taking down stand and sticks before dark?

[PLB]

am I the only one who takes down my stand and sticks before it gets dark out? I just don't want to attempt it in the dark for safety reasons.

I really see no point in packing up during the best minutes of hunting time? Are you leery of the dark? Sounds that way? Have you ever setup in the dark? Doesn't sound like you have? Get a quality light and trust your equipment and abilities.

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[whitetail_addict]

I usually call it a hunt when I can't see my pins clearly or can't see twigs or branches that may get in the way of a shot when I'm in a thicker area. This tends to be a little before pitch black so I generally have enough light to take down. If I need it, I always have my headlamp with too.

[phishy]

i watch my phone til the last minute of legal shooting hours, then put the arrow in the quiver and lower the bow, its lighter that you think the last minute, then it fades really quick ... in WI 20 minutes after sunset,, my GPS has a sunset time so i know exactly when it is up. I've done my climber so many times i can do it in the dark either side of the sun.....

as for being skittish, walking out??? snorting deer always make me jump and i once had something barking at me... i think it was a bear cub... that had me so spooked i yelled at it......i mean yelled at it... GO away!!!! GIT !! HAYHA!!!... till i was past it, I welcome the night hike out or in of the woods, reminds me of how disadvantageous we are in the dark

[checkerfred]

I wait until its too dark to shoot legally. Then use a headlamp and linemans belt like others here. Only thing I hate is walking out in the dark is harder for me to be as quiet as going in because things are harder to see. I did almost have a heart attack one morning in the dark. I walked in through a kudzu patch...it was winter so it was already dead but a doe had bedded right off a drainage creek. I had to cross into the kudzu and back out because the ditch was clogged with deadfalls. When I stepped into the kudzu patch, I almost stepped on her. She jumped up and ran and scared me to death. I had to sit down for a minute or two because I was so started. I don't know how I didn't spook her before as I had to walk through some leaves.

[dan]

A few of my best bucks were taken in the last 10 minutes of legal light.

[Southern Man]

Practice with those things until you're comfortable and it's second nature. Then taking down won't be as much of a chore. I wait until dark always. Sometimes slap dab dark depending what's goin on.

[SSMinnow]

ive heard a good bit about folks who stay 30min past dark...i think in efforts to not spook deer. not sure what the logic is behind that other than it being tougher for them to see what you are. unless you have a flashlight on that you would most likely need at dark thirty...idk but idk much so was hoping someone on here could enlighten me on that theory.

Anyone stay 30min past dark? and how come?

[E72]

I spray painted the top side of my LW steps white ... Really helps see them in low light .

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[Bowhunting Brian]

I have never set up in the dark with sticks and lock on. I have with a climber. I am not afraid of the dark. lol. I have a head lamp, gps, and carry my Smith and Wesson M&P 40c with me. what I do worry about is the steps are small on the sticks and I like to be able to see well when climbing up and down. I'd hate to slip and fall. I hang my stand just like Dan on the youtube video. no harness while setting up. no lineman's belt either. hang the sticks, climb with stand on shoulder and hang when I get to the top.

[PLB]

I have never set up in the dark with sticks and lock on. I have with a climber. I am not afraid of the dark. lol. I have a head lamp, gps, and carry my Smith and Wesson M&P 40c with me. what I do worry about is the steps are small on the sticks and I like to be able to see well when climbing up and down. I'd hate to slip and fall. I hang my stand just like Dan on the youtube video. no harness while setting up. no lineman's belt either. hang the sticks, climb with stand on shoulder and hang when I get to the top.

X2 that's how I do it

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[HoosierG5]

Beachballing here...but after dark I hate getting blown at by deer. If I can do it without tripping I jog and use my grunt tube to get away from deer that have passed me and hit ag fields before dark. Now, I dont do this during gun, and I would not do it on public land...but it has worked for me...after dark.

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[Wapiti]

I wait until it's dark. I use a headlamp which helps a lot.

Me too.

[Wlog]

ive heard a good bit about folks who stay 30min past dark...i think in efforts to not spook deer. not sure what the logic is behind that other than it being tougher for them to see what you are. unless you have a flashlight on that you would most likely need at dark thirty...idk but idk much so was hoping someone on here could enlighten me on that theory.

Anyone stay 30min past dark? and how come?

Yesterday evening I had a buck chasing a doe in the thicket right beside me with 5 minutes of shooting light left. They came over to within 25 yards right at dark but I couldn't see them just heard them. He was chasing her and grunting. I stayed in the stand until they walked off and I couldn't hear them anymore.

These are the situations where I choose to stay in the tree. If that doe is almost ready there could potentially be a pile of bucks there today. If I spook her it's game over.

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[checkerfred]

ive heard a good bit about folks who stay 30min past dark...i think in efforts to not spook deer. not sure what the logic is behind that other than it being tougher for them to see what you are. unless you have a flashlight on that you would most likely need at dark thirty...idk but idk much so was hoping someone on here could enlighten me on that theory.

Anyone stay 30min past dark? and how come?

I've stayed 30-45 minutes after dark before. I had a bunch of does around my stand feeding. If I had got down, they would have known I was in that particular tree. They probably smelled me later on after I got down but at least they didn't physically see the tree I was in.

[Swampbuck]

If you use a line man's belt it's not a big deal at all. Problem with doing it with 3-4 points of contact is if you slip, miss or a step breaks you could be screwed, so I could see doing that in the dark being iffy

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