When do you get out of the Stand

[SartellMN]

Last night I finally found the deer. I moved the stand to a great area between bedding and a corn field. The deer all came out at about 7:00 PM and began feeding. I passed up one shot because of a possible leaf obstruction.

My question, or dilema is this: How and when do I get out of the stand? I watched the deer until it was so dark I really could not see them anymore. I could not hear them eating either (boy they are loud!). I got out of the stand silently, but as soon as I began walking out, they spooked. Luckily, they are eating around a farm house so they are accustomed to being around humans and return to the same area. But, what does everyone else do? I can't stay there forever.

[archerystud]

I prefer to wait as long as possible until the deer goes away.

I believe the laws state that a person has half an hour to get back to their vehicle after legal shooting light. But your weapon needs to be cased during this half hour. It's a great use for those cheap bow cases, I keep a couple of them with my hunting clothes just for this situation.

[Stratosman]

Archerystud...

I am not aware of this law, so right when shooting time is over you only have one half hour to get to your vehicle, so you have to case your bow as soon as you climb out of the tree and have only a half hour to get to your truck? What about in the morning before shooting time, do you have to carry your bow in a case to your stand?

You might be right, I just have never heard of this?

Anyway, to answer the original question, I too like to wait as long as possible, but once it's dark you have no idea where the deer are and it's tough, and it's impossible to never spook deer. Maybe let is rest for a few days before hunting that stand again if possible.

[bigbucks]

I usually do what you do. If it works out that someone can drive into the field to pick you up that works well, because they just run off from the vehicle, not you, but that isn't convenient too often. I have purposely tried to chuck something like a branch or whatever into the woods to make a big noise, or even just drop your cushion as loudly as possibly, or maybe even your backpack (take out binos & rangefinders first). I think it's better to spook them off with a noise that doesn't necessarily mean human, versus walking right into them.

[archerystud]

Stratosman,

I did a quick check of the regs and I can't find it. Maybe it changed???

However, I do know of multiple people who have gotten ticketed for hunting "after hours". I believe if their weapons were cased and within a half hour they would have been okay.

Can anyone else confirm??

[Mark Christianson]

I thought the same thing AS.

I checked the regs and its not there.... Must have changed.

I know there was some law about having uncased weapons in the woods before and after certain times, etc.

Hmm.

[harvey lee]

After talking to the DNR,here is what they say--You can carry your bow or gun out of the woods uncased after you are done hunting.One half hour after sunset you can carry it out uncased.They said it is on the honor system.Approx 10 years ago they changed the law.

[chucker34]

So wait, I can carry it out uncased past 30 minutes after sundown or legal shooting time as long as I promise not to use the weapon during this time - which I would never do? Cause I usually don't like to get down until legal shooting time ends.

I guess I'd never thought of this. I have never and don't ever plan on taking a shot with either weapon outside of legal shooting hours, but I like to get to my stand extra early in the morning during the rut to let things settle down for awhile. Wouldn't be a hassle for me to start bringing a soft case for each. Just didn't know that I had to do this.

[Stratosman]

Thanks, so you have a half hour leeway after sunset then, just want to make sure I know the law, I have never seen this in the regulations so that's why I want to know, I'd hate to get a ticket for something like this....

Thanks for diggin up info LeeH.

[Mark Christianson]

Well you can hunt 30 minutes after sunset, so that doesnt make a whole lot of sense.

I am cornfused now.

[harvey lee]

The law states that you can hunt to one-half hour after sunset.The law also states that you do not have to have your weapon cased on the way out.

Biglakeba$$--does that help?

[Mark Christianson]

Thats more what I was trying to understand.

I kinda thought thats what you were getting at.

[harvey lee]

I probably didnt state it right.SORRY

[fivebucks]

One other point to make is to make sure you gun is not loaded after legal shooting time. A friend of mine got a ticket 15 minutes after sunset out goose hunting. He stopped hunting at sunset, walked back to the truck and the warden was waiting there. He check his shotgun and it was loaded so out came the ticket book.

[tjm]

Well i would fight that ticket 10 times over.No where does it say you cant have a loaded gun at midnight.What about shooting a coyote at 3 am or 35 minutes after sunset

Like said above the law was changed.

Ive sat in my stand for about an hour after dark waiting for a hunting buddy to scare the deer off the field around my stand by driving out in it to pick me up.When we got to the road guess who just happend to be waiting.Yup mr game warden.

He asked why we were so late i said well my ride was 10 miles away he was also deer hunting.I also said since you saw all the deer in the field you can understand why i did'nt get outa my stand until he drove out and picked me up.He stated that it was ok to do that as long as we were not atempting to take a deer or harrasing them

I also had asked about getting to my stand early like a solid 1 hour prior to shooting hours.He said same rules apply

[harvey lee]

I would not have my gun loaded after legal shooting hours as this is just inviting problems.There is no reason while hunting to have a loaded gun while walking back to the vechile as it is dark and a accident could easily happen.

