"Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

Mike Belt

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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...
 

megalomaniac

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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

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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

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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

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Mike Belt":1jh0ri44 said:
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

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Mike Belt":2qjl74ds said:
. 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

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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

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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.

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Southern Sportsman":1mdm2ys7 said:
Mike Belt":1mdm2ys7 said:
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.
 

megalomaniac

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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

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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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TX300mag

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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

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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

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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

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infoman jr.":1yfd7vg4 said:
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

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RUGER":s6u41yml said:
infoman jr.":s6u41yml said:
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.

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Re: "Legal" Shooting Time and a Full Moon

Winchester":304khp4m said:
RUGER":304khp4m said:
infoman jr.":304khp4m said:
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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