Going in, Dark or Dawn?

Here is my answer:

Back when I was bow hunting, I tried to be in my stand an hour before first light. That was waaaay too early, but I was schlepping in a climber and doing the ascent. I wanted as much time for the woods to settle back down. Gradually, I started cheating it forward.

Here it is, 40-some years in. My last bow hunt was in 2007. I stopped using climbers about 2001. I stopped cheating it forward at about 15 minutes before first light or about 45 minutes before legal hunting. That’s for getting out to my treestands, up the ladder and sitting down. For my ground blinds, it’s a bit later. I’m usually a bit past first light before my last layer is fully zipped.

Two factors have modified that decision. The first is when the neighbors usually crank up their ATVs and head out to their stands. That’s usually about 15 minutes before legal hunting. They frequently spook deer and I can hear them crashing through the woods ahead of the vehicles. I try to be thoroughly settled in before that happens.

The second factor is when the deer actually arrive. Twice I’ve taken the camp record buck at 10 minutes into the hunting season. I want to be there in case that lightning strikes again. However, the camp log records that the vast majority of shots on deer do not occur until after 1:15:00 into the morning hunt and that the bulk of the action is over with in the next 90 minutes.

The neighbors usually head in around 9:15 or after about 2:30:00 of hunting. You want to be there at least until 10:00 to pick up on the deer they bump on their way out.