1. Check stands for squeaks and eliminate
them. Perform a safety check.
When you're ready to hit the woods and hang your stands, always check them over for worn/broken hardware.
A dangerous or fatal fall can often be avoided with a quick check. Also check over moving parts and chains/straps for noise.
Nothing will make that trophy buck hightail it out of your ambush point faster than a metal squeak coming from your stand.
2. Find a tree the right distance
from the trail, with adequite cover, and downwind of the area
you expect deer to show up.
Find the trail or area that you want to hang your stand in and put it at the distance that you are
accurate at and expecting deer to come from. Also placing it downwind of the trail places your scent stream away from that
trophy bucks nose. Once he smells you, the hunt is over.
3. Don't go too high in the early season. Foliage is too heavy for
good visibility.
By placing your stand high in the early season, you're putting your sight line above the tree foliage.
Leaves are thick during the early season and you won't see an approaching deer until it's right underneath you, making your
bow hard to grab or draw, without alerting him with close range movement or noise.
4. Cut limbs for shooting lanes, but don't
get too carried away.
Cut limbs that are in your way of a clear shot, but don't clear too many. A mature deer will notice
these sudden changes and know that something isn't right.
5. Control scent.
I hear alot of hunters swear that they don't have to abide by this important rule. Some even say..."I
smoke all the time on stand, and I kill deer all the time" This may be the case, but one thing that is a GUARANTEE...Any MATURE
buck/doe that gets a whiff of it and has been exposed to it before, while relating this smell to a human...will NOT let it
by his defenses and let you have a long time to make your shot at him. He's going to vacate the area, and fast. A mature
buck is by far a different breed from a younger deer. They got to be old for a reason and being stupid is not it.
6. ALWAYS wear a safety harness/belt!
Shouldn't need a whole lot of explanation here. The g-force created from a 16 foot fall is enough to
end your hunting career or your life in a matter of seconds. Do yourself and your family a favor, and buckle up!
7. Use your ears instead of swiveling your head constantly looking
for deer.
Constant movement while on stand will be noticed by deer from afar. A whitetails eyesight may not be
that of a wild turkey's, and they may not see some colors, but one thing they catch on to quick, is movement.
8. Stay alert, and be in shooting position when you least expect it.
Deer have the remarkable ability to slip in on your setup when you least expect it. On days where the
leaves on the forest floor are like corn flakes underneath your feet, whitetails will slither in behind you without announcing
their presence to you until it's too late. Always stay alert and ready, you'll have a much better chance of getting a shot
off with the deer standing instead of running out of dodge like he's on fire.
Last but not least.... HAVE CONFIDENCE!! You'll
not only shoot better under it's influence, but you'll actually hunt better, knowing that when the buck of a lifetime presents
a shot, you'll be able to close the deal.
GOOD LUCK AND HUNT SAFE !!!
