Vito1

I hunt ag land with small woodlots. I see more deer after daylight at my morning stands if I am in my stand at least an hour before light. Some stands require me to be there earlier. The deer feed their way back towards the bedding areas my stands are near. There is no way to access these woodlots without walking through a field first. I need to be in my stand before the deer start feeding in the fields near my stand. Some mornings they walk by me in the dark, some mornings it's after legal shooting hours. What I do know is if I spook them from the field before light, I see a lot less deer after daylight. Trust me, if I could slip in without being detected I would definitely sleep in!

minnesotadeer

None in my situation. My honeyhole is behind our house in the woods but I like to do the same in other spots. I try to get there a minimum an hour before shooting light. I don't fall asleep easily so I just sit back and listen for sounds. Kind of relaxing. Plus, my 2 cents is if you do bump something in the dark, better than in daylight when they see you for certain. And I've had deer circle back to check out the situation when its just light enough on the few occassions I did bump.

minnesotadeer

Plus my situation is the same as vito1. Woodland near ag lands that the deer move into as dawn comes.

Chuck7

For me...I'm in a WMA..I don't want anyone to know where I hunt..so I high tail it through the swamp..I'm usually the first at the gate..I drive fast down the dirt roads..Get my stuff and head out..I walk the first 1/4 mile with no light so other hunters won't see me...My tacks are spaced good . My Summit will be waiting on me locked up...Once at my tree I take my time to make zero noise..My thermacell is on..and i usually hear deer as soon as I get still...they are moving in to bed..

disadvantages....none..I take a little nap..

TEmbry

Technically, isnt there just as good a chance you will bust the deer at 4 am compared to 5 am in most places?

Depending on where I hunt is how early I go in. If I walk through ag fields like cooter said, I wait till later to go in. If I am hunting where deer movement is hottest RIGHT at legal hours, I am there well before dark...if I am hunting out in the middle of the woods in a travel route sort of place, i wait till I can see where I am walking without a light before I head in. I am 12x more quiet this way, and in this type setup, the deer could move through at any time. Just as likely to bust one coming through at 4 am as 9 am.

Kreagerm

I always get in the stand an hour before day light. I feel it only give me the advantage. But then again I hunt near a bedding area.

mauser06

i TRY to go in and be setup atleast an hour early....seems opening day its no problem....after that, it gets later and later lol....

im going to push myself this season....i KNOW it helps....opening day of rifle one year i was in my honey hole with the rifle....got in SUPER early...in the stand and settled in....not long after i had 2 bucks walking around munching acorns and grunting ALL morning in the darkness. could EASILY whacked the biggun...he was a beast...moonlight lite him up and i could see his giant rack....but im not that kinda hunter.

about 10am i look up and here they come....the big boy with another buck in tow....didnt even look at the smaller one...the biggun was just plain huge. could i have dropped him? im willing to bet i could have...did i??? didnt even fire....didnt like the shot...he was walking and the brush was somewhat thick....that was the time i learned the importance of the strap for the top of my Viper...i stood up to get a clearer shot and the top of the stand fell onto the bottom...neither deer ran....but started walking and there was no stopping them....he was killed a couple days later....boy was he a beast......



but im CERTAIN if i came in at my NORMAL times i woulda busted both of them out of there and never seen them again that day.....they hung around JUSTTTTT till a few minutes before i could legally shoot(still about DARK but the moon was bright...i had my clock set to go time) no dice...

mahoningbuck

I am a freak about getting in there early an hour or two before legal shooting light! I would rather make some noise on my way to the stand then get caught climbing up not ready to shot. There are some things you need to do if your route makes noise. First, you need to make your travel route as sound proof as possible. Clean out what ever you can or make a path to your stand once the leaves start falling. The more you keep sticks and leaves out of your path the easier to get there without being busted. Second, to keep you on the right path.....throw up some reflective taks. They keep you going where you need to go and you can use them year to year. Also, I use one of the red covers over my flash light so I dont light the woods up. Get in there early, let the woods settle, and wait baby wait!

GMMAT

Have I ever mentioned that this might be a good time to take a nap?

virginiashadow

Only disadvantages I can think of are----you become tired if you keep entering that early every morning and having to use a flashlight to enter a stand can sometimes send some alarms. Also, most of the time, the wind is not blowing that early in the morning, so the walk in can sound very loud on occasion.