"Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

[Mike Belt]

Curious as to how many on here have been confronted with this situation... You're on stand before sunup. There's a full moon illuminating the area in front of you. You catch movement and there he is... a big, wide, heavy racked buck in the wide open; by far the biggest buck you've seen all season. It's light enough for you to easily see him in the crosshairs of your scope but it's still 10-15 minutes from legal shooting light.

I've passed on bucks 3 different times in this situation I wouldn't have hesitated shooting during daylight. All the begging and pleading for them to stick around for just 10 more minutes didn't work as I watched them walk away and out of sight never to be seen again. Talk about testing your moral compass...

 

[RUGER]

Had a couple chances but never pulled the trigger till legal time.

 

[megalomaniac]

I won't... learned my lesson on shooting with poor light about 6 or 7 years ago.... was cloudy, so still very dark right at legal shooting light. Buck comes in behind a doe about 100 yds away. The buck was twice the size of the doe, I assumed he was a big 5.5 y/o 6 ptr I had seen the evening before. I shot him with my ML, then reloaded; shot the doe after finishing reloading. I climbed down to find a 60lb doe and a 120lb 2.5 y/o dink 6. Learned my lesson on that one. I won't shoot unless I'm CERTAIN it's a buck I'm after (which means its usually well after legal shooting light), but honestly, I've never looked at my watch.

 

[Mike Belt]

Mega... That was sort of my point except I know for 100% sure I was looking at truly big bucks. No mistake about it. How many keep up with minute by minute legal shooting time on mornings as described?

 

[Winchester]

My Dad had it happen just this yr during MZ, best target buck actually walked literally right under his stand, and while he was constantly looking at his watch he walked about 4 mins before legal time, never to be saw again!! We've all been there.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

How many keep up with minute by minute legal shooting time on mornings as described?

Bash me if you'd like, but if I know it's a shooter, and it's light enough to see without artificial light, I'm probably shooting. For turkeys, I won't shoot until they fly down, even if that is well after shooting time. For ducks, I wont shoot until exactly 30 minutes before sunrise. For deer, I'll shoot if there is enough light to positively identify the deer I'm shooting and see him clearly through the scope. Not promoting it or apologizing for it. Just answering honestly.

 

[RUGER]

. How many keep up with minute by minute legal shooting time on mornings as described?

I always have.
My buddy that I used to hunt with and I actually made a game out of it.
We would see who could shoot one closest to legal shooting time all the time.
We have both killed several at the very first legal minute of the day as well as the very last legal minute.
Just put a different twist on the "brown it's down" days.

 

[Snake]

To be honest I never look at the time , I hunt mostly in the woods no fields so if I can clearly see what I'm shooting then I shoot . I had one morning many years ago two really good bucks right in under me in Giles Co. but it was archery season and I couldn't see my pins although I could make out the bucks so I passed never to see them again .

 

[Roost 1]

Im always in my stand at least 1 hour before legal time during rifle season, sometimes earlier if moon is full, I've never had a target buck come thru before legal time but if one did.............
I'll also stay late in the evenings, this is why I buy the best optics I can afford.

 

[infoman jr.]

How many keep up with minute by minute legal shooting time on mornings as described?

Bash me if you'd like, but if I know it's a shooter, and it's light enough to see without artificial light, I'm probably shooting. For turkeys, I won't shoot until they fly down, even if that is well after shooting time. For ducks, I wont shoot until exactly 30 minutes before sunrise. For deer, I'll shoot if there is enough light to positively identify the deer I'm shooting and see him clearly through the scope. Not promoting it or apologizing for it. Just answering honestly.

You could probably hunt all night on a full moon and clear skies, especially if there's snow on the ground.

 

[rem270]

Not sure I've ever even looked to see what time legal shooting light is. But have never needed to shoot one that early either.

 

[megalomaniac]

being honest... I don't really look at the time either while deer hunting. I don't even wear a watch unless I'm duck hunting. I've never shot one really early or really late, mostly for the reason I described earlier- just don't want to shoot the wrong deer.

 

[duckduck84]

Re: "Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

I generally keep up with the times. I shot a deer last year at the last minute of legal shooting light and it was really hard to make out anything other than it was a deer.

I think if you're a couple minutes either way and you have a clear shot it's not something that is gonna be a big deal. A few minutes is a watch discrepancy.

