. I got about half way to my truck when I realized I has left it laying there, duh!, so had to walk back to get it. When I got to the house my son-in-law acted kind of funny and said "I was just about to go look for you". I said "well, I stayed till last light". I was glad he was worried about me, for all he knew I could have been hanging upside down from my safety harness. I talked with my wife later and she said my son-in-law was really worried about me  which is O.K. with me, I'm glad someone is looking out for this ole chief! Bad part was I didn't see a deer all afternoon! Oh well, I got to see some turkeys come back to roost and I know right where their at!!

[smitty]

I like to stay until its to late to shoot.  I hate to spook deer when Im leaving or when Im going to my stand.  I think that makes me more than a little hesitant about hunting in the AM around my food plots.

[DeerCamp]

I try to wait it out till I cant see anymore. However once legal shooting time has ended Ill un nock the arrow, or unload my gun. Then I will get down and head for the car, I am usally still very quite and try to sound like a deer while walking, by pausing. If I need my flashlight I will point it to the ground and follow the tail. I feel that waiting it out till dark gives me the lease chance of spooking a deer. Infact, one year while walking out I came with in 7 yards of a deer. It was looking at me but had no idea what I was, she finally ran off after I got at 7 yards.