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Leaving the stand.

Beentown

Beentown

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,740
154
Sunbury, OH
Are you careful going out of your stand at dark like going in? I find myself leaving a lot faster than going in. If it is dark I don't worry about sound as much and try to spend as little time "contaminating" the area as possible.

Now I used to hunt with a guy that practically crawled in and out of the woods.

How bout you?
 
I try to be as quiet as possible on the way in and out, my number one goal when hunting is not spooking any deer. Although i do find myself being a little more careless on the way out, wether it's in the morning or evening. But i agree that if you bump one on out in the dark, they don't seem too bothered. The morning i shot my buck i spooked 2 on the way in probly 50 yards from my stand..30 minutes later here he came.
 
Im careful leaving. Its a pain when there are deer close but its too dark. So Ill sit till real dark and I cant hear them then sneak out but then I start getting the"are you ok?" texts. Lucky for me I have the quarry at my blind. They are digging a shallow area all the way to within about 12 yards of the blind so Im basically walking the edge like being almost underground and no leaves or corn which is perfect then the river bank is higher on the blind side so nothing in the woods across can see or hear me. I have one year crawled into the blind only to have a deer at 20 yards opposite bank watching me but that was rare. So now that last 12 yards I practically crawl across the open area. In and OUt.
 
I get the hell out of Dodge. They way I see it, the less I sound like a predator (sneaking) the better off I am. I'm not on a dead sprint, nor am I overly careless, but I do my best to mesh stealth with speed so I can get out ASAP...
 
I did this one thing once and it worked crazy well. Had to go in eve and a little late. Hill country in Coshocton area. Took a turkey call and shuffled in irradically stopping to watch every now and then. Clucked and cut every now and then. When I got into the stand ther was a buck grazing scary close I had to go up the ladder every step he looked away or head down in the corns. 20 mins after I got in I shot the biggest buck on my wall straight down under me:smiley_clap:
 
If I have deer snort at me, I'll snort and stomp back. You'd be amazed at how many deer will calm down and come right back in to investigate. Never a buck, but bucks don't stop to snort and stomp either. They are usually in the next township after bumping them...
 
Jesse said:
I get the hell out of Dodge. They way I see it, the less I sound like a predator (sneaking) the better off I am. I'm not on a dead sprint, nor am I overly careless, but I do my best to mesh stealth with speed so I can get out ASAP...
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This is how I do it as well. My entry and exit routes are usually planned so that I don't run into many deer, but in the rare case that it does happen, I'd rather they know I'm coming in advance vs. sneaking up on them and catching them off guard. IMO they get spooked easier when you surprise them.
 
I have always tried to come and go as quietly as poss. I don't worry so much in the dark but in daylight, its a stroll until I get about 70-100 yards out, then a "still hunt" to the base.
One thing to remember is now with the temps. getting a little cooler... sweat. I know you seasoned guys know this but for a reminder or a note to anyone...
Be very carefully to remove some layers, open the outer layers or move slowly enough that you do not break a sweat. Once you get that chill, the day is shot. Hypothermia can be a real bummer. Just being cold can be the difference of a 3-4 hour hunt or a early walk out.

When I was younger, I would bust my ass getting out to the stand, work up a sweat hauling my ass up that tree then suffer once I cooled down.
Socks; if your feet get damp, change your socks.

Didn't mean to get kinda side-tracked but how someone is getting to a stand seemed to tie in with sweat and Hypothermia .
 
You need to be very careful not to bang metal and clang your bow when getting down or the deer will associate that unnatural noise with danger and also will have a very good idea where the danger is coming from. If you are not concerned about being cautious getting down and out of there then you should be. Once on the ground and within 100 yards of your stand you should still be cautious and quiet. After that, a brisk walk out of there should be fine.
 
I try and stay in the middle of the field as much as possible. I'll walk straight in through the middle of the field, then when i get even with my stand i turn and walk straight in to it.. I sneak anytime I'm within 150 yards of my stand. But soon as i get to the field when leaving i walk quickly without stopping. Most times if there are deer in the field by the wood line they will watch me until i get about even with them then bound off into the woods not making much fuss.

If the crops are on I try and walk about 4-5 rows in. Unless the corn is super dry then i'll walk the edge but i get super sneaky. Ad try and touch as little as possible.
 
All of my entry routes are along well worn four-wheeler paths, so I have great access routes to every stand of mine. I make it a point to have my quad out once a week on my main trails this time of year. I know from past experience and with the cams, that it does not bother the deer. By staying regular, I keep the leaf matter mashed down and it aids in a quiet approach. I also use the creek and drainage ditches as much as possible. I can typically cover a lot of ground without much noise thanks to the trails. I rarely bust deer going in and out, but do take the extra precautions in order to have that success...
 
I have also learned that in deep snow, the deer will use my path. Because of this I will "plow" past my stand then circle back so deer using it will walk into my kill zone. Its worked 1 time over the years... when I was in the stand. They have used my path many many times after I was gone...(nothing worse than seeing tracks in my tracks cause I left early or had to be somewhere.)
 
Jesse said:
All of my entry routes are along well worn four-wheeler paths, so I have great access routes to every stand of mine. I make it a point to have my quad out once a week on my main trails this time of year. I know from past experience and with the cams, that it does not bother the deer. By staying regular, I keep the leaf matter mashed down and it aids in a quiet approach. I also use the creek and drainage ditches as much as possible. I can typically cover a lot of ground without much noise thanks to the trails. I rarely bust deer going in and out, but do take the extra precautions in order to have that success...
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We built fourwheeler trails at the land we used to hunt and it did make for a great enter/exit. And after about a year, the deer used the fourwheeler trails just as much if not more than regular deer trails.
 
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