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[Dully]

When I'm deer hunting ,lm deer hunting,not checking the time

 

[TX300mag]

Re: "Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

The last year before Ohio changed shooting hours I watched a group of three bucks larger than anything I'd ever killed before. Sunset was 5:01 and I was watching a deer behind be. I turned around at 5:02 (since shooting time had ended) and there was a buck standing there looking at me. At 5:03 another stepped out and at 5:04 another. This went on until about 5:10. The safe thing was I heard multiple shots after the time was up. I slept very well that night, though.

Another time I had been hunting HARD with a 2 and 4 year old in a ladder stand with me. At 5:20 a doe finally walks 20 yard in front as I'm about to unload. Unfortunately, I had to let her go much to the dissapointment of the kids (would have been first kill with either of them with me). I explained the situation and went home. The next day I checked sunrise/sunset and realized I had looked at the time for a different hunting area and Actualky had two minutes left. [emoji35][emoji23]


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[Hunter 257W]

I'm always aware of the legal shooting times down to the minute and check them. As for mornings however, I hate alarm clocks with a passion so rarely make it out in time to worry about taking a shot prior to legal shooting time. Back when I did i hardly ever saw deer around my farm that early anyhow and that is another reason I started arriving at my stand at 1st light. Now in the evenings I always watch the time and sit to the last legal minute. I've never had to pass a shot because of the time that I can recall in the afternoon but I have killed quite a few within the last 5 minutes of legal light. Around my place afternoons are almost a waste of time until the last 15 minutes of legal light.

 

[bloodtrailing]

Re: "Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

I know the legal times and have checked my watch before. I believe one year I killed the first turkey of the TN season across the state.


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[RUGER]

You could probably hunt all night on a full moon and clear skies, especially if there's snow on the ground.

I know a guy that was hunting a huge scrape at LBL one time.
When I say huge, I mean as big as the hood of a truck according to him.
He was set up on it and decided as night fell he would just sit there and see what came in.
He ended up sitting there all night and believe it or not the entire next day and night again.
I think he said he got down about 11:00 a.m. the third morning. :shock:

He said he could see just fine all night.

No, NOTHING ever came to the scrape. LOL

If you knew him you wouldn't doubt the story either, the guy NEVER freaking sleeps.

 

[Winchester]

You could probably hunt all night on a full moon and clear skies, especially if there's snow on the ground.

I know a guy that was hunting a huge scrape at LBL one time.
When I say huge, I mean as big as the hood of a truck according to him.
He was set up on it and decided as night fell he would just sit there and see what came in.
He ended up sitting there all night and believe it or not the entire next day and night again.
I think he said he got down about 11:00 a.m. the third morning. :shock:

He said he could see just fine all night.

No, NOTHING ever came to the scrape. LOL

If you knew him you wouldn't doubt the story either, the guy NEVER freaking sleeps.

HOLY Hades hes way tougher than me!!!!

 

[infoman jr.]

Re: "Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

You could probably hunt all night on a full moon and clear skies, especially if there's snow on the ground.

I know a guy that was hunting a huge scrape at LBL one time.
When I say huge, I mean as big as the hood of a truck according to him.
He was set up on it and decided as night fell he would just sit there and see what came in.
He ended up sitting there all night and believe it or not the entire next day and night again.
I think he said he got down about 11:00 a.m. the third morning. :shock:

He said he could see just fine all night.

No, NOTHING ever came to the scrape. LOL

If you knew him you wouldn't doubt the story either, the guy NEVER freaking sleeps.

HOLY Hades hes way tougher than me!!!!

If you're gonna be dumb, you'd better be tough.


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[RUGER]

Re: "Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

You could probably hunt all night on a full moon and clear skies, especially if there's snow on the ground.

I know a guy that was hunting a huge scrape at LBL one time.
When I say huge, I mean as big as the hood of a truck according to him.
He was set up on it and decided as night fell he would just sit there and see what came in.
He ended up sitting there all night and believe it or not the entire next day and night again.
I think he said he got down about 11:00 a.m. the third morning. :shock:

He said he could see just fine all night.

No, NOTHING ever came to the scrape. LOL

If you knew him you wouldn't doubt the story either, the guy NEVER freaking sleeps.

HOLY Hades hes way tougher than me!!!!

If you're gonna be dumb, you'd better be tough.


