# Deer stands and concealment



## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Another topic for conversation.

After reading all the talk about building blinds and painting them certain ways to avoid detection from deer here's my take, what's yours? I think a deer really doesent give a darn what color the stand is or what color the windows are or what color inside the blind is. I see folks go to extreme measures to "cover up". I think you could paint them blaze orange and it wouldnt make any difference. Its all about movement, you keep still you will be fine. I beat on the side of stands to see how it affects deer and it usually doesent make any difference at all. I had a base for a stand up 4X8 sheet of plywood. I set me a chair on it and hunted and had no problems at all being totally exposed. Let's hear from yall. My stands are painted with porch paint gray. I think it is the best for the money. Also think all the fancy painting is more for the hunter than the deer.

Get out the popcorn.. Ha


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## Brushpoppin (Jul 24, 2012)

It all depends on how spooky your deer are, and how much of something different in their environment they can stand before they will break.


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## misbhavn (Nov 19, 2010)

I tend to agree. I think painting mine camo was more for me than the deer. 

However, I wouldn't want to test blaze orange, hot pink, etc... I think as long as you paint it any color found in nature (black, brown, green, tan, white, etc...) and get it out long enough for the animals to become acustomed to it's presence, you're fine.

Movement is the key. I think time would be better spent concealing your movement and silhouette than painting stands camo.


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## DUKFVR (Aug 19, 2004)

CHARLIE said:


> Another topic for conversation.
> 
> After reading all the talk about building blinds and painting them certain ways to avoid detection from deer here's my take, what's yours? I think a deer really doesent give a darn what color the stand is or what color the windows are or what color inside the blind is. I see folks go to extreme measures to "cover up". I think you could paint them blaze orange and it wouldnt make any difference. Its all about movement, you keep still you will be fine. I beat on the side of stands to see how it affects deer and it usually doesent make any difference at all. I had a base for a stand up 4X8 sheet of plywood. I set me a chair on it and hunted and had no problems at all being totally exposed. Let's hear from yall. My stands are painted with porch paint gray. I think it is the best for the money. Also think all the fancy painting is more for the hunter than the deer.
> 
> Get out the popcorn.. Ha


 I'm with you Charlie. Just like people getting all camoed up & sitting in a box blind.


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## SHURSHOT270 (Dec 28, 2007)

DUKFVR said:


> I'm with you Charlie. Just like people getting all camoed up & sitting in a box blind.


Ha, you beat me to it, I agree the color of a stand could be any color in most cases as long as it has been there a while and the deer are used to it. our stands are just painted a dull green because thats how they were when we bought them.


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## jkeithLSON (May 15, 2012)

Last buck I killed was while I was sitting on a yellow 5 gallon bucket on a woodline at the edge of a field.


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## Icetrey (Oct 8, 2007)

I don't think it really matters at all. Once it's sat there several weeks, eventually months, and then years..they know it's there and not going anywhere. We have ours painted green becaus of alot of trees and vegetation around. But I wouldn't think it really matters after awhile


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

Color/camo doesn't matter, time and them being used to it is all that matters as far as the actual stand goes. Paint you blinds to keep them from rotting, certainly, but not to hide them from a deer, ain't happening. Movement does matter, always. So even if you are inside of a blind, don't get backlit or backgrounded moving because they will see that immediately. What you wear inside of the blind should also lend to limiting their ability to see movement, not saying that camo is necessary but bright colors or white probably isn't best.
The one thing I notice more than anything is that deer will look at a stand, even if they are used to it. I think they can tell when the windows are open (there is now a dark spot/hole where a board used to be) and sometime it will spook an old smart doe when the exterior of the stand looks different than she is used to.


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## tec (Jul 20, 2007)

A good camo paint job might hide it from a trespasser a ways off but I doubt it would hide it from a deer. I just paint mine green and give the deer time to get used to it being there. Someone said it is kinda like someone putting a box in your living room and thinking you won't see it.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Man this is too tame. Caint get anyone fired up..Guess I will have to go back to the shootin spike thing.


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## AggieDad (Dec 12, 2009)

I hunted for 30 years in Lee County and did not dress in camo - I wore my jeans and a tan work shirt. I stood behind a tree and waited for the deer to cross. Several times I had deer come up behind me - bucks and does - as close as 10 yards. I stayed still and did not move much, but in my opinion - the camo is for the hunter and not the hunted.


