Scared of the dark or just dont like shooting deer? q

[Thesouthpaw]

I've learned that the vast majority of people are afraid of the dark.

[Boogieman1]

Would also add I believe mental toughness plays a big role into hanging tough until the bitter end. I’m not talking to the hunters who have a set time to leave 30 min b4 dark so they can spend time with the family. That’s understandable. I’m talking to the hunters who have set a few non eventful hours and there brain starts working against em. Come prime time they realize they are cold or hungry. Convince themselves that nothing is coming and if they leave now they can still catch half of the football game. I’ve been there! Believe we have all been there. But when u start having a lil success by hanging tough it guess much easier. You realize every minute that goes by brings you closer. Hold your water and happy hunting

[jkelley1487]

I think a lot of guys are scared of the night woods. When I was younger, it definitely intimidated me. I think it's one of those things that starts to go away after you become more seasoned and have a lot of sits under your belt. Some guys and gals only hunt a handful of times per season and are uneasy in dark, unfamiliar territory. They may panic a little and get back to the vehicle while there is still light.

Like others have said, even if you don't like walking in the dark, you need to make yourself do it. You are greatly reducing your odds at a good buck if you skip out on the first 30 mins of daylight or the last 30 mins by avoiding the dark woods. We can all remember times when we busted out a deer while getting down too early.

[Comet]

I've learned that the vast majority of people are afraid of the dark.

This right here. And that includes most hunters.

[kher]

If the spot is unfamiliar and im going in blind from by cyber scouting, navigating back to the car can be a little intimidating in the early season because it can be thick and can be hard to move through all the different vegetation. Hard to navigate back if you have no GPS or no track record of your previous footprint. If I know the area well had have hunted it in the past, im staying until last 30 mins after sunset time.

I think it is mind of matter. You have to be able to convince yourself that you are the most bad predator in the woods.

[Bonecrusher101]

I think a lot of guys are scared of the night woods. When I was younger, it definitely intimidated me. I think it's one of those things that starts to go away after you become more seasoned and have a lot of sits under your belt. Some guys and gals only hunt a handful of times per season and are uneasy in dark, unfamiliar territory. They may panic a little and get back to the vehicle while there is still light.

Like others have said, even if you don't like walking in the dark, you need to make yourself do it. You are greatly reducing your odds at a good buck if you skip out on the first 30 mins of daylight or the last 30 mins by avoiding the dark woods. We can all remember times when we busted out a deer while getting down too early.

X2! Humans are creatures of habit. We can easily become comfortable and complacent. We can become comfortable leaving early just the same as we can become comfortable staying vigilant during the closing hours and then taking our time in the pitch black darkness.

We also perform our best after repetition. Leaving before it gets dark sets a bad precedent in our sport and negatively affects our outcomes and goals. I’m guilty of leaving early at times too, but I know the ramifications and really try to make it an exception instead of a rule for me.

Honestly, I shoot a lot of deer in those final moments and those thoughts are what help solidify me in staying put till dark.

[RookieBeast2019]

I’m more scared of other hunters shooting me.

[justdirtyfun]

I’m more scared of other hunters shooting me.

That's a real concern. A headlight on the walk out is a big safety measure . In sensitive places, I have heard of people waiting at the bottom of the tree an hour and then coming back. Or not running a light within x amount of distance of stand.

BUT RUN A LIGHT!

[K_Shook]

I’m not scared of the dark. But I’ve been lost before on thick public with no phone or flashlight. Finally making it out of the woods all cut up and miles from your car. Not fun at all.

I take a back up flashlight, batteries, and compass now.

[phade]

Early season IMO is different than compared to when leaves are down. I notice people stay later once that happens.

