I have searched and searched, maybe I am doing it wrong...
However, with that being said,
How do you approach your stand?
Do you just walk in? Stalk in?
Do you do it differently when going in in the morning as opposed to the afternoon?
What are you doing and why?
Thanks in advance
Walk in but take the long way in so I don't walk the same direction I'm expecting the deer to come from. It's all field so no stalking required.
Wery carefuwwy ....hahaha
Elmer Fudd
Honestly, not until grey light some mornings. I'd rather be able to see and be quiet than blow my set up. In the afternoons just nice and easy with lots of looking ahead. It's amazing what you'll see creep away when you pay attention. On windy days I'll be a lot quicker since I have something to deaden the sound. On quiet days I go slow in between my pattented "squirrel hops". Shuffle a foot, don't move, a couple quick hops or steps then repeat. Deer will key on a repetitive cadence quickly.
I prefer to hunt mornings, about 6 to 1. I like to walk in during complete darkness, I know the area very well. I rarely bump deer but I walk in through a narrow opening that lies between areas I expect deer to come from.
There are other stand locations I have to access differently to avoid spooking or crossing deer paths. I have watched deer walk right over where I walked just 60 minutes prior with no noticeable impact.
I won't leave a stand if there are deer near my stand. While rare, I have walked out under moon shadows to let deer near my stand.
A buddy hunted a farm near Attica, IN for about 15 years. His boss owned it. I hunted it with him. We always approached stands in the AM through the woods because deer were in the crops.
The farm was sold for 1.3 million -- not too my buddy! He now hunts and adjoining property. He watches the new owners walk right through the open crop fields in the AM bumping deer everywhere. He chuckles at their mistake but expexts they'll drive deer to him.
I try to clear a couple different ways to a stand so the wind will not ever be a problem. By clear I mean make a trail that I will be 100% quiet.
Walk in wherever the deer aren't going to be at least where you expect them to be because they can pick up your trail if you aren't careful. Also walk in early as to lessen chances of bumping them during their prime movement times.
Certainly not like I did this morning lol. Normally when I hunt this property, the deer are moving east to west at sunrise so I try to move in a parallel path but 100 yards to their right at least an hour before. This morning I has heading west and they were heading east for a head on collision in the dark. Not what I expected, but that's hunting for ya.
From the bottom?
It depends where im at and the time of year. If i hunt existing stands on the lease, i go in a half hour before light. Public land i usually try to leave the truck at gray light and stalk in to where i want to hunt. I have had good success doing this especially i there are other hunters that have went in when it was dark.
I have morning stands and evening stands......part of what makes a stand a morning selection is being able to sneak in quietly. I don't walk on deer runways, and I try and travel through an area that deer are less likely to use. Luckily....most of my spots have a creek or water either between my parking spot, or nearby. I try and walk in with muddy boots.
I pretend to be a mouse in a woodlot full of owls. As quiet as possible.
straight too it! I use a styless light by streamlight for approaching the stand, its 1 single green LED that aluminates about a 20" circle on the ground and you cannot see the LED from the sides or front so I'm in complete darkness going in. I don't sneak or be careful I just walk as quiet as possible and don't stop and I've had deer not spook when doing this.
I walked in and climbed right up into my stand a few seasons ago and looked down at a 7-foot buck about 10yds from my tree in the briars laying down. I did have a leafy suit on so that helped but once my arm reached up for my bow he exploded out of there,,, the approach he was fine,, MD also walking right to the stand the deer didn't spook,, they only spooked when I stopped and stop moving..... urban hunting means don't act like a hunter.
I have noticed most times bedded deer in the dark do not spook easily. They will hold fast. But deer on there feet will flee. ESP if you are smashing around. Anytime you are in the woods you should try and be crafty n silent. We are the predator remember. And you should always try n approach from the opposite direction you expect the deer to come from and try to avoid touching things with your hands and clanking your equipment and also avoid tramping on the deer trails.
I also am more quiet going to my stand in the mornings. Also anytime you hunting very near a bedding area u need to use utmost caution.
In Gene Wensel's book "Come November" he believes whitetails think they are invisible when it is dark. I go to my stand with this in mind and just walk straight to my stand. The 1' to 2' high ground cover and all the leaves makes moving quietly impossible so i just do a steady walk to my stand in the dark. I do try to use any paths or mountain bike trails to get me as close as possible to my stand.
I should of mentioned when the the ground is very loud and crunchy I try to remember to get a couple sticks I'll use as walking sticks so it sounds like I have 4 feet,,, I forget to do this half the time until its too late,, not even sure if it works butI read it somewhere and figured it wouldn't hurt.
I walk in with a flashlight. I try to be quiet but am as stealthy as a bass drum. However, I try to get on stand and settled down about an hour before daylight to let the forest settle back down.