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## willydavenport (Jun 4, 2004)

I agree with Charlie on this one. If you think about it, if a stand has been in the same place for 7+ years, pretty much any deer in the area don't know life without it being there. I do wear a face mask and gloves in a box blind and I think it helps tremendoulsy. It regularly have deer walk right up to and underneath the stand. I think it's interesting as the season rolls on that you can tell when people have been hunting in the stands and don't cover their hands and face and don't sit still. When the deer come out of the brush, the first thing they will do is look at the stand to check and see if anyone is in there. They don't necesarily run off but they are definitley aware that you are in there.

Oh, and I do wear a camo shirt with my blue jeans but that's just so that when I go back into town people know that I've been hunting.


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## Main Frame 8 (Mar 16, 2007)

Focus more on how the inside is painted. You notice most pop-up blinds are black inside- I prefer to wear black clothing rather than camo in those. Same thought process should go into your blind interior. I try to keep the windows on the smaller side to allow less light into the blind and use tinted plexiglass.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

HydraSports said:


> The one thing I notice more than anything is that deer will look at a stand, even if they are used to it. I think they can tell when the windows are open (there is now a dark spot/hole where a board used to be) and sometime it will spook an old smart doe when the exterior of the stand looks different than she is used to.


I have noticed that numerous times over the years, which is why I like my stands about 200 yards from my feeders.


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## Main Frame 8 (Mar 16, 2007)

w_r_ranch said:


> I have noticed that numerous times over the years, which is why I like my stands about 200 yards from my feeders.


 Another reason I use tinted plexiglass- That window opening looks dark whether it's open or closed.


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## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

CHARLIE said:


> Man this is too tame. Caint get anyone fired up..Guess I will have to go back to the shootin spike thing.


''''Hooo boy! you did it now!...lol..I painted all my feeders and stands the same color. Dark olive green. Not trying to hide them(impossible), just had a lot of the same color paint and it's good quality outdoor paint......A lease I was on in Segovia had a stand we called brown cow stand. It was light grey and brown patches like a paint horse. Ugly as a mud fence, but a lot of activity. I saw more deer/exotics out of that stand than any others and you could see that thing down in the valley from any of the surrounding hilltops.....As mentioned, I think keeping your silhouette and movement hidden is pretty important.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

I've always looked at camo as something that breaks up the pattern of what it is on. But what helps you more than camo as far as a stand goes is how long it has been where it is. The deer getting used to it being where it is key to them being comfortable with it. My popup blind has been set since last month.

Now wearing camo when hunting outside of a stand I think helps the hunter due to the same reason; it breaks up your silhouette and helps the deer not see any subtle movement you may make.

As for the windows...absolutely true. TXPalerider taught me to spray paint the windows that I"m going to have open when bow hunting black so that when they're open the deer still see a black hole. You guys who have board windows on your blinds should paint them black as well. The deer see a black hole every day and when you're in it they still see a black hole.

Glass or plexiglass windows like we have in our box blinds always look the same, open or closed.

Good topic.

TH


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## ksk (Aug 9, 2008)

Charlie I was on a hill country lease years ago .We built our blinds out of scraps of lumber from a new housing addition.I went to Courts Hardware in Stafford and bought gallons of paint that they were going to get rid of for one reason or another[$1 a gallon].We had stands that were green,black,blue,red,orange and yellow.We shot bucks out of all.The most popular/successful one, was one that went unpainted but someone had written with black paint on it''BEN LADEN SUCKS''.


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## sotol buster (Oct 7, 2007)

I don't know about the blind but I did have camo on my feeder once. We hunt in valverde county and it is pretty open. I added some cedar branches to the barrel. The deer could care less. The good part was that although it was visible from the road one guy looked for it all year and never found it.


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## sotol buster (Oct 7, 2007)

You might also mention that you wear rubber gloves and rubber boots when filling your feeders. Wouldn't want anything unnatural as corn falls from the sky in West Tx


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## capt.dave (Jan 3, 2007)

HydraSports said:


> Color/camo doesn't matter, time and them being used to it is all that matters as far as the actual stand goes. Paint you blinds to keep them from rotting, certainly, but not to hide them from a deer, ain't happening. Movement does matter, always. So even if you are inside of a blind, don't get backlit or backgrounded moving because they will see that immediately. What you wear inside of the blind should also lend to limiting their ability to see movement, not saying that camo is necessary but bright colors or white probably isn't best.
> The one thing I notice more than anything is that deer will look at a stand, even if they are used to it. I think they can tell when the windows are open (there is now a dark spot/hole where a board used to be) and sometime it will spook an old smart doe when the exterior of the stand looks different than she is used to.


