Navigating in a dark forest

I am wondering ,what You are doing well before the hunt-at mornings ,or after the hunt in the afternoons-how you find your ways out from the forest? Without much disturbance(idea is to get back there the "next"time too,while leaving deer unaware of my presence)
Field edge,farmer properties mainly do not pose this question-paths ,roads are close,no issue walking safely thru fields.

I face the dilemma how to find -AND how to get back out from my spots ,which are generally in mature forest.Pine-spruce plantations,with some hardwood spots,or cedar swamps.
Spots are deep in the woods -or relatively deep in,away from roads or even well used paths.

I would like to develop a method of avoiding reflective tacks, as trail guides-they have a tendency to "walk".

The ideas is to do the entry -exit quietly,meandering thru forests,with everything in my way as obstacle, what a nice mature forest can offer.
I have no desire to use "monster" headlamps or very powerful flashlights either.


I go in ,and sit up the tree 0.5 hr before legal just about every time,and wait for the forest to quiet down,while waiting for the legal time.
At afternoon sits-i generally come down at legal,and "quietly"walk out.

Appreciate your ideas and feedback.

Just curl up in the bivy bag and stay there for the evening and morning hunt ....

I just do that lately as my old hunting group not holding me back as they did in past ...
Ha Ha Ha :ashamed::D Hi Hi Hi

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Originally Posted by gbk

I am wondering ,what You are doing well before the hunt-at mornings ,or after the hunt in the afternoons-how you find your ways out from the forest? Without much disturbance(idea is to get back there the "next"time too,while leaving deer unaware of my presence)
Field edge,farmer properties mainly do not pose this question-paths ,roads are close,no issue walking safely thru fields.

I face the dilemma how to find -AND how to get back out from my spots ,which are generally in mature forest.Pine-spruce plantations,with some hardwood spots,or cedar swamps.
Spots are deep in the woods -or relatively deep in,away from roads or even well used paths.

I would like to develop a method of avoiding reflective tacks, as trail guides-they have a tendency to "walk".

The ideas is to do the entry -exit quietly,meandering thru forests,with everything in my way as obstacle, what a nice mature forest can offer.
I have no desire to use "monster" headlamps or very powerful flashlights either.


I go in ,and sit up the tree 0.5 hr before legal just about every time,and wait for the forest to quiet down,while waiting for the legal time.
At afternoon sits-i generally come down at legal,and "quietly"walk out.

Appreciate your ideas and feedback.

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A small GPS unit maybe ? Night vision goggles ?

Basically, headlamp/flashlight and GPS do suffice.
I now use onXmaps with maps downloaded, tracks & waypoints saved on my phone. And always carry back-up GPS, compass, extra flashlight, etc.....

And a safety glasses

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Originally Posted by G.S.

Basically, headlamp/flashlight and GPS do suffice.
I now use onXmaps with maps downloaded, tracks & waypoints saved on my phone. And always carry back-up GPS, compass, extra flashlight, etc.....

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Originally Posted by alfoldivandor

And a safety glasses

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100%

Bring some the bush in dark is is prone to eye damage

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There are many variables to consider. Are you solo? Solo way into the bush off trail than recovery also becomes an issue (albeit secondary because if you get lost you gonna have bigger issues).

First off presumably you have found your off trail spot by conducting scouting in the daylight and the goal is to return and/or exit in the dark efficiently. I typically would visit many times in the spring and summer during daylight hours to totally get familiar with any and all landmarks. Than i would start visiting in the summer well in advance of the season in the dark to practice when mistakes can be made with little or no consequence.

During the season the time within the season makes a huge difference. Early bow season when all leaves are still out is vastly different than late December in the snow. Clear skies are your friend and compass or GPS is unnecessary if you can see Polaris (north star). Study moon-rise and moon-set times for your dates. If you know the time of day and you can see the moon you can also navigate based on that. Lost track of how many times i have used the moon to get my bearings.

Another trick that has saved me once when I got turned around is noting the compass direction of the prevailing wind at the start of your hunt and than using that later to get your bearings.

And of course always bring a compass and learn how to use it. GPS is good too but honestly i am old school and don't like anything that needs batteries or relies on third party satellite coverage. That being said i have one in my kit and know how to use it but honestly haven't used the thing outside practice in 20 years.

As for lighting i wear a head lamp with a low illumination red lamp. The red light seems to bother the critters less. Once are the leaves are off and if skies are clear with a decent moon i often don't use a light but still have it in my bag if i need it (actually have four of them in the bag as i hang them in trees them to mark blood spots when tracking).

And make sure you have what you need in your pack (for me that means enough to survive 2 days given the time of year) and wear your pack properly - i.e both shoulder straps and the waist band secured at the proper length/tension. Saved my butt 2 years ago. Was hunting an area i know like the back of my hand and stepped on a log and it rolled and i went 60 feet down the side of a ravine that i have crossed 100s of times. Solo with no cell reception laying at the bottom on my back in the dark with a badly broken leg. If i wasn't wearing my pack properly i would have lost it in the fall. Had a tactical hatchet, bush-craft knife, paracord, first aid kit, jerky, peanuts, water, whiskey and ibuprofen in the bag. I couldn't get up but was able to get pack off and take 1200 mg of ibuprofen, drank 12 oz of whiskey, bottle of water and ate 100 grams of jerky to settle my stomach. Waited 45 minutes and was able to use a tree to pull myself up onto my good leg after the drugs and booze kicked in. Used the cord, knife and hatchet to splint my leg and make crutches. Than walked my butt out of there real slow.

I rarely use a light especially for turkeys they hate them. It takes a 20-30 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to dark. Therefore in the morning it’s key to let them adjust before you walk. After you’ve got everything ready you need to turn all lights off at the vehicle and spend 20 minutes adjusting before you walk. In the evening your eyes should be adjusting as light falls in the stand so no issues just don’t look at your phone or other light


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Always use a light in the dark, to prevent getting shot at. I sometimes use the brown reflective tacks on trees once I get to a more remote part of my walk, they dont work as well but are very difficult to see in the day light. Another method I use is to hunt mid day, some days there is more deer traffic around 10 AM and again around 3PM than the typical morning/evening hours.

After rereading your OP I'm thinking that going in and out with some daylight is the safer way to hunt. I would not want to drag out a big Buck in the dark by myself, besides if you did shoot one at Dusk you still have to track it and find it which would probably take you away from your stand into parts unknown ? My gang hunts on 50 acre tracts of bush (woodlots) that becomes 500 acres in the dark so the camp rule is climb down off the stand at Sunset and do a nice , slow walk out.