Morning hunts are epic failures...

5093 Views 14 Replies 13 Participants Last post by critter gitter, Oct 28, 2011

thomasmgp

Discussion Starter · Oct 7, 2011 (Edited by Moderator)

Been hunting every evening getting in my stand around 6pm. No matter which of my 4 stands I sit in I see deer every night. If my scope wasnt off I would have killed 5 already...yes 4 inches high and 4 inches right at 75 yards means it wasnt me. But in the mornings I dont see a darn thing. Starting to get tired of waking up at 6:15am 4 days a week just to see some birds and squirrels.

I have tried getting in my stand very early around 6am and also later after sun is up around 7am. I have sat all the way until 9-10 am and still see nothing. I have tried back in the woods and my field stands. No matter which stand I sit nor what time I get in it nor how long I sit I get the same results: no deer. Thought maybe it was the moon since its almost full but I have hunted mornings for the last 2.5 weeks and still havent seen a thing and that was obviously a different moon phase. Should I just give up on mornings and sleep in?

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rdrader2002

· #2 · Oct 7, 2011

Morning hunts for me means getting up well before dawn and being in place about a half hour to full hour or so BEFORE dawn breaks. Have had several successful morning hunts, most notable was a doe on Christmas morning. Tried finding her for over an hour before giving up and heading back to the house.
Needless to say, mama and the kids weren't too thrilled about me being out of the house. No one could open any presents without dad being present. Got the cold shoulder from mama AND the kids for most of the rest of the day.
Went back out after all the presents were open and found the doe less than 40 feet from where I'd been sitting when I shot her. Deer are some ornery critters, that's for sure.

Can you find your stand in the pitch black or with the help of a small flashlight? If you still want to hunt mornings, being there well before dawn breaks just may make the difference. My $.02 worth anyway.

RR

Hunting Man

· #3 · Oct 7, 2011

I love hunting mornings as 80% of my deer kills were in the morning. A lot of frustration comes out of your post! Harvesting is but a small part of hunting and is the net result of a whole lot of action/reactions both by the hunter and by the hunted. Focusing on every aspect of your methods and correcting the parts that need changed is what may be needed. How about setting up in a different area for a few days or hunt the afternoons, change up something to change your mind, luck and success. Please get the rig sighted in, the deer deserve it.

turner

· #4 · Oct 7, 2011

thomasmgp said:
Been hunting every evening getting in my stand around 6pm. No matter which of my 4 stands I sit in I see deer every night. If my scope wasnt off I would have killed 5 already...yes 4 inches high and 4 inches right at 75 yards means it wasnt me. But in the mornings I dont see a darn thing. Starting to get tired of waking up at 6:15am 4 days a week just to see some birds and squirrels.

I have tried getting in my stand very early around 6am and also later after sun is up around 7am. I have sat all the way until 9-10 am and still see nothing. I have tried back in the woods and my field stands. No matter which stand I sit nor what time I get in it nor how long I sit I get the same results: no deer. Thought maybe it was the moon since its almost full but I have hunted mornings for the last 2.5 weeks and still havent seen a thing and that was obviously a different moon phase. Should I just give up on mornings and sleep in?

Sorry, but I'd like a bit more info. What time is SR? What time are you sitting your butt in the stand? I always try to be 60 mins+ before official SR with my big butt, seated and ready to hunt. YUP, 30 mins of dark when I cannot see, nor legally shoot a deer. But, being there then tells me that the woods should be quiet enough at 30 mins before SR, when I CAN legally shoot a deer, sneaking back to it's bedding area.

Hope you have your scope/rifle dialed back in now too! :thumbup:

buckfever

· #5 · Oct 8, 2011

Im like HM with prob to 90% of my kills coming in the morning. I am exact opposite of you and love hunting the mornings and could care less about hunting the evening. I have just had better luck in the morning time. I usually sit till noon though. It seems like all my bigger deer have been between 9 and 10 in the morning. But I still see deer earlier than that.

timberghost

· #6 · Oct 9, 2011

Some spots are just evening spots, some are just mornings, some are both. A trail cam can help you determine the times that deer are using those areas.

Predator

· #7 · Oct 9, 2011

My hunt mornings start with me rising anywhere from 2:00am to 3:00 am and getting in the stand at least an hour before legal hunt time, which is 1/2 hour before sunrise. I prefer morning hunts to evening one for several reasons. 1st I have seen 99% of my encounters during the am. 2nd I would much rather shoot a deer and have the whole days light to dress out and transport the deer out of the woods. successful evening hunts just complicate things. especially Sunday nights.

Win73

· #8 · Oct 23, 2011

thomasmgp said:
If my scope wasnt off I would have killed 5 already...yes 4 inches high and 4 inches right at 75 yards means it wasnt me.

