How much time in the stand/blind?

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dithian
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How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by dithian »

Hi everyone. I'm just curious how much time you all commit to spending in the stand/blind before calling it a day? A few hours? All day?

I'll spend anywhere from 1-3 hours, but I get lots of hunting opportunity. I know some of y'all have to make the most of a short season, so I imagine there's motivation to drag it out.
xcaliber
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by xcaliber »

That's a tough question. I have found that deer move at different times of the day, and pressure will have an impact on their movement. If I'm doing a morning hunt I try to stay put until the traditional time that most guys leave to warm up, eat breakfast, or call it a day. Around here that's usually around 9:30 am, so I'll sit it out until 11 am. I can no longer sit all day, so if the rut is on, I try to hunt between 8:30 am and 2:00 pm. I find a lot of movement in the late morning, and early afternoon. If you have a piece of good low pressure hunting grounds you can hunt the food sources which means evening & morning sits will produce. All that said, the old saying is "you cannot kill a good animal from the couch" be out there, sit still, keep your scent under control, play the wind, and use whatever tactics work. Oh, and don't miss. Watch the weather patterns too, right before & after a front is a good time to be out for extended periods. I used to hunt when I was able to go, now I hunt high percentage times. Changed my life!
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janesy
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by janesy »

Depends more on the stand in on, which the weather dictates.
My climber I'm good to sit for 5-6 hours.
My hang on, favorite spot, after 3hours I have to stand up and stretch my legs. Which oddly enough last week I stood and did a little dance for a minute. When I sat down there were three does under me that neither they nor I saw each other haha.
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longbow joe
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by longbow joe »

I hunt usually 4 evenings a week from 4pm till dark rotating 5 hunting property's lm embarrassed to admit l have 12 different stands on the property's. On Saturday l hunt morning come home for lunch and an hour nap and out again. It's rare l stay in one all day long unless a giant has bedded down near.
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DuckHunt
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by DuckHunt »

I hunt 2-3 afternoons during the week from about 4pm until dark. Then I hunt Saturday mornings until about 9:30am and both afternoons on the weekends. During the rut, I'm only out of the woods about 3 hours a day.

On Thursday when I got my 8pt, I didn't reach my stand until 5pm which left barely two hours of light. When conditions are right, any amount of time in the stand can be productive.
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longbow joe
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by longbow joe »

DuckHunt wrote:
Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:42 pm
I hunt 2-3 afternoons during the week from about 4pm until dark. Then I hunt Saturday mornings until about 9:30am and both afternoons on the weekends. During the rut, I'm only out of the woods about 3 hours a day.

On Thursday when I got my 8pt, I didn't reach my stand until 5pm which left barely two hours of light. When conditions are right, any amount of time in the stand can be productive.
Yep any time in stand can be productive....even a solid half hour has gotten me lucky many times
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longbow joe
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by longbow joe »

It's a shame years back l used to drive 45 minutes away actually passing my hunting land today....but in reality we didn't have that many deer here 15 years ago.
But my point is being as local as possible really adds stand time especially when they change the #!#!# time l freaking hate that.
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ko4nrbs
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by ko4nrbs »

I use my Game Cameras to see when the deer are moving and base my hunt times and time in the Stand or Ground Blind on that. At the Church Buddy's place I get settled in the Ground Blind an hour or so before first light and sit till 11 am. I will adjust that depending on the pictures I get. Don't hunt evenings there with all the close neighbors. Stumbling around with a flashlight in the back lot after dark will be a sure sign what I am up to.

I have several cameras in this area to ensure I don't miss any deer arrivals and departures.

Down on the river I use a climbing tree stand and have never had to sit more that a couple of hours before I get a deer. It's an excellent spot but very difficult to get to. The steep banks and thick underbrush discourage most people but I ain't most people. My friends say I'm not very smart either. Sleeping in the boat when it is in the 30's is not for the faint of heart. I get dressed before the hunt very fast!!

I have sat for 12 hours in a stand and in a ground blind but hunt smarter now.

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Last edited by ko4nrbs on Mon Oct 14, 2019 10:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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rmb721
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by rmb721 »

In the morning, I usually hunt until about 9:30 or 10:00. In the evening from about 4:30 until dark.
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elkaholic
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by elkaholic »

Know deer movements between feeding and bedding are important info. Most will travel same trails and times , if not really pressured.

