The Law Change To Add 1/2 Hour Before & 1/2 Hour After

[Lawdwaz]

I expected the additional 30 min before and 30 min after to be a great help in one spot I hunt but it didn't pan out.  I believe like others have said, based on the warmer temperatures and lack of snow that the deer weren't forced to get out and feed as much.  They just weren't burning the energy that would force them out to re-fuel. This spot I hunted was so frustrating in the past (in the colder years) when at sunset you had to pack it in.  That's exactly when they'd spill out into the field.

I did find in one of my spots in the pines, it's so dark on a cloudy night I'm lucky to make it to sunset!

Did anybody benefit from the law change in a notable way this year?

[sbuff]

I couldn't agree more with you I experienced much the same .

[luberhill]

20 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

I expected the additional 30 min before and 30 min after to be a great help in one spot I hunt but it didn't pan out.  I believe like others have said, based on the warmer temperatures and lack of snow that the deer weren't forced to get out and feed as much.  They just weren't burning the energy that would force them out to re-fuel. This spot I hunted was so frustrating in the past (in the colder years) when at sunset you had to pack it in.  That's exactly when they'd spill out into the field.

I did find in one of my spots in the pines, it's so dark on a cloudy night I'm lucky to make it to sunset!

Did anybody benefit from the law change in a notable way this year?

Yup didn’t help me .. most nights it was too dark to shoot after 4:30 

[rob-c]

Well It could have helped me, buuuut .. We had a super wide six running around and  I had him at 8 yards around 3:30 ish during archery but he came in to my right and never gave me shot .
Fast forward to the morning of opening day of firearms, I’m in another ladder about 40 yards from where I seen him during archery and I hear a deer walking down the dug road stops at like 15 yards. Still very dark but I can just barely make out the body outline with naked eye , deer walks then stops again this time like 10 yards and stands there for like a minute. Then gone , I think man if that deer would have came through a bit latter  . I peak at my phone to check the time and yep it was  a half hour before sunrise. 
The stand was in a patch of pines and still super dark, so latter when I climb down I pulled the SD cards on my way out and sure enough there’s a picture of me walking in at 5:00 and this picture of the wide six walking down the dug road after , didn’t even  know it was him . The time is a hour off as I never reset the game camera for daylight savings .  back. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by rob-c

[Steuben Jerry]

I shot my PB buck this season about 20 mins after sunset. In years past, I would have been walking out by that time. I would have spooked him off and most likely never would have even known. So I’m pretty thankful for the extra shooting time if conditions allow. 

[XGX7PM]

No impact on any of my few hunts this year.

Years past it would've been great, especially when the snow is present and reflecting light.

ł like the change, expect to take advantage of it eventually so long as it sticks around. 

[WNYTRPR]

Not impactful this year ,but it will eventually.Many times in the past a half hour before/after would have been deadly .

[Swamp_bucks]

Close. I shot my opening day buck at the old legal time.  When I first spotted him the time difference would of allowed me to shoot him if I had the chance.

 

[The_Real_TCIII]

I think if we had snow after the time change it would have been huge but as it was I couldn't see the ground in the woods with even 20 minutes keft


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[The_Real_TCIII]

I think if we had snow after the time change it would have been huge but as it was I couldn't see the ground in the woods with even 20 minutes keft


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[G-Man]

Many deer taken early  with the extra 1/2 hours for sure,  plus I know thousands of bow hunters who were actually legal hunting this year for 1ST time inn their hunting careers. 

[Moho81]

No impact this year other than me having to be up an extra 30 min earlier.

Most days it seemed like there wasn’t enough light in the morning until 15 min before sunrise or later and most days you only got an extra 10-15 min after sunset before running out of light.

With that said I did like the change.


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[Meatball]

I was excited to have the extra time, but I agree with the earlier comment about only gaining half the time with usable light. Hopefully it pays off next season for me. 

[Hock3y24]

Helped in bow season, well not really cause to be honest I never looked at the clock anyway in years past. I could easily use the full 30 mins on my field edges where I shot all but 1 of my deer this year. 
youth hunt nephew shot his 15 mins before sunrise.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Hock3y24

[Four Seasons]

22 minutes ago, Hock3y24 said:

Helped in bow season, well not really cause to be honest I never looked at the clock anyway in years past. I could easily use the full 30 mins on my field edges where I shot all but 1 of my deer this year. 
youth hunt nephew shot his 15 mins before sunrise.

