Morning Hunts

[OhioHunter88]

How early do you normally get into your morning set?

Here is my dilemma, one of food plots is set up for basically an evening hunt and is small (1/4 acre). Deer have recently been hammering it in the mornings,but what I'm seeing is deer are either there all hours of the night or coming in around 6am and staying after daylight.. Shooting time this morning was 7:03 so deer are there an hour or more before.

I'm thinking I need to slip in ATLEAST an hour and a half before but I figured I'd gather some Intel from the brotherhood on this situation.

 

[Bigslam51]

Too risky IMO. You just don't know where those deer are prior to 6am. They could be 30 yards behind the plot browsing. But I don't know how good your access is either.

 

[giles]

I'd walk in with a buddy, be loud upon entering so they move outa the way. Get set up and send your buddy back to the truck, make sure he's making noise on his way out. I bet they'd come right back after he leaves...

 

[Redhunter1012]

I'd walk in with a buddy, be loud upon entering so they move outa the way. Get set up and send your buddy back to the truck, make sure he's making noise on his way out. I bet they'd come right back after he leaves...

I don't think I have that good of buddy's to go out at 6 a.m. for a long walk in the dark. Question: Do you and Chad hold hands when you guys do this or just have a hand in eachothers back pocket?

 

[Quantum673]

Lmao

 

[Bigslam51]

I don't think I have that good of buddy's to go out at 6 a.m. for a long walk in the dark. Question: Do you and Chad hold hands when you guys do this or just have a hand in eachothers back pocket?

I'd have to lean down too far to reach Dave's pocket, wouldn't work. Sick fugger

 

[bigten05]

I've tried this situation before never worked out for me. Just get back off food plot in morning between them and there bedding area.

 

[Bigcountry40]

I'd walk in with a buddy, be loud upon entering so they move outa the way. Get set up and send your buddy back to the truck, make sure he's making noise on his way out. I bet they'd come right back after he leaves...

Sort of the same idea of hunting hunters, I've had friends watch deer watch hunters walk by and then scurry down the hill.

 

[PA Bandit]

Could always bring an extra coat...strap in tight...and sleep in the stand...I am sure there has been someone do this before

 

[Bigslam51]

Could always bring an extra coat...strap in tight...and sleep in the stand...I am sure there has been someone do this before

Pretty risky also to have your floating around for that many hours in the dark lol. If it was an elevated blind then I'd say go for it.

 

[Iowa_Buckeye]

I usually get into my morning sets about 10 to 15 minutes before shooting time. Anything earlier is a waste of time in my opinion. That being said, my morning sets are in transiton areas and are not over food. As you said the set is an evening set, so sleep in and hunt it in the evening. And put another set a ways off of the plot in the direction you assume they are bedding for your morning set.

 

[giles]

Sort of the same idea of hunting hunters, I've had friends watch deer watch hunters walk by and then scurry down the hill.

Yup, my old man and I will do this. We listen for the escape route when we push them out and then I'll take the long way around. We have killed deer like this the last few years. He shoots one and they run right o me and stop...bang! Two deer down

 

[Curran]

I usually get into my morning sets about 10 to 15 minutes before shooting time. Anything earlier is a waste of time in my opinion. That being said, my morning sets are in transiton areas and are not over food. As you said the set is an evening set, so sleep in and hunt it in the evening. And put another set a ways off of the plot in the direction you assume they are bedding for your morning set.

Agreed. If you can't get in there without bumping deer then you're increasing your odds of messing that spot up. There's a time to hunt aggressive, but right now you need to hunt smart. Get in and get out without the deer knowing you were even there. Ninja mode.

 

[Carpn]

It's all about Risk Vs reward . If ya think ya can pull it off then go for it. But in my opinion it's a pretty big risk to take at this point in the season . You have to be able to get into and of your stand without deer knowing . The more deer ya educate the fewer good sits ya can get our of a stand . So high impact stands are best saved for the times that'll provide prime opportunity

 

[Bigcountry40]

Agreed. If you can't get in there without bumping deer then you're increasing your odds of messing that spot up. There's a time to hunt aggressive, but right now you need to hunt smart. Get in and get out without the deer knowing you were even there. Ninja mode.

thiss

 

[jagermeister]

I usually get into my morning sets about 10 to 15 minutes before shooting time. Anything earlier is a waste of time in my opinion. That being said, my morning sets are in transiton areas and are not over food. As you said the set is an evening set, so sleep in and hunt it in the evening. And put another set a ways off of the plot in the direction you assume they are bedding for your morning set.

It's all about Risk Vs reward . If ya think ya can pull it off then go for it. But in my opinion it's a pretty big risk to take at this point in the season . You have to be able to get into and of your stand without deer knowing . The more deer ya educate the fewer good sits ya can get our of a stand . So high impact stands are best saved for the times that'll provide prime opportunity

I'll echo what these guys have said. Too risky in my opinion. It's simply NOT a good morning set. Putting a stand right on the food source or very close to it isn't very conducive to hunting mornings. You just bump too many deer. I've always liked getting inside the last half of the distance to their bedding areas for morning hunts this time of year.

Having said all that, there can be exceptions. If you have an assload of intel that is telling you these deer are coming back to the plot during late morning, like 9 a.m. or later, then you can make this type of set work. Just slip in during daylight very cautiously. I've had a couple food plots that were like this over the years... It's usually the ones that are very well hidden and secluded. On those cooler mornings the deer would hit them late in the morning, usually on their way towards their beds after leaving a different food source.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Sean, Jake and JB all hit on points I take into consideration. I'm also with contigent of folks that spend as little time as possible in the tree before I can shoot. I'm down to hunting two main properties. On both, deer are rarely on their feet on the property until after daylight. It took years of intel to be confident of this approach, but I believe in it now. That said, if I hunted the neighboring property to my honey hole, I'd have to be in extra early. All the deer I see an hour or two after light come from there, so I know that's a spot I'd have trouble accessing without going in super early.

That said, get that girlfriend of yours to drop you off on the quad. I've used this approach a few times on our farm when I want to hunt our main creek bottom. It's the one spot I tend to run in to deer in the mornings. I've driven the quad down there and ran deer off, drove the quad 100 yards away and stashed it, then slipped back in the stand and had deer come back out 30 minutes later. I'm out there on the quad all the time, so they don't think anything of it.