Also, spot specific early season can impact when you get back to your truck. My hunting partner and I can be on the same property early season yet one can no longer see/shoot effectively from the stand as much as 30 minutes before the other based on what stand or location we're in. One property has a valley in it that was pretty narrow with a 100 yard wide flat, but was covered in mixes of dense mature trees and pines, shielding out the light quick once the sun passed the hilltop. We'd walk out to a field edge about 150 yards away where you'd think you were in a different world as far as light goes.

In fact, I've actually crept out and waited on a trail head at the end of that valley and watched several deer get shot from a field edge stand - and vice versa with partners watching me do that, too.

[westmichigander]

Wanna scare me.......send me to the inner city for a night. Those are by far the most dangerous predators we have in this country. No question.

True Story

[A5BLASTER]

I stay till the last light is long gone. I have had to sit on stand for 2 or 3 hours after dark before to let the deer move off and me not blow them out while climbing down and leaving.

I use a red light for navigation.

[Cvanheel]

I do a fair bit of my hunting in northern Minnesota. wolf country, and have had several after dark encounters with them. I think in general from what i have seen anyways its more of a there curious about you being in there home range then a they are hunting you thing. Have never been afraid to walk through those woods. That being said last deer season mid October I found myself hunting a piece of public close to my house in western Minnesota. This particular piece is located on a lake, and it requires you to take a boat to get back to the swamp stuff. Its super secluded, and I have never see anyone back there. Well i sat till dark that night without seeing a deer, and no other wildlife to speak of it was spooky quiet. As i was getting down from my tree i kept hearing what sounded like big rocks being thrown into the lake. It was the craziest thing ever. I'm not one to believe in big hairy men or any supernatural stuff, but i have never felt so afraid in all my life. That swamp just had a bad vibe. That being said you better believe I will be back in that swamp this year. There are some true giants that call it home.

[Lu Rome]

Here's a question for you and everybody else. If you were hunting deep in bear and wolf country would you still be just as comfortable mentally waiting until dark to pack up and leave???

I've done it my whole life, most of the time you find your own comfort level and if you are loud the animals usually leave you alone but sometimes you run into them or catch them by surprise or maybe they are extremely hungry and they follow you but that is very rare. I really only worry about the big cats these days, bobcats I see all the time, they are like yotes, they could do some damage if they wanted to but most of the time they leave you alone. Seems more and more cougars are showing up all over the country and I imagine one day I might see one, the hope is they are not in stalk mode when that happens. I often wonder how many times they are there and you never know it, I bit there have been hundreds of bears I have bumped and never seen.

People are scared of the unknown and let their imagination get the best of them.

Black bears, wolves, lions don't worry me in the slightest. Griz? Yeah, they make me nervous, but mostly because I haven't dealt with them (haven't dealt with wolves either, but they don't worry me).

I spent 6 years in the Black Hills where they have a legit high population of lions, never worried me in the slightest. They have the personality of a barn cat, they don't want to see you any more than you want to see them. In reality, they don't view humans as prey. They're looking for deer and other things. There were almost twice as many people killed by dogs in 2019 (48) as there have been lions in the last 100 (27), this fear of lions is entirely unfounded.

[BorealBushMN]

I do a fair bit of my hunting in northern Minnesota. wolf country, and have had several after dark encounters with them. I think in general from what i have seen anyways its more of a there curious about you being in there home range then a they are hunting you thing. Have never been afraid to walk through those woods. That being said last deer season mid October I found myself hunting a piece of public close to my house in western Minnesota. This particular piece is located on a lake, and it requires you to take a boat to get back to the swamp stuff. Its super secluded, and I have never see anyone back there. Well i sat till dark that night without seeing a deer, and no other wildlife to speak of it was spooky quiet. As i was getting down from my tree i kept hearing what sounded like big rocks being thrown into the lake. It was the craziest thing ever. I'm not one to believe in big hairy men or any supernatural stuff, but i have never felt so afraid in all my life. That swamp just had a bad vibe. That being said you better believe I will be back in that swamp this year. There are some true giants that call it home.

Beavers slapping their tail off the surface.