There's a lot of guys who wear black when hunting out of pop-up blinds, which typically have a black back drop in them.

I would agree that deer don't really see colors, however, they definitely see movement and conflicting colors in the background possibly could allow them to see your movement easier.

At the end of the day, I find that sent control is by far the most important. At least from a bow hunting perspective.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Charlie, I will play good cop bad cop with you. LOL I agree with you for the most part except for the inside should be a darker color to help conceal your movement. As for the outside why do people think a deer cant see that big old box no matter what color it is? Your in their living room now. Would you notice a big flat screen TV box if someone just dropped it in your living room? Deer also learn to look at blinds before coming out in the open. I have hunted a few places where the deer would do this.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

The scent control thing cracks me up also. You can do all you want to keep your clothes and body scent free but what are you going to do about your breath? You cant hide it, make it scent free or cover it up. I have been bow hunting since I was 10 and one thing I have learned is that you must stay downwind and high enough to avoid detection. My dad was good enough at it that he stalked a few deer while they were bedded down and killed them with his bow.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

We have a few stands built out of the felt from a ppr mill and they are WHITE, with the openings covered with burlap with slots cut for gun. I used to make all my stands with peep holes so as to stay out of the shooting windows untill time for the shot. That said when I started deer huntn 51 yrs ago there were no stands maybe a few homemade ladders. I don't see how some here get a shot out of an open topped stand, with all from shoulders up visable, it for sure would not work here where I hunt, especially on anything other than a young deer.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Aww Walter those deer are gonna smell you long before they get close to the stand..


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## Bassman5119 (Feb 26, 2008)

SHURSHOT270 said:


> Ha, you beat me to it, I agree the color of a stand could be any color in most cases as long as it has been there a while and the deer are used to it. our stands are just painted a dull green because thats how they were when we bought them.


Dark colors work well where we are, with dense brush. Dark green and some camo accent to break up the solid green. Painted it black inside and actually wear black while in the stand. My favorite hunting jacket is my black FRC. Got a black hood and leave my north window closed (Ike ruined the trail to the north).

I had one in 09 come running out, spooked on the stand and went back the other way. He was obviously a visitor and traveling. Others usually don't spook on it. Our E. Tx deer are spooky by nature.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Another thing on the scent control. How are you going to get rid of the oil and grease on your bow wheels, arrow rest and release mechanism? The sweat on the riser and sweat on your release strap? The glue on your fletchings, nocks, inserts? I know I sweat just walking to the stand many times in October.


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## Icetrey (Oct 8, 2007)

Only problem I've really run into in box blinds is mine are sitting flat on the ground, well on cenderblocks, and the deer not only can tell when my windows are open, but its really tough to move around. Even setting binocs on the edge to look through them can get you busted. Then again I'm only about 100yds from my feeder, even though the majority of the deer I see don't go to it, I'm still really close to where most action happen.

I use tinted plexiglass as well, but I've had too many scenarios where action happened too fast for me to get the window open in time when I'd keep them closed. So now I open them up and lean back in my chair the majority of the time.

And about the camo in a box, I do where a little bit (usually just my bibs and warm jacket which both happen to be camo since they were bought for hunting), but with being level with the ground it's nice to have on in those scenarios where the deer arent being cooperative. I've killed one of my biggest deer in that field after I got out with my shooting sticks and walked from tree to tree to get a shot about 75yds from my box.


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## topcat5 (Oct 12, 2007)

I am in agreement with almost all of the threads that I have read, mostly because you were there and I was not. However my take on this is that the camo, the paint, and scent killers are for the hunter. For me it gives me a confident feeling, therefore I am able to concentrate a little harder. I believe when I am in a stand or on the ground, confidence that I will see something makes a tremendance difference. A big part of hunting to me is sitting and hearing what I can hear and seeing what I can see. I hunted with some guys that always read a book when hunting. They are excellent hunters. I cannot do that, scared I would miss something. Movement and the wind are crucial, even though I have what I feel to be a great regimen to avoid being detected. Again this gives me confidence even if the deer are laughing at me. What I do not know will not hurt me. :flag:


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

CHARLIE said:


> Aww Walter those deer are gonna smell you long before they get close to the stand..


