What time to sit in a deer blind?
 

I recently built a deer stand and plan on sitting come November. What time should a guy sit? Is it better to go a hour before legal light or go late afternoon and sit til dark?

All day but only sit in it if the wind is right

I have shot way too many animals mid day to only sit mornings and evenings. Locations you hunt plays a role on when you see activity

Agreed! While I’ve never hunted a stand I’ve also never shot a critter right at shooting light. It’s always been around 9-11am.

Daylight Game Cam pic's are all of deer you weren't there to shoot at.

September... first and last 2 hrs Morn and Evening Best tasting deer Skin and cool ASAP if really warm no cooling overnight de bone and ice.

October... Start with prev month time and add 10 min a day till by end of Oct you are sitting all day. Bucks taste good till mid Oct. Can now hang with hide on Bucks start to fall off taste wise.

November All daylight hrs. Wall hanger time even Doe's taste a bit off.

As per the OP’s question come November with the right wind 1hr before sunrise on stand and sit all day and walk out on dark....I like multiple Stands in an area if wind changes I will still hunt over to another stand set up.

And layer up as it is easier to take cloths off then to wish you had more available.:)

Depending on your activity and hunt camp location I’d start with mornings and evenings. Get in an hour before sunrise to around 10-11am and then back out around 2-3pm until dark as a minimum.

We always break for lunch with the guys and we walk from the central cottage out to our stands on a large property in a bit of a starburst fashion with each guy covering their own area.

We normally average a deer per guy over the course of the week so we don’t feel much need to hunt during the middle of day and instead take the opportunity to socialize and nap so we can stay up a little later at night.

anytime works for me

I always seem to see more game in the morning.
And I’ve always found it nicer to shoot one in the morning instead of last light

Unless your blind was specifically built, how would you know, other than to sit both times, and all day during active rut.
My blinds, which are really just improvised hiding spots, are constructed in response to observed movement. All I seek in a ‘blind’ is to break up my silhouette, proved draw cover, and have a clear shooting lane. The key is to construct around specific game movements. Sometimes it’s a one up chance, other times I’ve relocated or otherwise tuned while deer continue the same routines.

Here are a few hints:
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=Blind
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=Blind
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=Blind
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=Blind
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=Blind
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=Blind
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=Blind

This might be ok for farm fields. I found completely other way around in Alberta bush. The most productive time is between 9 and 2 pm.

Same here. If I don't have a deer on the ground by 3 p.m., I call it quits for the day. I like to take my time doing 'the gutless method' in daylight, getting everything cleaned and tucked away, and preparing dinner before dusk.

I've done my time, - taking a 2nd 'kill shot' to put down a badly wounded animal just after legal hunting time, field dressing by head-lamp, trudging out in the black cold and returning to camp exhausted to collapse into bed. And then returning to the kill site the next morning to look for the items left behind in the dark!

I see more deer out in open fields during 'magic hour' (1/2 hr before dusk until 1/2 hour after dusk), but I just don't like hunting that late anymore.

I have taken around 150 whitetails at first light, 20 or so by fluke during the day, and I can only think of 5 taken at last light. Most of my mulies were afternoons when I caught them bedded on the steep hillsides. Elk have always been at first light on the open fields. Moose have been random timings throughout the day.

175 deer so far in your lifetime?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Certainly possible. When I started hunting you could OTC purchase a Wt tag with two supplemental(doe) tags in a zone. Some years two zones, Muley OTC as well. And I'm talking late 70's, 80's

Deer don't necessarily read clocks, especially during the rut.

Grizz

Best time to sit in a blind or any other kind of hunting is when you can.

If the stand is on a field...1st and last light

If its in the bush on a travel corridor, all day sits as they will be cruising whenever.

Exactly

This is worth noting

Your location will have a huge impact on the time of day you see deer movement. This also is a big part of why you will get different opinions/experiences when you ask hunters about timing. A bush hunter will see different timing then those who hunt large open areas and if the hunter focuses mostly on one style of location this will impact what time they are most successful

Very true!

Late afternoon and sit until dark gets my vote.I personally have a hard time sitting all day in the same spot and once 10:30AM hits after my morning sit ,im either mobile on foot hunting , in the truck heading to a different spot,hunting grouse,eating breakfast or taking a nap at camp..lol..every day is unique in its own.

If your hunting near doe bedding and hunting November I would be hunting all day but pay special attention to the 10:00am -1:00pm window. Bucks will check doe beds mid day during November looking for a doe that’s ready. Can’t tell you how many bucks I’ve seen cruising that time. Can catch a guy off guard

Wow a lot of great advice coming your way SAO. I would have to agree with the fellow who said it depends on where your blind is located though. If it is tucked in good cover over looking travel corridors then definitely I'd be sitting all day. I am going to assume you have trail cams set up so you know the quality of deer that is in your area. The only other thing I can say to you is I don't know what part of the province you are located in but if you need someone to sit in your stand on the days you are unable to do so just send me a pm! Happy hunting sir :)

LOL, never.

so true

Thanks for all the input!! I guess if you wanna spend time in my deer stand Ten Point Sammy, I could keep your side of the bed warm next to your wife or girlfriend(or both)... hahaha

Same here!

When it's crunch time, I don't like to do the "head back to camp/truck for lunch" thing. I'll sooner call it quits earlier in the afternoon so I'm not tracking or cleaning up an animal in the dark. Quick nap, then supper, swap tall tales with my hunting partner(s) and then off to bed. :)

This X2. I sit in the bush all day. If its a field, early morning and late evening. I don't like hunting fields, its too short of a hunt. Contrary to popular belief, deer do not bed all day once they leave the fields, they're moving under cover from one spot to another.

When I used to guide, if a hunter couldn't sit all day, I asked him to sit between 10:00 a.m to 3:30. A lot of deer were killed in that time frame.

This x2.........only time that is beneficial hunting a field all day is when the rut is on, only then will you see a mature buck out in the open during daylight hours.

Deer usually leave the fields at first light and come to feed at last light. Contrary to popular belief, deer do not bed all day, they move around and travel a lot when in cover. When I used to guide, if I had a hunter that couldn't or wouldn't sit all day, I would ask him to sit from 10-3:00, a lot of bucks were killed in that time frame. These were stands in the woods and not on fields.

Personally I like hunting all day so I sit in the bush and If I get bored I still hunt.

IMMHO.......there are always exceptions.