I would venture to say that 90 percent of all CO's would give you a citation for having a loaded gun after legal shooting hours unless you really are yote hunting.

Safety should be a number one concern for all of us.Climbing out of a stand and walking in the dark just has to be a unsafe thing to do.I was always taught in gun safety to unload the gun when not in use.

[tjm]

Probly for waterfowl when your in aboat but not on land they cant if your abiding by all the rules.

Sure you probly are inviting problems and lots of ?'s and also not a safe way to carry a gun but it's not against the law to have a loaded gun either

Thats no different then 1 getting to a stand in the morning before shooting hours.Do you load your gun/knock an arrow at 1/2 hour before sunrise.I bet 99.9% dont wait until it's 1/2hour before to do this and for that .1% that do normal forget to load it anyways

[Deitz Dittrich]

tjm, in my mind this is easily solved. They make very cheep cloth gun cases. just add that to your back pack of goodies and your not only legal, but in your terms, beyond legal.

I do my very best to abide by all game laws, which does include that I do not knock an arrow before legal shooting times. I'm not sayingthat I am ritchious or anything.. just that I do my very best to not try and bend the game laws.

[tjm]

I know what your saying Dietz

It realy ticks a guy off to see so many dumb laws.I just had asked the game warden yesterday on how the bonus tags actualy work or what they interpet on how we as hunters are suppose to read the laws.

I buy the all season lic.Now i get 2 bonus tags but i hunt in areas where you can shoot up to 5 deer in that zone.Across the road you can shoot only 3 deer.So my ? to the warden was how do i abide by the law and tag the deer in the correct zone but still be able to tag 5 deer.I hunt with a bow and muzzleload.Good ? he said do you have a cell phone number i can reach you at

Well if we as hunters cant figure out what actualy the law is then you ask the law what or how it's suppose to be and they have no idea maybe 50 less laws and make the laws where everyones on the same wave link

So today i get a call back.Law says i can take 5 deer.I must equaly divide the deer up between muzzleload and archery.I said thats kinda hard to do when i have 5 tags.I shoot 2 & a 1/2 deer on this side of the road and tag the other 2 & 1/2 deer on that side of the road.He paused for a moment and said well you have a total of 5 tags i said yup.He said well 1 being a buck tag i said well if i fill the tag on a buck but the regs say i can shoot a doe correct.Now what side of the road do i shoot the doe on..

I guess i lost signal and no missed calls.So i'm still in the dark as much as him i'm thinking

So i called back this evening and left a voice mail.How about 2007 regs read as follows.1 doe here 2 doe here 3 doe here 4 doe here 5 doe here and forget about the bonus tags ect....You just buy a darn lic then buy an extra tag for a doe in what ever zone your hunting.You shoot a doe in the area you can shoot only 1 in your all done move to another zone if you want to shoot anotherr doe.I know this is what the regs are trying to tell us but just make it simple.It maybe simple to the guy that writes the regs up cause he has a set mind that everyones on the same wave link as him.This kinda goes for most of the regs on how 1 reads them and what the law actualy is.

I try and follow the laws the best i can on how i read the laws.Lots of times i sit and wait for 1/2 hour on the phone to the DNR waiting to ask a dumb ? but i want a name to the reply i get on my ? so i have a leg to stand on if thats not how another game warden rules.This said i have also got a couple remarks from the game wardens that this guy has no clue on what the law is he or she is just a desk clerk

Good thing we have a number to call for any ?'s we as hunters need to ask to clear up so we dont make a mistake and break the law.

For the basic hunter most of this will never apply to.Since we travel a lot hunting from area to area the regs get complicated.Sure i could just hunt the area where we can tag 5 deer in but we need to keep a few farmers happy and shoot off some does in other areas too.

This kinda reflects on lots of the rules in the hand book we all get on a yearly basis.Make all the laws simple.Maybe to some it sounds simple but once you get stopped and asked why did you do this and you know thats not how your suppose to do it i have to write you a ticket.Then i got by with the same thing the next county over with no ticket thats how the local warden sees the law in that county

My brothers a warden so i asked him a few ?'s.Every ? i had asked was a simple answer on why this and that game warden sees things different.His answer was

I'll bet you a million dollars you ask 2 game wardens that hunt or fish the same ? you'll get the same answer

Now you ask 2 game wardens that dont hunt the same ?'s you'll get the same answer

You ask 1 that hunts and 1 that dont you'll get 2 different answers