If I think they will smell me I get in another one that is more 'wind friendly' for the day...'plan B', one of my best bow kills was 9yrds downwind with his head stuck in a 'scent post' of Coyote urine BUT I was 25' up in a Pin Oak....WW


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## royboy42 (Apr 28, 2007)

I hunt near Walter (WetDreams) and the deer in our area (E TX) are pretty slick for the most part, especially the mature bucks. One thing Ive learned in the past few years is that deer hunting is alot like playing Texas Hold Em, you try and do your best to be quiet, play the wind right and not alert them that your there....but at the end of the day you also need a lil luck, thats what makes it exciting. You can do everything right, and not see **** sometimes, and then go back a week later w 2 kids making noise and one ******* outside the stand an hour into it, and then be covered up in deer downwind an hour later.


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## rut-ro (Oct 12, 2008)

Camo or no camo who really cares? Why dont we go back to hunting like our great great grand parents did and put some sport back into it. how about you try getting rid of all your camo clothing and deer feeders and stalk the animals. I can bet my great great grandfather and grandmother never spent 10 seconds in a deer blind.

I can also bet they never raised pets and shot them too, sure they ate some of thier chickens and cows but they were not trapped in a high fence and further more the chickens could of left if they wanted to.


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## Bukkskin (Oct 21, 2009)

CHARLIE said:


> *Man this is too tame*. Caint get anyone fired up..Guess I will have to go back to the shootin spike thing.


*YOU* don't have to hide Charlie, because once you put a game fence around ya'lls 4 or 5,000 acres, the deer automatically become tame. They no longer know how to hide and are forced to stand still in the sendero.:biggrin::dance: 
I sit in open top tripods most always. I wrap them with camo burlap, but that is just to keep from annoying the neighboring ranches (just the way I like to handle that). Our closest blind to their fence is around 600 yrds. They Don't like hunting or hunters, so I figure out of sight, out of mind. When I sit in a little tripod with no wrap, I do wear camo. The deer usually like it a little better the stiller I am. Although I have been in a 5 minute staring contest with a few does. As soon as I move they put their head down and start eating again, LOL.
I feed all around the blind, and our mature deer like to eat right next to the blind. I can Pee out of the tripod and have a mature buck eating corn 15 yards dead down wind in a couple of minutes. Every now and then one will look up at me kinda funny and move over a few yards so he doesn't have to smell me. But that is just our ranch, maybe one or two shots fired on it a year. And not that it matters one bit, it is low fence.:cheers:


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## BrushyHillGuide (Jun 29, 2012)

CHARLIE said:


> Another topic for conversation.
> 
> After reading all the talk about building blinds and painting them certain ways to avoid detection from deer here's my take, what's yours? I think a deer really doesent give a darn what color the stand is or what color the windows are or what color inside the blind is. I see folks go to extreme measures to "cover up". I think you could paint them blaze orange and it wouldnt make any difference. Its all about movement, you keep still you will be fine. I beat on the side of stands to see how it affects deer and it usually doesent make any difference at all. I had a base for a stand up 4X8 sheet of plywood. I set me a chair on it and hunted and had no problems at all being totally exposed. Let's hear from yall. My stands are painted with porch paint gray. I think it is the best for the money. Also think all the fancy painting is more for the hunter than the deer.
> 
> Get out the popcorn.. Ha


I agree with you 100% if you are able to set up a permanent stand that they can get used to over a long period of time.

That said, people who have to set up temporary stands for a few days of hunting ABSOLUTELY need to make every effort to conceal their blinds and make them disappear into the environment as much as possible. This will benefit even those that hunt on low-pressured properties. Just because you see deer (even good deer) out of a blind doesn't mean you're seeing ALL the deer or all the BEST deer!

It never hurts your hunting to make the effort to hide, but its not ALWAYS necessary - it depends on the situation.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

rut ro

I have hunted as grandpaw did many times. I build a blind for my convience to stay dry and warm not to hide from the deer. I even hunt out of those cold and wet tripods sometimes (dont like it), sometimes on the ground. Shootin pets well I guess you could call it that but GP did too. But what does all the above have to do with painted up tricked out stands ?

