Thread: Morning routine - how long before out hunting from waking

Sleep til dawn, fluff around having coffee and suffering through oats, scrounge up gear, wander off and shoot a deer that's out at midday. No need to rush

depends a bit to on where one is camped - one roar trip up at sparrow fart and out for a look - but we were camped just of a huge clearing

With well known and hunted possies they could often be known as favouring a morning or an evening hunt. If they were evening hunts we would take our time in the morning and just go to observation points and have a nosey around. Otherwise just save our energy for the evening hunt, as we knew we would be carrying a motorbike battery and murapara moonbeam to extend the evening hunt into the night

Last overnight I did I had a shearing job booked for 10am so it was 12min from the alarm going off to pack up the tent and camp site and start hunting back to the car. Mind you there was no breakfast or coffee. I think the wee pooch got a fright as he likes his leisurely mornings.

I'm definitely with @Sika 8, get the day pack sorted b4 bed. It allows time to have a think about it !

Sometimes while lying in my sleeping bag I remember to add one thing or another. Usually just have to add the head torch in the morning once i have finished using it.

If breaking down camp I tend to do as much as possible in the morning inside the tent/vestibule. Once outside its just drop tent add to pack and off



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I’m organised the night before, up coffee & instant porridge, on my way. My late Father was always first away and he shot a lot of deer.

Up at 7am during the summer months - Prefer light b/fast first then drive to the chopper - warm up the machine - then 20 mins flying to the hills and start seeing deer from 8am along the bushline. A few tight circuits with the odd puke if having a beer the night before but once over that back into it. Hinds appear to dive towards the bush while stags continue to run into the open and onto screes. But no shooting - just photography.

Yeah probably 15 mins when in a hut, up, boots on, grab pre-packed bag and rifle, eat a museli bar then off. Come back for breakfast at 9 or whatever when im pretty sure most of the early morning action is over.

Originally Posted by Average-Lad

Personally, I don't take alot of time in the morning. I don't like eating right away, and normally have my first food around 10-11am after the morning's glassing. I reckon a morning coffee first thing is a waste of time. Caffeine acts on the adenosine system which isn't active for 60-90 minutes after waking, so you're better to save that cup of coffee for when you're on the hill enjoying that morning sun.

I'll have a coffee first thing, I'm a big believer in the placebo effect! Then another on the hill, followed by another lol.

Jeez. Don’t any of you fellas need time for a good shit before you head off? That’s like sacrosanct for me. Coffee, shit, snack, go.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Jeez. Don’t any of you fellas need time for a good shit before you head off? That’s like sacrosanct for me. Coffee, shit, snack, go.

Yep that and food, coffee is just a bonus.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

A) 1hr as I like to have a hot breakfast and coffee. Have daypack and hunting clothes all laid out the night before.
B) 1 1/4 hr cos everything takes longer cooking from in my pit. Im usually stalking slips etc first thing. No point bush hunting till its fully light and I can see in colour.
C) 2 hr cos taking down fly, packi g up pack, clearing up rubbish, waiting for others.

Yeah mate my timings are pretty similar to be honest - those early starts can be rough if you end up getting to bed late too.

Seems like a lot of folks are not too worried about being at their spot by or before first light - I thought that was standard practice?

I know it doesn't matter nearly so much for bush hunting. But in the tops / open stuff I'm always trying to maximize the amount of time to hunt animals from: when you can see (first light) - to when they bed down (and are 10x harder to see).

1.5 hrs if hunting from a hut - so I can push further away.
30 mins before the other two, grab a OSM and im usually camped pretty close to where im hunting.

The dog will find deer through most of the day if I'm smart. I shoot easily 50 percent of my animals around 10-11 am.

Can’t do coffee as it makes me run to the bathroom within 5 minutes

I typically get up and go pretty quickly.. I hate sitting around in the cold so set my alarm before daybreak, I will open the tent door and either cook a feed or smash some muesli. Then all gear on in tent and hit the track. Normally in prime country within the first half hour of daylight or earlier. Often I will even camp within 50m of lookouts etc so I can roll straight to them on daybreak and glass while having a feed.

I can't remember the last time I stayed at a hut, just camp away in better areas and in turn less walking before starting the hunts. If moving camps I hunt the morning close to camp then come back at about mid day and move before heading back out for an evening. Means you can always hunt prime time.