How early are you setup??

[shaman]

ORIGINAL: Goose

On morning hunts how early are you in your tree and setup? Do you think it makes a difference if your an hour early or a half hour early? Do you walk in at light? Have you done all three and notice one better than the other?

I've done all three.  Here's what I found.

When I was hunting with a climber or I was setting up a ladder or a hang-on, I figured on being in the stand an hour before first light.  That left enough time for the scent to dissipate and the world to forget all the noise and fuss.  If I was able to get in the night before and set up the stand, I would knock a half hour off that.

Now that I have permanent ladder stands and I can creep in and get set without a lot of brouhaha, I find that being in the stand right at first light is sufficient. My stands are a half-mile or less from the house.  I figure leaving the house about 90 minutes before sunrise and taking my time gets me in the air, belted-in, and buttoned up right when I need to be.  Most of my morning deer have been taken between sunrise minus 00:15 to sunrise plus 1:30:00  with another peak shortly after the neighbors start leaving their stands and heading in-- between 10:00 and 11:30.

One thing that I don't like to do is be on the move an hour either side of sunrise.  If I'm held up getting out, I'm likely to wait until 0900 or so and slip in.  It seems that when I'm trying to get somewhere around sunrise, I'm forever spooking deer.

[8uck5nort]

I usually like to get in postion 1 to 1/2 hour before legal shooting time. Indiana is 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. I too hunt serveral woodlots with open fields going into them and have bumped deer. Nothing worse than starting your hunt with the dreaded alarm snort in the darkness ahead of you.
 
Has anyone tried using an inexpensive night vision monocal or somehting like that to "see" in the dark to avoid such things. I have seen them at Wally World for 100 -150 bucks, but don't know much about them.

[NWPAHunter]

1/2 hour to 45 minutes usually does it. Sometimes i roll a bit late and get there as the light was  breaking as I did opening day this season....wanted to be there earlier.     Mistimed that one!!!!!LOL

[dtrain56]

sitting in the stand an hour before shooting in the mourning - about 4 hours befre sun down..

[JOEL]

i prefer to be on stand an hour before legal time which is sunrise.however i dont always work out that way.In the begining i would walk in in the dark bumping deer like crazy then spend the day watching trees.now i know the property well enough to walk with very little light use.if you cant get there quietly in the dark its best to still hunt your way in 

[mb41]

I try to be near my stand about an hour early... but it takes me a good 20-30 minutes from then until I'm set....
 
... by the time I put on all my layers and spray down (again) and climb up and then get bow raised, bow holder in, hat, gloves, etc...
 
LOTS to do, so I always prefer to leave earlier as opposed to later.

[PrairieShadow]

I try and be atleast 1/2hr before shooting time. But if this is not possible i get their when i can. The way i see it is, being late is better than not going at all, you are never gunna kill mr big from your sofa.
 

[danesdad]

This morning, I arrived at the tree I wanted to hunt from at 5:25.  I had my scent bombs out and was up in the tree, belted and relaxed by quarter to six.  Sunup was around 7:15, but it was light enough to shoot probably 30 minutes before that.  The deer, apparently not having gotten the memo, didn't show up until 9!  But I did hear some before it was light enough to shoot.