Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Going in, dark or dawn?

For years I've been getting up extra early walking to my stand in the dark with a green light flash light and a GPS. I always wanted to be in my stand at first light to let the woods settle down and possibly see deer spooked by other hunters coming in later. Thinking back over decades of deer hunting I have only killed one deer at absolute first light. I have however spooked deer going to my stand that might have been shooters that I've only heard. What does the group say about the preferred time to get to their stand?

I go early. I like watching it get daylight

I’ve bounced lots of mystery deer when walking in in the dark and have also bounced more than a few nice bucks when going in when it’s light. Really don’t give it much thought anymore, I just walk in when I get there

I started walking in about 15 min before shooting light. I was getting deer coming in to the sound of my steps before I could legally shoot. Especially with a bow.

With a rifle I get in about 5 min before.

Early for me. Get in a little nap or watch the woods wake up around me while the night critters head for home.

I'm in the stand 45mins to an hour ahead of first light. If the crack of dawn is 530 - I'm there by 445 at the latest.

I hunt travel areas from feeding and bedding so I don't believe I'm bumping deer, it's transitory lane that they use later on.

I used to be diligent to get there before shooting time, but now I get there when I get there usually about 7:00. Opening day of gun season I try to get there by 6:30 (shooting time) in case other people push them to me when they're walking in. Right now sunrise is 7:22, so 7:00 isn't too bad.

Go in dark, as for the reasons mentioned above. Love watching the critters start moving in the morning.

I like to get there 30 minutes at least before shooting light. Here we can start shooting at 30 minutes before sunrise.

I go in early in the dark. I like being in the stand 45- 60 minutes before it gets light enough to see. I have shot a couple of pretty nice bucks right at first light. Does too.

I still hunt and like to be in where I want to hunt before first light. I do not use a flashlight or electronics of any kind.....never have. Knife, Rope, Compass, Topo map and watch.

I've never killed a buck in the big woods before 9AM.

But watching the sun come up and woods come alive is one of life's glorious pleasures, so I'm always in place well before light.

Depends if my stand is in a feeding area and how easy it is to get there unseen.

i am in my deer stand at least 1 hr. before sunrise , i have shot 2 nice bucks at pink light or right at sunrise but deer move different in a tamarack swamp with bears ,wolves and lynx where i hunt , but most of the time its 8 a.m. and later with 9 A.M. being the best chance at a nice buck. in the evening i get off my deer stand when its dark and try not to spook deer , i have killed way more nice bucks in A.M. i prefer to deer hunt and stay in my deer stand the entire day , i pack my lunch and beverages like its a long day at work for those 16 days every day, i do not always get a nice buck every year but i see plenty deer and smaller bucks every day. that is the enjoyment for me seeing different animals all day long. Pete53

Probably the best reason to go hunting I've ever heard. Same here man.

It reads like the consensus is to get in early and let things calm down. Seeing some really good bucks crossing in front of the truck pre-dawn tells me that they are moving then. I've come to the conclusion that I'm too clumsy and in too big a hurry to still hunt and anything walking in the woods is going to make some noise. A friend of mine actually used Petro's idea of attracting deer by sounding like a deer walking going into his stand.

While we'd like to think that we are good stand site pickers, a lot of the deer that guys see here on public land are being bumped into them by other hunters coming or going to their stands. Shooting where I go starts about half an hour after sunup until about 8:30, then when guys go in for lunch or get cold and walk around. Again when guys come out at 3;00 until 4:30.

I walk in when it’s legal to shoot. I hunt a very open area and I want to be able to shoot if I see a buck that meets my standards. Season is also during the rut so they’re as likely to move at 10 AM as 10 PM if there’s a hot doe or just bucks cruising. I’ll usually run back to town at 11 to check the mail and do any errands then back out there by 1:30-2 to stay until dark.

Only time I will sneak in during the dark is early bow season when it’s hot and they move right at dawn and dusk and stay holed up during the heat of the day.

I've never seen any advantage to being there in the dark, shot alot of deer midday. I suppose you can't shoot one when you're not out there. YMMV.

15-30 minutes before sunrise. Most deer I see are from 7-12

For me the hunt starts walking in, so I don't go in before legal shooting time. Too many times I've flubbed up a success story by walking in during the dark and bumping them out. Elk I'm sure are much different.I should add I haven't had caribou move much before well into shooting time.

I try to be settled in 30mins before shooting time. This year during gun season I say a deer in the headlights way ahead of me crossing the road into the woods I'd be hunting. Instead of heading in, I waiting until shooting light and still hunted my way to the stand. Shot a doe 20yds from my stand. Not sure if it was the same deer I'd seen, but I do think had I gone in while still dark I'd have not shot the one I did. May start doing it this way a bit more in timber.