Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

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HuntThis
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Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby HuntThis » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:27 am

Opening day for bow season in MI is Oct 1st. I'm hunting public land this year so I will have to deal with "other hunters" for the first time in a long time.

I'm hoping that since it opens on a Wednesday this will somewhat decrease the pressure...keeping my fingers crossed.

So how early would you get to the parking lot? Your desired place to setup a stand?

6:59am is the legal start time.

The spot I'm have for my #1 pick is tricky. There are signs all over the place but it is also really close to a parking lot. I have back ups, but this is one of those spots that I think will go dead right away once the season starts so I think it will only be good for 1-2 sits total.

My concern is getting there too early and literally falling asleep in the stand or just being a zombie all morning and not alert.

If I hit the parking lot at 5am do think I'm safe? How early would you get there in a situation like this?

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Re: Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby dan » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:32 am

Being that Oct. 1st is a good moon day, a morning sit "might" pay off... Or you might have someone bump one to you... But, I would save my good spots for the evening, and hunt a spot that is hard to get to in the evening without alerting deer. And in that case I would be there an hour before daylight... You get much better movement in the evenings. Deer are often bedded before daylight in the mornings early season.
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Re: Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby HuntThis » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:42 am

Unfortunately (for me) I can only hunt the morning of the 1st and then can't get back in the woods until Sat evening.

I'll see how it goes on the 1st and then come back to this spot Sat. evening. By then I'm sure it will be dead for the season...if not already.

There is path at the parking lot that goes 30 yards from this spot so anyone headed into the woods from that lot will scare the deer away.

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Re: Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby Buckbuster28 » Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:07 am

I hunt public here in michigan and going from what you've described and what I've experienced that sign may mostly all be made at night....I know the public I hunt usually has enough pressure on it before deer season even opens by people scouting for a spot and small game hunters that most places have been distrusted enough to cause the deer to move late already....are you hunting a bed or a food source?

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Re: Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby seazofcheeze » Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:41 am

Buckbuster28 wrote:I hunt public here in michigan and going from what you've described and what I've experienced that sign may mostly all be made at night....I know the public I hunt usually has enough pressure on it before deer season even opens by people scouting for a spot and small game hunters that most places have been distrusted enough to cause the deer to move late already....are you hunting a bed or a food source?

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x2. I agree 100%. If it's anything like the public I hunt, this past weekend will have had any number of the following: bird hunters, small game hunters, guys hauling bait, last minute scouting, setting up tree stands. If there's deer sign, it's likely night sign or wentity dead this past weekend.

As far as getting in, if you are going to hang and hunt, I'd be at your tree 1.5 hrs before daylight, hopefully set up by an hour before.

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Re: Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby HoosierG5 » Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:51 am

After spending the last 11 months reading on this site Im sitting AMs out till late Oct. In your scenario though, id get real high the AM and hope your thermals go above him or his bed. However, %s say you will get 1 chance at that bed maybe 2 if you are lucky. Is it worth the risk in the AMs?

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Re: Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby HuntThis » Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:16 pm

This spot is full of beds, but also close to food.

We were near this spot for the mentor hunt and a buck came right up on us just as it became too dark to shoot. Heard a snort at it was too dark to see him. So at least this one buck was moving in the evening.

I've got this one morning to hunt and then can't make it out for a few days. At that point I will switch to evening hunts at least for awhile. It's a long season. Either way, this spot will be wrecked by then - if it hasn't already (like some of you have mentioned). I'm curious though, perhaps because this is a high traffic area the deer may have somewhat become accustomed to the presence of people. All the signs are fresh and the bait I laid out is completely gone.

We shall see...

My other spots I won't feel so rushed to hunt. I have one "gem of a spot" that I'll have to get hardcore to hit. Canoe, hike, etc. Eager to see how that pans out.
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Re: Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby HuntThis » Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:14 am

Just thought I would update this…

I got to the spot at 5am and setup shortly after. Good thing too because about 6am someone wondered up to the same spot.

a) I saw your flash light and shined my light your direction. You saw it. Did you really need to walk all the way over to me and have a conversation?
b) After you slammed your truck door when you arrived, loudly cleared your throat and clanged all your gear together getting out of your truck, did you have to walk right down the deer path up to the tree?

Oh well…some people are more concerned about noise and scent than others I guess….
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Re: Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby wmahunter » Sat Oct 11, 2014 6:22 am

HuntThis wrote:Just thought I would update this…

I got to the spot at 5am and setup shortly after. Good thing too because about 6am someone wondered up to the same spot.

a) I saw your flash light and shined my light your direction. You saw it. Did you really need to walk all the way over to me and have a conversation?
b) After you slammed your truck door when you arrived, loudly cleared your throat and clanged all your gear together getting out of your truck, did you have to walk right down the deer path up to the tree?

Oh well…some people are more concerned about noise and scent than others I guess….


:clap: Typical public land - Hey your in my tree.
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Re: Bow season opening day - how early do you get there?

Unread postby kenn1320 » Sat Oct 11, 2014 8:02 am

You found good sign and you threw bait down? :shock: I'm guessing the hunt didn't go so well and I'm doubting it was due to the guy at 6am. You can find spots close to the road that can be productive, but I think that's rare in most places. The deer you had show up during the youth hunt at dark was a great clue that the area your hunting is a long way from the bedding. The only sign I would hunt by a parking lot is a used bed and nothing else. You also found out one of the public land issues, if you found sign, so did others. As Eberhart says, if you can walk to your stand without crossing water, getting on your knees, etc somebody else will come in and ruin your hunt. Good luck.
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