Convince me to get up early for the start of the season?

[Carl Tuesday]

My problem is im so excited for opening day I don’t go to bed the night before. By 9am I'm sound asleep in stand or suv.

I hear ya. I'm hoping the last week off staying up way way too late rebuilding and tuning my bow, getting house crap done, etc counteracts that and I pass out. And on that note... Good luck to anybody getting out this weekend.

[Rich M]

I kill most of my deer in morning. Will be out this Saturday and expecting to have on opportunity.

[seazofcheeze]

You can't kill a buck laying in bed.
Pick up some coffee.

My problem is im so excited for opening day I don’t go to bed the night before. By 9am I'm sound asleep in stand or suv.

Haha, this was me a few days ago. I saw a monster muley on a p.m. hunt. I couldn't fall asleep that night until 1 a.m. I was up before 5 a.m. just itching to get back out. Sick with the fever!!!

[HunterBob]

I would do some aerial scouting to find an area that you want to check out and go there in the dark. Then I'd wait till first light and pick a tree to scoot up quickly that gives you a good vantage point. If you don't see anything by 11, then go and do some midday scouting.

Worst thing you can do is bump some deer, learn a new area, and have a chance at a great story.

[ThePreBanMan]

https://youtu.be/_pg17-CIXSU

[buffalojay83]

Definitely don't scout it....just go for a 'hike'

[NorthStar]

I have a story from last year that changed the way I look at hunting mornings. Particularly in areas I haven't scouted much. Opening morning I decided to pick a tree in the middle of an open marsh. I picked it for no reason other than the aerial map showing bicycle spoke style trails all coming to this tree. So that was literally all the intel I had on this place. I got there an hour and a half before first light and pretty quickly realized that the spot I had chosen was the perfect observation stand. I saw deer coming from food sources and walking straight into think bedding areas. The deer I saw were hundreds of yards out to the spot was junk for hunting but the intel I gained was amazing. I made a plan based on bedding and food source to get in close for an evening hunt. I has 6 deer within bow range that night and missed a 7 pointer at 20 yards!

So why not use mornings for an observation sit?

[PK_]

I go against the grain and am a huge proponent of hunting mornings early season. But that scenario I would likely sleep in opening morning(unless I saw a spot on the map that really made me feel warm and fuzzy). I would cruise the property around 8-9am Opening morning and see where everyone is parked and whatnot. Speed scout some areas to find a few morning trees then I would scout/hang/hunt evening spots rest of season while continuing to scout morning trees too.

I have gone in completely blind many times in the dark and had success that way but it is like 4-1 the amount of fails and disasters for every success.

[venisonassassin]

Hunt the morning if you feel confident. One thing I would do for sure is some boots on the ground scouting to find hot sign to hunt the evening.

[Dewey]

You can't kill a buck laying in bed.
Pick up some coffee.

My problem is im so excited for opening day I don’t go to bed the night before. By 9am I'm sound asleep in stand or suv.

Sounds like me except I hunt through the entire day. Sleep is overrated. I always tell my wife I’ll get all the sleep I need when I‘m dead.

Working second shift and getting home at 3 am doesn’t make morning hunting real appealing to me anymore. I function much better getting a good night sleep and put all my energy into evening hunting. I’m a night owl so wouldn’t feel right telling somebody else they have to hunt mornings since I rarely do myself anymore outside the rut or gun season.

[Carl Tuesday]

Well, it was better than a day at work that's for sure. No movement in the AM area, except for some very loud squirrels that almost got my small game head....

Found some sign in the vicinity and in the way out, so I didn't pick a terrible spot, just not the right day/time.

Afternoon location was easier with the midday to walk it and speed scout, followed by a sit.

Two good learning items:
Need to ditch the backpack when it's this hot. Too much crap to carry.
Never ever wearing rubber boots for warm early season. Damn near got trench foot.

Three things I need to research now:

1) do all scrapes need to have a licking branch near it? Found some weird patterns of 18" ish "scrapes" but no overhead /mid height branches nearby, just real low stuff. Maybe some other animal having fun?

2) how much do deer dislike sticker bushes and thorns? As much as me after this afternoon?
I'm wondering if it's a "no go" when very thick thorns, or not unless there is a compelling reason, or do they just not care? Curious how it would affect travel between two POIs.

3) how to decide if something might be bedding vs some patch where things aren't growing or are matter for whatever reason... Like the attached.