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Ever wonder...

meyeri

meyeri

PMA Member
How many deer skirt your setup or sneak by the back side of the tree when you're looking the other way?

I hunt a lot of big timber and I recall a couple scenarios last year where I just barely caught movement way off in the tree line, had I not been glancing in that direction I wouldn't have seen the deer at all. Makes me cringe when I hear about guys that play games on their phones. What are some tactics you guys use to keep aware and sharp in the stand?
 
meyeri said:
How many deer skirt your setup or sneak by the back side of the tree when you're looking the other way?

I hunt a lot of big timber and I recall a couple scenarios last year where I just barely caught movement way off in the tree line, had I not been glancing in that direction I wouldn't have seen the deer at all. Makes me cringe when I hear about guys that play games on their phones. What are some tactics you guys use to keep aware and sharp in the stand?
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I have no problem with the phones nor do I have problems with napping/relaxing. Yes, you definitely run the risk of missing something, but staying alert for a dark to dark hunt isn't easy for anyone. Regardless, any wild creature (aside from squirrels) survive on their ability to be stealthy. You can't expect to catch everything. I do like to keep a 5hr Energy shot in my pack just for when I feel like I need a "jolt".

Part of what is great about hunting is you never know what you will see or where it will pop out. I was caught off guard twice last year by the same buck, which was frustrating since he was a shooter. The biggest mistake I made wasn't in regards to being alert, but more about not being "ready". I had all but made up my mind that the evening was over. I started putting gear away, which included just starting to take off my release when BAM this deer just appeared out of the creek bottom. Was so thick I couldn't see nor hear him. If anything, if you are going to hunt from dark to dark you better be ready in those low light situations. I wasn't and it cost me a buck last year (three encounters with the same buck all under 30 yards).
 
NFL sunday ticket has cost me a few deer sightings - I have also scared a few deer I didn't hear come in while opening an oatmeal cream pie- those snacks will get ya busted every time:)
 
BDAHMS said:
NFL sunday ticket has cost me a few deer sightings - I have also scared a few deer I didn't hear come in while opening an oatmeal cream pie- those snacks will get ya busted every time:)
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Yep, swiss roll cakes here. Darn little Debbie.
 
BDAHMS said:
NFL sunday ticket has cost me a few deer sightings - I have also scared a few deer I didn't hear come in while opening an oatmeal cream pie- those snacks will get ya busted every time:)
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Not sure if I have scared any opening snacks, but I have been known to eat a few in the stand. A tip on this situation would be to pre-open them and put in a ziploc (preferably with the slider).

I'm sometimes amazed by my ability to look at just the right time to see something moving. Like the OP, I sometimes just catch something moving away from me, and wonder where all it had been. Sometimes I'm pretty sure it wasn't going to come in under my stand. Other times they seem to just appear in my shooting lanes and I wonder how long I missed them. I just try to keep alert as well as I can. I've been close to dozing off several times, but don't think I ever have. No real secrets to staying awake except trying to get enough rest when not hunting. Maybe move around a little when I'm sure nothing is in the area. Those mid mornings and early afternoons can get tough, especially if it's warm!
 
I notice when I have a "full tank" of energy- I stay focused on light scanning all around me. I can "feel" when I'm being a tactful, careful & observant hunter. I do all I can to stay crisp & rested so I feel like I'm in the game all rut. That may include taking a crummy day off to rest. Usually the case. I absolutely fall into the problem of getting wore out and sloppy. Sloppy can take many forms but I'm guilty every year at times. This last season I was so tired out I went out for an evening late season hunt. Fell asleep for 45 mins. (I never do this). I woke up with 15 deer on field and one was the super old management buck I was after. I literally woke up, had 30 seconds to shoot and got him down within a minute of waking up. For me, that's really sloppy and very lucky. 90% the time I'm a very quiet, careful & low movement hunter that constantly scans. My stands are high, lanes trimmed months in advance, super comfy stands and I'm Fired up to be there. Loving being out there and taking a break to hunt after all the hard farm work makes me wanna hunt hard & love it.
 
I've done one dark to dark, never say never but gonna take a lot to get me to do it again. I have to have something to do but I'm not in to phone games so I read books and do sleep. That being said I wonder how much I miss but if a deer or squirrel rustles the leaves within ear shot I do look up or wake up, I think.
 
I do 10-12 dark to dark or 8 am-dark hunts every yr and i love to hate it. I eat like a king and do get plenty of naps in.
I can only remember 2 bucks that have gotten in on me in the last 6-8 yrs and both of them were 160+ deer between 10am and noon.
As many times as you hear the 10-2 thing... it is real and ive learned to get my cat naps and snacks in before and after these times. I killed my bow buck this past yr at 3:00 pm with a solid 2" of snow covering my whole body and bow during that wild November snow storm. If you put the time in its not so much a matter of will it happen, just when and you have to be on your toes
 
Its usually the 3rd or 4th day of consecutive all-day sits that I start to "lose my mind". It is amazing how tired you can get from just trying to stay focused literally sitting on your butt all day.
 
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