Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

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Do you quit at the end of LEGAL shooting time?

Yes, as soon as the chart says Im done, Im done, no matter how well I can see
15
28%
Im done when I cant ethically shoot something anymore..
38
72%
 
Total votes: 53
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G3s
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby G3s » Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:52 am

Honestly I am not positive on when the legal hunting time really is...it changes every day by 2 or 3 minutes...I am sure that I call it quits very close to the "legal" hunting time but I can't honestly say I am on my way down the tree at the end of legal hunting hours..I am sure I have missed it by a few minutes


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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:56 am

Shooting hours are pretty generous in my hunting areas and when closing time hits I am done. In conifer swamps with all of there associated darkness I am normally done well before legal shooting time has passed anyway.

If I am in hardwoods on a cloudless, full moon evening hunt... I am down and done when legal shooting time expires.
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby FRH » Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:19 am

Most of my spots I'll see deer coming before they get too close. So I usually end up getting down 5-10 minutes early if I don't see anything. I figure get out before something sneaks in and then I'm stuck.

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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby venisonassassin » Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:32 am

Being that I hunt mostly public I hunt 'til legal hours and then I'm done. Like someone said, I don't want to be a guy who has a reputation for being a violator.
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby RaisedByWolves » Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:48 am

I usually stay until shooting hours but I will get down early if I can't see. I've also stayed past shooting light to avoid spooking deer or to see if a deer was coming out of its bed late.

I only like to take the shots I know I can make
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby GRFox » Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:55 am

I never really thought to much about it. I typically call it quits when its to dark to shoot. I am going to pay more attention to the times this year forward. Im curious to see what conditions are like at the designated time.

I have stayed in the stand for a long time after dark to not spook the deer that are right under me, but I wouldn't have considered what I was doing wrong.

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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby Hunter74 » Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:32 pm

I picked that I quit when I can't see well enough to make an ethical shot... Now some might call b.s. but more often than not that is several minutes before legal quitting time because I put my arrow away once I can't see well enough to pick out a detail to aim at... Usually I judge this by looking at a bush 20yrds away or so and once I can no longer pick out an individual leaf well enough to aim at I'm done...

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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby JV NC » Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:45 pm

With a compound, first indicator (not enough light) is not being able to discern the peep (pick up the sight housing in the peep).

With a recurve, last (ethical) light comes later. If I can't see the end of my arrow, I can't shoot, ethically.

Like the previous poster, I think ethical shooting light ends (in the PM's) before legal shooting time.
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:53 pm

JV NC wrote:
I get down when I don't think I can pick a spot on an animal,


But I noticed your comment about it being different with firearns v. bowhunting.

How so? Can you see later or not as late.


Scopes gather light...
Plus a bullet 6" inches off target will still do quick work of dispatching the animal (in most cases), more room for small error.

Example - I've had deer come in with legal shooting at 40-50 yards,
and all I can do is place the cross hairs on the ground 6" behind it's front legs,
then slowly raise the crosshairs until I'm in the middle of it's chest (blob).

I would never attempt this archery hunting even at 10 yards!
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby cornfedkiller » Sun Jan 29, 2012 2:23 pm

JV NC wrote:Like the previous poster, I think ethical shooting light ends (in the PM's) before legal shooting time.


I think alot of that depends on the conditions, and where you are hunting.

If you are deep into the woods with thick cover, I will agree with you completely..If you are one a swamp edge with open sky above you, maybe a little snow on the ground, in my experience, I can still see pretty dang well when civil twilight hits...but then again, I eat alot of carrots..
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby cornfedkiller » Sun Jan 29, 2012 3:19 pm

And just for the record, Im not saying I hunt til I cant see every time or anything like that (I did when I was younger alot), and there are times I find it kinda nice to start packing up when I can still see without my flashlight, but I was just curious how many of you guys live by the clock...

To the guys that say you always quit at the moment the chart says its a half hour after sunset, are you constantly checking your watch in the last ten mins? The part about that I find annoying is that my only clock is on my cell phone, and when it starts getting dark, I hate pulling my phone out of my pocket every couple mins and lighting up the screen just to check the time...
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Dewey
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby Dewey » Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:14 pm

cornfedkiller wrote:And just for the record, Im not saying I hunt til I cant see every time or anything like that (I did when I was younger alot), and there are times I find it kinda nice to start packing up when I can still see without my flashlight, but I was just curious how many of you guys live by the clock...

To the guys that say you always quit at the moment the chart says its a half hour after sunset, are you constantly checking your watch in the last ten mins? The part about that I find annoying is that my only clock is on my cell phone, and when it starts getting dark, I hate pulling my phone out of my pocket every couple mins and lighting up the screen just to check the time...

Here in WI closing is 15 minutes after sunset. I like to set my alarm on my phone to vibrate at closing so I don't have to watch the time. Only takes a few seconds to set.

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cornfedkiller
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby cornfedkiller » Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:28 pm

Dewey wrote:Here in WI closing is 15 minutes after sunset. I like to set my alarm on my phone to vibrate at closing so I don't have to watch the time. Only takes a few seconds to set.

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Really?? 15 mins after sunset? That seems very early to me.. Here in MN, it's a half hour past sunset..

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Dewey
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby Dewey » Sun Jan 29, 2012 6:48 pm

cornfedkiller wrote:
Dewey wrote:Here in WI closing is 15 minutes after sunset. I like to set my alarm on my phone to vibrate at closing so I don't have to watch the time. Only takes a few seconds to set.

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Really?? 15 mins after sunset? That seems very early to me.. Here in MN, it's a half hour past sunset..

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I was wrong! :oops: It actually closes 20 minutes after sunset in WI.

Opening in morning is 30 minutes before sunrise.
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Re: Quitting at the end of Legal Time?

Unread postby Kodiakman » Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:04 pm

Interesting answers and what they all cover. I wasn't going to answer this but I figure what the heck.

You all know just by being in the woods when it's time to go, which means you are down at legal time. Give or take a few minutes... Not a major stresser in my world. I don't break laws, can't afford it. If the question is : is a couple minutes after a watch hits a certain number still considered poaching? Then my answer is no. Sorry. But you won't find me doing it. Not on purpose at least. And that is what the spirit of the law was intended for. Catch actual violators. Not joe hunter getting down 2 minutes late.
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