Beginner deer hunter with some questions

I'd be set up for 2:30. Stay til you can't see through the scope. Left way to early missed prime time.

I stay in the evening until I decide I can not make out a deer from another animal walking.

For morning hunts, I generally get to the stand about 10 minutes before legal shooting light. I try to walk the last 100 yds or so with no flashlight.

Mornings I usually get to the stand right at/after first light if I didn't drink to much the night before. I've hunted all my life and never seen a deer at first light (when I actually did get there at 5:15 am) that would make me get there third minutes early. I stay in the evening till I can't tell if the deer is a "shooter" or not. I usually get to the stand in the afternoons around 2:30-3 (this depends on what games are on.) Right now though (pre-time change) it's moved up an hour or so. I should add that I've killed my share of big deer and hunting for me is more about the camp experience and filling the freezer than shooting a trophy now.

My first deer was at dawn, pre sunrise, so I've tried to get out before dawn when I'm not hungover. Deer are kinda crepuscular (active dawn n dusk), but become nocturnal when threatened. Im not the greatest hunter ever but I've shot them early, late morning, highnoon, early afternoon, late afternoon and barely visible dusk.

The later you shoot the later you track and clean.

Go whenever you can get there and stay as long as is safe.

I usually hunt 3 hours in the evening and at least 4-5 hrs in the morning, or til I feel like getting down

Definitely stay til dark, its not dark until you can't see anything through your scope. The law technically says 30 mins after sunset is shooting time.

For morning, need to be in the stand minimum of 20 minutes before daybreak. Some guys get out there at like 4am...I like sleep too much for that BS.

Eta- mornings I usually see deer about 8-10, hardly anything earlier than that. Evening I see them right before dark.

Shooting hours end a half hour after sunset. I pretty much leave the minute shooting hours are over. You can find sunset for your exact location on weather apps, then add the half hour. There's nothing wrong with the time you got to your stand. Always remember, you're hunting for leisure. Enjoy yourself. If staying in the stand all day is enjoyable, do it. If you get burned out from sitting just a couple hours, don't let someone else tell you what you HAVE to do. Some people are trying to give good advice, some are trying to look like super hunters that sit in the stand all day every time they hunt because "they are better than the rest of us"

I have always got in my stand 30 minutes to an hour before daylight. I have seen most of my deer between 7 and 10. If i can't get in stand like I mentioned then I rather not go until 10 am.

In the afternoon I don't leave until I can't see. I have hunted all day long from dark to dark and it hasn't paid off yet. The morning hunts are normally my best and I can't imagine getting my stand at day break.

Well I was going to post some follow up questions but after reading through all the replies they've all been answered. Thanks again for the tips. Mid thirties seems like an odd time to start hunting but I want to get my son into it (he's about to turn six and is already talking about it I guess bc of other kids at school) and figured I can't teach him if I don't start first. I already bought his lifetime hunting and fishing license (I'm good on the fishing part!).

I've watched a few youtube videos on field dressing a deer and tips on cleaning them. Hopefully I get to test some of them out soon. Although I'm not opposed to bringing it somewhere to be done either. Any tips for that in or near the BR area?

Don't pay for that. A rack and a sharp knife is all you need. It may take you a while the first couple times but once you get the general idea it's a peice of cake

Morning hunt: always in my stand a minimum of 30 to 45 minutes before legal shooting time to let the woods settle and get back to normal. (if camera dictates they are in early I have been known to get in stand as much as 1.5 hrs before daylight) I usually sit until 10-10:30am before daylight savings time and 930 945 after. Depending on deer movement from trial cams.

Day hunt: Full moon weeks, I usually get out there around 8:30am to 8:45 and sit until 2pm. I do this on weeks where the moon is more than half on upswing and decline and CLEAR nights. Clear nights is key for the moon light to make them active, if its a really cloudy week of the full moon ill let camera traffic dictate my sit times. Deer like to move on a 12hr rotation. If they move all night chances are high they will get up in the middle of the day to get a bite, stretch there legs or freshen up a scrape line.

Evening hunts: Before daylight savings time I like to be in my stand by 4pm at the very latest if work allows I get there sooner. 3pm after daylight savings. Never get off of my stand before I lose the ability to see in that area PLUS 15 minutes. I say that because if I am in a bottom hunting I lose light significantly earlier than I do up on a ridge in open woods. I stay that 15 minutes extra so I do not spook anything walking out or walking to an area that holds light longer than where I am hunting. I started that years ago and have noticed I spook a lot less game walking out after dark. So many times as a young man I got off the second I couldn't see and would walk 200yds and get blown at. lessons learned


RUT: Throw everything I said above out the window and hunt as often and as early and as long as you can. In 30+ years of hunting there really is not a solid rut pattern to follow. I have tried it all. My one go to for the rut is find a pure thicket with sign, Doe, and activity, get high in a tree as close as you can to it and start a grunt pattern and spray a little esterous around. I have been known to rattle with it a little