I have tried getting in my stand very early around 6am and also later after sun is up around 7am. I have sat all the way until 9-10 am and still see nothing.

I can't believe you missed five deer before checking your scope! I always make sure mine are zeroed before the season opens. And if I were to miss one, I would check the zero again. I have killed nine deer in the last five years. In that time I missed only one. That one was when my muzzleloader hang fired.

You are not getting in your stand early enough. When I hunt mornings, I am in my stand and prepared to shoot at least an hour before daylight. Of course I don't shoot before daylight. I use scent suppression on me, my clothes, and my boots. And I am as quiet as possible.

thomasmgp

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 24, 2011

Win73 said:
I can't believe you missed five deer before checking your scope!

Was 2 different rifles. I dont know how to sight them in so when I found one was off I switched to another one. Then found out that one was off too, by even more. Just set up a blind. I figure with 3.5" buckshot and a 10 yard shot it wont matter anymore lol.

Hellbilly

· #10 · Oct 24, 2011

thomasmgp said:
Was 2 different rifles. I dont know how to sight them in so when I found one was off I switched to another one. Then found out that one was off too, by even more. Just set up a blind. I figure with 3.5" buckshot and a 10 yard shot it wont matter anymore lol.

:shocking::shocking:

:wacko:

hunt NH

· #11 · Oct 24, 2011

id learn how to sight them in real quick. you owe it the the game to enshure a clean kill.

BruceBruce1959

· #12 · Oct 24, 2011 (Edited)

thomasmgp said:
Was 2 different rifles. I dont know how to sight them in so when I found one was off I switched to another one. Then found out that one was off too, by even more. Just set up a blind. I figure with 3.5" buckshot and a 10 yard shot it wont matter anymore lol.

Before you attempt another shot at what could unintentionally be another person, You should be finding someone/anyone who can help you learn how to sight in your rifles.
You're not just missing deer you know, There's other hunters in the woods to consider.
I HOPE you have enough consideration to do what's right before heading out on another hunt.
Good Luck

tator

· #13 · Oct 24, 2011

Here in N-Central Missouri i typically do not hunt that much in the morning during bow season. From September 15 (1st day of bow season) till around Halloween, I might hunt 2-3 times in the morning. Mostly hunt in the evening because on my property that's when they are moving the best. Now, once Halloween hits, I typically hunt mornings and evenings the same. As it gets colder, I find that deer move more in the mornings. The warmer it is, the more likely they are to move around in the middle of the night and by sunup they are aready bedded again. When it's cold, they bed up after dark, and when that sun gets ready to come out they want to find it. Once Rifle season starts, I'll hunt mornings much more frequently than I do evenings.

Win73

· #14 · Oct 25, 2011

thomasmgp said:
Was 2 different rifles. I dont know how to sight them in so when I found one was off I switched to another one. Then found out that one was off too, by even more. Just set up a blind. I figure with 3.5" buckshot and a 10 yard shot it wont matter anymore lol.

Please, before you go hunting again, get some knowledgable help. Your posts indicate a dangerous lack of knowledge about hunting safety. You are a danger to anyone else within at least a mile of you. A high powered rifle is perfectly capable of killing someone at over a mile. Those five shots that you missed deer with went somewhere. From your own posts I would say that you aren't particular about what was behind the deer you were shooting at.

Zeroing a rifle is a very simple matter. Set up a target in a safe location with a safe backstop. (For you a public range would be best. And take someone knowledgable in firearm safety with you to make sure you don't shoot yourself or someone else.) Then shoot the target and see where you hit. On a scope there will be two caps you can unscrew, one on top and one on the side. There will be arrows indicating which way you can move the point of impact by turning knobs under the caps. If the scope is way off you may need to put a big piece of paper behind the target to see where you are hitting. Keep shooting and adjusting until you are hitting where you aim.

If it is an open sighted (no scope) rifle, move the rear sight in the same direction that you want to move the point of impact. For example, if you are hitting to the right of the target, move the rear sight to the left. This will move the point of impact to the left. Repeating this procedure as needed will align the point of impact with the point of aim. Horizontal adjustment is called windage. Vertical adjustment is called elevation. In either case, moving the rear sight in the same direction that you want to move the point of impact will correct sight misalignment.

I did not write this just to be critical. I am sure you would not want to shoot someone by accident. Even if by accident it would also ruin your own life. Hunting can be a safe and enjoyable sport if all safety rules are followed.

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critter gitter

· #15 · Oct 28, 2011

I hunt my uncles place and he sees deer and turkeys in the morning all the time but whenever I am there I see nothing I get up and am in the stand well before the sun come up and still nothing, but I dont see much in the afternoon either

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