Exactly. This really changes little for most as shown years past with all the early and late gun shots. Most will tell you they sit until they can’t see regardless. No clock needed. Put some snow on ground and it will be 45 minutes on each end for some. 

[land 1]

helped me got my PB 14mins prior to sunrise, but 5 mins earlier yet legal would have been to dark it was an overcast rainy/snow mix morning

[bigpaul]

I shot my buck 15 minutes before sunrise. Very happy with this change, especially while hunting field edges.

 

[wolc123]

It helped on two of the deer that I killed last year, the first being about 15 minutes after sunset during the early antlerless season.  
 
The second, was this 3.5 year old buck that first appeared 5 minutes after sunset on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Even with the extra time,  I never would have seen him, in the thick woods, without the light dusting of snow we had that day.  When I took the shot, it was 7 minutes past sunset.

The only thing I didn’t like about it was gutting in the more or less pitch black dark both times.  I have to remember to keep a good headlamp in my pack for that reason from now on.   My mom standing behind me, gaging from the blood and guts and shaking while holding a flashlight didn’t cut it. 

I noticed, mostly during the early September season when the leaves hadn’t even changed color yet, that about 20 minutes after sunset and 10 minutes before sunrise were the only useful portions of the new time.   
 

Beyond that, on either side of daylight, it was too dark to see the crosshairs on my scopes.  Maybe some real expensive, modern European glass would help, but my old and new Redfields were not quite up to it.  

[boo711]

1 hour ago, wolc123 said:

It helped on two of the deer that I killed last year, the first being about 15 minutes after sunset during the early antlerless season.  
 
The second, was this 3.5 year old buck that first appeared 5 minutes after sunset on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Even with the extra time,  I never would have seen him, in the thick woods, without the light dusting of snow we had that day.  When I took the shot, it was 7 minutes past sunset.

The only thing I didn’t like about it was gutting in the more or less pitch black dark both times.  I have to remember to keep a good headlamp in my pack for that reason from now on.   My mom standing behind me, gaging from the blood and guts and shaking while holding a flashlight didn’t cut it. 

I noticed, mostly during the early September season when the leaves hadn’t even changed color yet, that about 20 minutes after sunset and 10 minutes before sunrise were the only useful portions of the new time.   
 

Beyond that, on either side of daylight, it was too dark to see the crosshairs on my scopes.  Maybe some real expensive, modern European glass would help, but my old and new Redfields were not quite up to it.  

Ok even I have seen enough pics of that buck now.  Lol. Please, no more pictures of it. Post pics of the one you get this coming season.  Extra 1/2 hour didn’t impact me this year. The deer I did see before sunrise or after sunset were either out of range or something I didn’t want to shoot. I like the change though. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by boo711

[grampy]

I do like the changes made in legal hunt times this past season. That said, it didn't benefit me much, as the deer stuck mostly to very thick cover on our property. Those very thick areas get dark much sooner than the more open hardwoods or fields. Like others have said, had there been snow on the ground, it would have helped more. 

It does not appear, that there were any more obvious hunting "accidents" due to the regulation time change either. So that is another positive. The wearing of mandatory orange didn't effect me at all, because I have always worn it during firearms season.

[ApexerER]

I was happy for the change but it didn't make any difference in any hunt for me this season.

[moog5050]

I like the change but was surprised to find that the only sit I had in regular season, it got darker much sooner than 30 min after legal sunset.   I could hear but not see the last deer I saw that day until it was nearly under me.   And it was probably only 15 min after legal sunset.  Wrong buck though.   lol

[jperch]

There was a lot of heavy, low dark clouds in my area during gun and muzzleloader season.  I would say I gained maybe 15 extra minutes most afternoons.  But I thought it was great because I didn't have to be making frequent looks at my watch to see when it was time to quit.  There was one day when there was patchy snow on the ground with clear skies and I could see well for the full extra 30 minutes.

[PraiseDiana]

I had exactly one shot opportunity this season and it was 15 mins before sunrise, so I'm pretty happy with the new rules!

[phade]

I didn't take advantage, but I had several deer encounters/opportunities in those 60 minutes. None were THE encounter, lol.

I did get down several times prior to end of new legal because I simply couldn't see/hunt any longer. I noticed it more this season than in prior with the change.

Edited January 3, 2022 by phade