Last fall , you could almost set your watch at a group of does movement . 5:30 pm here they come ,down the same ridge . So we'd go out about 4 -set till legal shooting over. 3 to 4 hrs

Not this year , differnt ridge and time. But this yr. Bumper mega crop of acorns. Food everywhere, no set patterns.

Setting different stands and different times of day, helped to fill a few tags,

I can't sit very long either but usually predawn to 10, if I'm hunting mornings. Especially first few days of season. Now the days are shorter ,so are my sit times.
Never have much luck in an afternoon sit. Unless the rut on or storm coming. Then just make the evening hunts an hr or 2 earlier.

The ole standing to stretch snort, Lol. If you move , even after looking in every direction, a deer can be there, worse sound you want to hear. Don't leave though.

There are so many variations. I just go. All sit times are different.
Timbrhuntr
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by Timbrhuntr »

Depends where I'm hunting and the time of the season. In Kansas in the first 2 weeks of November I sit all day everyday !
Smong2000
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by Smong2000 »

Being retired, I hunt every single day unless it's an a all day downpour or snowstorm I can't get through. I don't wake up early to hunt very often before the rut so am out from about 8-9 in the mornings until dark. During the rut or starting the end of October, I am out as it's getting light until dark every day pretty much rain, snow or shine. Personally, I don't like to stumble through the woods when it's dark and can get back in pretty quietly stillhunting my way as it's getting light. I hunt in the big woods and not agricultural areas very often and my stands are just comfortable places to sit against a tree or blowdown mixed in with a couple pop up blinds for really cold or wet days. It's really tough to pattern deer in the mountains where they are comfortable moving around wherever and whenever they want so 'stand' locations are fluid.
I just enjoy being out in the woods and know that the chances of getting a good buck mid day in October are not very high but still I have done it quite a few times. My cameras catch deer most anytime of day and night so I know that they do move in the most odd conditions and times. Last season I walked into a nice 8 pointer at 2:30 in the afternoon on a 85 degree day. He was just wandering around like he owned the place. Could have shot him at 61 yards but that's outside of my range limit so I just watched him for a few minutes as he browsed away.
For my overall success, I have shot 2-3 deer, mostly bucks, per year almost every season hunting in New England and Ontario. Of those probably three quarters are shot between 11 and 3, with the rest shot right around sunrise or sunset. So my answer is 8 plus hours per day for approximately 50 days each season. My wife sure is an Angel... :eusa-clap:
ko4nrbs
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by ko4nrbs »

Timbrhuntr wrote:
Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:17 am
Depends where I'm hunting and the time of the season. In Kansas in the first 2 weeks of November I sit all day everyday !
Me to. During the rut here you can expect bucks to be on the move just about anytime of the day. My trail cameras confirmed that over the past 6 or 7 years I have been using them.
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Timbrhuntr
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by Timbrhuntr »

ko4nrbs wrote:
Thu Oct 17, 2019 10:07 am
Timbrhuntr wrote:
Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:17 am
Depends where I'm hunting and the time of the season. In Kansas in the first 2 weeks of November I sit all day everyday !
Me to. During the rut here you can expect bucks to be on the move just about anytime of the day. My trail cameras confirmed that over the past 6 or 7 years I have been using them.
Bill
I have sat in stands at my buddies places in Kentucky and Kansas where he has trail cameras set up near the stands. I have seen several good bucks that came no where near the camera and he had no pics of them. Last year in Kansas I saw 2 in the 180-190 range one came out of a plum thicket at 130 and stood looking towards me at 80 yards then walked off next day at 11 I saw his brother chasing a doe around but couldn't get him to stop for a shot ! :cry:
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Re: How much time in the stand/blind?

Post by Onetimeonly x--> »

I like to hunt the timeframes that are available to me, you just never know? I've seen deer watch hunters walk by literally stop, and precede when they have felt comfortable altering their route just enough to give a shot. Anytime filling my lungs with fresh air and watching the real world is time well spent. Hunt often and more importantly let someone know which location you will be hunting. Could be a lifesaver.
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