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Lol yep!

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[Mike Belt]

A long time back when I hunted Ms I was hunting a spot that was eaten up with buck rutting sign. There was a full moon at that time. I didn't see anything on my afternoon hunt and with all the sign around I decided to just sit there after dark and see what happened even though I never planned on shooting one. Within 30 minutes after dark deer started pouring through the area. I could have picked off several. I can see the attraction to remaining on stand just out of curiosity but I can't imagine a couple days and nights of a straight sit.

 

[rem270]

I know a local guy back home that has turned multiple people in for trespassing, spotlighting, etc but always does the exact same thing. His best one is he was hunting a big deer (173" to be exact) at night. He had 2 flash cameras set up facing each other and he'd slip in the wee hours of the morning like 12, 1, 2 am and try to kill the deer at night. He killed it but ended up killing it during the day and not at night.

A buddy of mine went to the same church he did and he came in there Sunday School class one morning before it started just shooting the breeze and brought up someone breaking the law. You just have to know my buddy but he'll say whatever he thinks to anybody and turned to him and asked him about his flash cameras facing each other and hunting at night when everyone else is asleep. He said the guy didn't say a word and just stood up and walked out.

Being that guy is the preacher I'm sure his sermon was interesting that morning also :D

My brother always says that guy preaches on Sunday and poaches on Monday :)

 

[knightrider]

I know a local guy back home that has turned multiple people in for trespassing, spotlighting, etc but always does the exact same thing. His best one is he was hunting a big deer (173" to be exact) at night. He had 2 flash cameras set up facing each other and he'd slip in the wee hours of the morning like 12, 1, 2 am and try to kill the deer at night. He killed it but ended up killing it during the day and not at night.

A buddy of mine went to the same church he did and he came in there Sunday School class one morning before it started just shooting the breeze and brought up someone breaking the law. You just have to know my buddy but he'll say whatever he thinks to anybody and turned to him and asked him about his flash cameras facing each other and hunting at night when everyone else is asleep. He said the guy didn't say a word and just stood up and walked out.

Being that guy is the preacher I'm sure his sermon was interesting that morning also :D

My brother always says that guy preaches on Sunday and poaches on Monday :)

that's the kind that burn me up, I know a few who preach on sin and repentance, but break the game laws really hard for people to have confidence in them doing things that way.

 

[Spurhunter]

Re: "Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

Never look at my watch deer hunting. Never heard of anyone that did until today. I thought that was the reason everyone bought good glass that would gather light. To extend prime hunting time.

Duck hunting is a different story. We always wait until exact shooting time to shoot.

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[Spurhunter]

Re: "Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

My brother always says that guy preaches on Sunday and poaches on Monday :)

that's the kind that burn me up, I know a few who preach on sin and repentance, but break the game laws really hard for people to have confidence in them doing things that way.[/quote]

My uncle in Mississippi had a preacher that was a die hard turkey hunter. He would kill 2 a day if he got the chance. Season bag limits meant nothing to him. And he hunted 6 days a week during season. A real man of God.


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[Hunter 257W]

Re:

Never look at my watch deer hunting. Never heard of anyone that did until today. I thought that was the reason everyone bought good glass that would gather light. To extend prime hunting time.

Duck hunting is a different story. We always wait until exact shooting time to shoot.

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I'd say that you are 100% correct that the motive for many hunters in buying bright scopes is to shoot past legal hours. What other reason would they want them for?

 

[GRIT]

This actually happened to me during riffle this year had a descent buck at 20 yards away before legal shooting time could see him good through my scope.Got him on video but don't no how to put it on here.I get in my stand about a hour before daybreak i was there maybe 30 minutes when he came through so i would guess 30 minutes before legal shooting time is when he showed up.

 

[Biggun4214]

I knew a man that killed several big bucks from Ft Campbell and LBL. Several people have told stories about him leaving camp before dark and returning after daylight. Lots of stories of him hunting safety zones and the Impact Area during the night. He was caught several times poaching over the years.

 

[Roost 1]

I knew a man that killed several big bucks from Ft Campbell and LBL. Several people have told stories about him leaving camp before dark and returning after daylight. Lots of stories of him hunting safety zones and the Impact Area during the night. He was caught several times poaching over the years.

I'd say he was never caught in the impact area at fort Campbell more than once.