How late do you hunt???

[dan]

I have noticed that most of the public areas I hunt there always seems to be several cars in the parking lots... Sometimes lots of cars like opening day of gun season or a weekend during the rut... But I always seem to be the last guy out of the woods. And often I get down prior to closing time because of a good view of the bedding area and no movement... I can remember a time or two shooting a deer and getting out early, or picking up a client hunter where I would see the hunters getting back to there trucks just before dark...
Makes me wonder how many of them are leaving there stands right when the deer start moving?
Remember they have to take down and pack out a treestand as well as navigate back to the parking lot...
Anybody else notice this? For those who get down 20 minutes or more early, are you afraid of trying to find your way out in the dark?
I also notice guys who do all day sits tend to be ancy to leave early rather than waiting for prime time...

[Bucky]

I think it all comes down 2 scouting and prep... If u know the property well u will stay longer and not be afraid of getting lost on the way out. 1st time in a new chunk deep Id probably get down a little early so I had some light 2 navigate as well

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[PLB]

I have noticed this a lot Dan!! I do believe many hunters are afraid of the dark! I know they are actually because I see them walking out at 4:00 during gun season and walking in at 6:30 after I have been there for an hour!! I agree too about sitting all day and then walking out before dark!! I have done this before years ago!! I got so antsy by then I just had enough and had to get down. I think though that if you have supreme confidence in your spot and have done your homework, you are a more confident hunter and it makes it easier to sit for longer periods at a time and not climb down at primetime!

[PredatorTC]

I have seen this a lot too and I also think afraid of the dark. I did not get to the truck till 7:20 tonight and thats average latley. SOmetimes I wonder if I should get down quicker to not scare what is coming. THen other times I wonder if I should sit in the dark to see if they are moving late.

[BackWoodsHunter]

Depends where I am hunting. Today I realized I was in the wrong spot and not going to see anything. I wrapped up a few mins early and glad I did because it was my first time in aside from scouting, my gps did not work properly, and I was in fact turned around. The extra few mins of light help me get oriented with the sunset/direction of the truck before darkness really hit. Luckily by then I was back on track. I will admit that's a humbling experience next time I go in to public I will have that in my head and will probably be slightly "afraid of the dark". Hunting private and public lands alike I am familiar with I will sit til dark. On public I sit til shooting hours end take the arrow off the string and pack up. On private land I take the string off at last shooting light but sit until I can't see my pins anymore. Then it is dark enough, IMO, to get down and sneak out. I used to hunt til I couldn't see the pins but I don't want to lose my hunting privileges or worse yet wound a deer or non-target animal/person so I abide by the laws.

[Dewey]

I hunt till closing and take my time getting out. Sometimes it takes me about 2 1/2 hours after dark to get out of some of my spots. One time I was hunting way out on a cattail island and another guy showed up on the other end of the island and set up 2 hours before dark and then left a half hour before dark. Not sure what was up with that but I saw a nice buck while he was leaving. Guess he was afraid of the dark!!!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Jay]

I stay till the fat lady sings. I have a lighted sight as well

[kenn1320]

Depends on the bow I'm hunting with. If I have the longbow, I need to be able to pick out some detail on the animal to focus on, or I cant hit what I'm looking at. When I feel its to dark to do that, I climb down. I know with my compound, I can easily place the pin on the deer and don't need to see the fine detail. When I get down, I need a light to see my bow rope or something else like that on the ground when packing up. When I get to the field, I cant silhouette anything and if a deer was 50yds away, I wouldn't know it. Last few nights its around 8pm when I'm putting my stuff in the car and leaving. Ive been turned around in the past, but hey you have all night to find your way out.

[Zap]

I stay on post until the last minute, then the minute after I pack up.

[James]

Dan, I experience the same thing on public. Quite a few vehicles when I drive in but I'm always the last one out, it never fails. People are just unwilling to go in far to hunt spots. I suppose it's intimidating for some.

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[Zap]

I am afraid of the dark, so I bring three flashlights.......

[Schultzy]

You should see the bear hunters Dan up where I hunt. 20 minutes before legal shooting time Is over (the hot time for bear moving) there's 4 wheeler lights every where driving through the woods. Chicken POOPs they are!

[BigHunt]

it takes me about 1.5-2 hours to get otu sometimes .....

[headgear]

I always hunt until the bitter end, alwasy the last guy in. Some guys we hunt with pack up early because they don't want to shoot a deer before dark. The one guy would even leave a full hour before dark, I almost slapped him, well not really but the thought crossed my mind.

[BigHunt]

I always hunt until the bitter end, alwasy the last guy in. Some guys we hunt with pack up early because they don't want to shoot a deer before dark. The one guy would even leave a full hour before dark, I almost slapped him, well not really but the thought crossed my mind.