Morning hunt

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I have this internal debate where I wrestle with getting in really early or waiting to grey light and slipping in. When it’s dead calm walking in when it’s pitch black is akin farting in church. There’s no hiding but I hope they can dismiss it as just an unknown thing walking in the woods. For years I would get out there about an hour before shooting light and let things settle and maybe catch a snooze. Lately I’ve been erroring towards being able to slip in when I can just barely see and hopefully some birds and maybe a squirrel or two is stirring. I don’t use a light because I think everything in the zip code can see a bright orb bee bopping through the woods in the dark. What’s yalls strategy for mornings?

 

[Bill]

Sleep in until the rut. Then all bets are off anyway. I only hunt afternoons unless its the rut

 

[Lee Haakenson]

I don't hunt mornings until mid October and I usually have bucks moving between 8 am to 11 am. I slip in when I don't need to use a flashlight. Also I hunt in hill country high on a point so I want some thermals starting soon after on stand. Also it's nice to slip in when the birds start singing. When I walk in, during pitch dark, I probably am as sneaking as a drunk guy at 3 am leaving the bar.

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[Mortenson]

Depends on how late deer camp went the prior night. Seems more of my morning hunts don't need flashlight entry :/

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Starting October I go in the mornings. Saw 20 this am so it was worth the effort I reckon. Nothing big but fun.

 

[PatinPA]

I love hunting mornings, always have. I think I see far more buck and deer in general in the morning than I do in the evenings. I have a fairly long drive now, so sometimes I'll plan to show up right after daylight and sneak in. I seem to jump a lot if I show up right before daylight. I just don't have the want to, to get up and be out well before daylight.

 

[bwoods11]

I do not hunt as many mornings as I used to. However, I love a cold morning of chasing during the rut .

I’ve been going in right @ first light, slow walk in and i sometimes will move … say 100-150 yds to another stand at 9-10 am ?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I love hunting mornings, always have. I think I see far more buck and deer in general in the morning than I do in the evenings. I have a fairly long drive now, so sometimes I'll plan to show up right after daylight and sneak in. I seem to jump a lot if I show up right before daylight. I just don't have the want to, to get up and be out well before daylight.

I’m with you, I think my overall better hunts are mornings. Plus I despise navigating through deer trying to get out of my stand and back home

 

[Tree Spud]

Unless you have a buck patterned in the morning, stay in and get some z's. If the deer have been feeding at night and then gone back to bedding, you could bump them.

As early rut approaches, i like mornings as bucks will scent check for does after daylight. During the rut, all day long is good and I like getting out to sit by noon-1pm.

 

[hillrunner]

I want to be in the tree before light. I usually have pretty good idea what areas I need to avoid to prevent bumping deer on the way in. That generally means sticking to the timber for the walk in.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

I think everyone can agree it depends on the setup.

I tend to prefer evening as far as ease of access. But there's just something about watching the woods wake up around you that hits different.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

As far as killing efficiency. I honestly thinks it's a wash. I get on some big deer late Sept early Oct in the morning. But kill em around 11. But the strategies are different from the jump.

 

[SwampCat]

I get in early. I have walked in early and seen deer in my headlight bedded dow 30 yards away and they dont even get up. That same deer bolts in the daylight. Cant hardly not bump deer on my place. Last weekend, I told my son to drive three miles around the road to come in on the other side of the stand instead of driving a mile through the woods. He said when the deer came in, they came right up the trail they walked in on instead of where I thought they would come from

 

[SwampCat]

Mornings until is starts getting cold and then evenings

 

[Electrodigical]

I don't hunt where I live, I go away for my weeks vacation to do it. For years I was out every morning. Then as I got older, the first couple mornings. "I'm on vacation!" became my logic for not getting up. Now as I'm even older, and all time seems to be flying by, if I don't go out in the mornings the week seems to fly by faster than ever and I regret it terribly.

 

[Mortenson]

For our short gun seasons, right or wrong, I've always gone in early, 90 minutes before first light. I think that puts me earlier than most neighbors. I figure if I push out a few deer, they will push back maybe a few more, and I'll already be set tight. The past 12-15 years of bowhunting, I've trended toward going in after dawn when the woods start waking with a little noise. Entry/exit is an art I never gave any thought to when I was younger. Nowdays I lose sleep over it.

 

[West_Fork]

I go in before light, listen as day starts to break, find out where they are and dry gulch 'em if it will die close to a road.
I want a blind I can sleep in. I would go in the night before if I did.

 

[Tree Spud]

I am only talking about bow hunting perspective with limited early morning hunts. In my situation, too many chances to bump deer off of ag fields in the morning. During gun hunting, I am in my stand an hour before daylight every morning.

 

[Bill Loser]

In my younger days, many times I stayed on stand over night. The property I hunted at the time the only access was from the west through open fields. So I figured it was the best way of doing it. It worked....once.
Now my own land for gun hunting we sneak out the back door of the house and post in the tree line to watch the fields until full light then go to stands. Bow, I usually don't hunt mornings, can't get to my stands without bumping everything.

 

[Doublewide]

I'm afraid of the dark so it's an easy decision for me!