I’d found THE spot to meet Mr. Big. The problem was that the only tree that would work for a stand wasn’t the diameter of a coffee can and was on the downhill slope of where everything screamed the deer would appear.

I KNEW I could remain undetected. I’d merely put my stand on the back side of the tree and would stand, bow in hand, facing the tree. That way, I could see them coming, minimize movements and allow the small tree to partially break up my right-at-their-eye-level silhouette. All I’d have to do is not move when they were looking in my direction and I’d be fine.

I was wrong. Yes, the deer appeared where I believed they would, including Mr. Big. Nope, they never spooked, as I was also right that they wouldn’t, so long as I didn’t move when they were looking at me.

What I hadn’t accounted for was how tremendously not pleasant standing, facing a small tree and not moving a muscle for hours can be. See, the deer started feeding on the acorns I was covering less than 30 minutes into the “sit.” I had eyes on me, heads bobbing and hooves stomping, as does walked stiff legged back and forth in front of me for maybe all but 15 minutes the rest of the sit, including the entire time Mr. Big was within bow range. I couldn’t even come to full draw or the place would literally explode.

For as great as being in the right spot is, never forget that you have to be able to pull off the shot, if filling your tag is the goal. Let’s briefly cover what helps stack the odds of making that happen.

All Stand Types Considerations

Regardless of what general type of stand one is hunting from, addressing a handful of factors can up our success tremendously:

• Getting to and from one’s stand, undetected, is a game changer in keeping a property and stand fresh.
• Of course, not being winded on stand is also a huge part of that. Keeping stands, as well as entrance and exit routes, downwind of the deer is critically important.
• Due to switching winds, odor control can also be a huge advantage, which is why I go through liberal quantities of the entire Scent Killer line of products, as they simply work as advertised.
• Keeping the stand off the approaching deer’s direct line of sight is very helpful.
• Also, try to orient the stand so one is not looking directly into the light. Not only does that hurt one’s vision, but it spotlights themselves for the deer.
• Stands that stick out to us like sore thumbs do the same for deer. Hide them.
• Orient the stand, weapon and our natural position to minimize movements when one must come to full draw or raise the gun.
• Be sure the stand allows for silent movements and address any unwanted sources of sound proactively.
• Strive to position the stand to offer broadside or slightly quartering away shots at a comfortable shooting distance. Hint: A 1-foot bow shot can be about as hard to pull off as a 100-yard bow shot.
• Mock scrapes can truly be deadly at stopping deer in our shooting lane. By pointing the lick branch toward the stand, the deer working it are focused away from us, while offering good shot angles and providing us ample time to come to full draw, pick a hair and make the shot.

Enclosed Blinds Considerations

When hunting elevated or ground blinds, the following has helped me tremendously:

• Camo is for stalking and tree stands. Wear black on your top half, including a mask and gloves, to vanish into the shadows.
• Closing the windows and blacking them out on the back side of the blind completely eliminates the hunter’s silhouette.
• When one is going to set and hunt a ground blind the same day, decoys are awesome for taking the deer’s attentions off of the new scenery change and focusing them on the new deer. Add some Special Golden Estrus and Mega Tarsal Plus and we have both their eyes and noses fooled.
• When done prepping the stand, always ask what more you can do to stack the odds. Often, a single, good-sized tree branch across a trail can inspire a deer to remain on the main trail to the stand, instead of taking the out-of-range, branching trail you’ve now blocked.

Tree Stand Considerations

Never skimp on stand safety, as it simply isn’t worth it.

• Having each stand proactively outfitted with a LifeLine not only helps keep us safe but minimizes disturbances at the stand by already having the safety gear in place. That allows us to be safe the entire time our feet are off the ground.
• If a tree doesn’t offer the cover we need, don’t be afraid to attach branches to the stand, in a safe manner, of course, and on the tree. With a little work and creativity, we can make a telephone pole offer a surplus of cover.
• If you can’t leave stands on the grounds overnight, at least make one preseason trip to each location and prep the trees, taking the stand out with you when you are done. That minimizes the potential harms of trying to set fresh stands in the dark and helps keep deer ignorant to us hunting them.
• Outfitting each stand with a bow rope helps stop us from dangerously carrying gear while we climb, and again minimizes the time and efforts needed to get into stand.
• Gear hooks are cheap, and digging in packs while hunting can be extremely costly. Don’t be afraid to position all gear within easy, limited-movements-required reach.

Conclusion

Looking back at the hunt that I began this with, if I had to do it over, I’d have merely attached a bunch of extra cover to the tree. The setup still wouldn’t have been ideal but infinitely better than the one in which I couldn’t even come to full draw, despite Mr. Big spending over 15 minutes within shooting distance.

Never forget, putting ourselves within weapon’s range of our targets during legal light is only the first step in the goal. The second is giving ourselves a legit chance at making the shot and putting out tags on him!

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