Probably all of us at some point during our time hunting deer have had one of those “oops” moments and then been busted by a deer we either were watching or didn’t know was around.

If you haven’t, well, you’re fortunate, don’t have deer in your area or are like the mystical turkey hunters who have “never missed a bird.” Even with the best efforts to be still, quiet and scent-free we still are intruding into a deer’s world.

Something caught my attention in Ted Nugent’s blog post here about being at DEFCON 1 when he’s hunting. Here is is: “If you can see the animal’s eyeball, they can see you. If you can hear any noise you’ve made, so can every animal within 100 yards.”

It always amazed me when I was younger and saw a deer that was staring daggers through me. Or I’d wiggle in my stand, move in a creaky chair in the box blind, snap a stick walking through the woods … and a deer would snort and run away.

Doggone it! But that’s not to different than looking straight up at cupped mallards or moving with a turkey on the way. Stuff happens. It still stinks, though, and definitely is a reminder to do our best to be quiet, sit still and use our eyes and ears most of all.