I will take a picture of my little portable all aluminum tripod next time I can. It gets moved and hunted out of all of the time. Its about 8 feet tall. with no rails or cover what so ever.. 
pretty effective.


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

Grandpa never hunted like this, but I'd like to have one. lol


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Boomgoon

I have actuall been in a stand almost like that. I got scared walking up the staairs..Didnt really hunt out of it.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Over here you can take a ladder stand and put off a xing about 25-50 yrds, NEVER get in it and see how long they travel the xing before they move down some. I think N A Whitetail did this in a survey yrs back. I have taken more deer outside of a stand than in one, and there is NO spot n stalk in the woods around here. When I started you would be sent to where the deer would cross ahead of hounds...'white squirell ridge', the 'burnt tub', 'sawdust pile', 'leaning pine' never a stand, just get somewhere in buckshot range, cuz when the dogs jumped they were comming. The first box stand I saw was in Menard in the early 60s, maybe 2-3 on several thousand acres....WW


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

That is why I love hunting in West Texas on 40k acres. No stands! If your not seeing deer get up and go to the next canyon.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Bottomsup

You forgot part of that its "go to the next canyon and roll rocks" Done that too..


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

CHARLIE said:


> Bottomsup
> 
> You forgot part of that its "go to the next canyon and roll rocks" Done that too..


Thats fun also. Sometimes the rocks wont budge them. My dad and I rocked a canyon for about an hour and nothing came out. He then walked down it while I stayed above and at least 5 bucks ran out as he nearly stepped on them.


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## panhandle_slim (Jun 1, 2012)

willydavenport said:


> Oh, and I do wear a camo shirt with my blue jeans but that's just so that when I go back into town people know that I've been hunting.


Lol ^^


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

CHARLIE said:


> Boomgoon
> 
> I have actuall been in a stand almost like that. I got scared walking up the staairs..Didnt really hunt out of it.


Our favorite stand is 2 stories but only seats 3. The worst part is carrying all of the beer and ice up.


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## rut-ro (Oct 12, 2008)

CHARLIE said:


> rut ro
> 
> I have hunted as grandpaw did many times. I build a blind for my convience to stay dry and warm not to hide from the deer. I even hunt out of those cold and wet tripods sometimes (dont like it), sometimes on the ground. Shootin pets well I guess you could call it that but GP did too. But what does all the above have to do with painted up tricked out stands ?
> 
> ...


CHARLIE,

I was just messin with ya and tryin to ruffle some feathers. I too hunt from a faded box blind, but I do put a fresh coat of sky blue paint on the inside roof and bottom every two years to keep the wasp out.

Happy hunting to all this year


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

Brushpoppin said:


> It all depends on how spooky your deer are ...


 ... Or how high the fence is ... ! Sorry Charlie, I had to ... !

You beat on a stand where we deer hunt (and especailly where we grew up deer hunting) and you've likely blown that stand until the next season. But I've seen it go both ways. ANYTHING can work or not work ... this is why some bucks go unkilled and some get shot at 40 yards motionless, while an unhid hunter off-hands them from the middle of a road.

I don't think stand color makes a lick of difference, but I certainly try to conceal mine as best as I can, back them up into trees if possible - hell, I've hid bow stands good enough that I've lost them. It's just good practice to conceal.

That's one of the biggest problems with deer "hunting" in this state is everyone just seems to lax about it. It's more like shooting than hunting.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Bottomsup said:


>


Bottomsup, you need to turn that gal over if your avatar is suppose to fit your username.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

AvianQuest said:


> Bottomsup, you need to turn that gal over if your avatar is suppose to fit your username.


LMAO! I will see if she will pose for that.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

spec rig 006

LMAO yall are hilarious. Finally getting some stuff going. ha..

Bottoms up

ya gonna post the answer ??


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## sotol buster (Oct 7, 2007)

Bottomsup said:


> Thats fun also. Sometimes the rocks wont budge them. My dad and I rocked a canyon for about an hour and nothing came out. He then walked down it while I stayed above and at least 5 bucks ran out as he nearly stepped on them.


A duck call works on west tx bucks.


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## paslaw0311 (Apr 19, 2011)

I just started baiting deer with live croaker.. they havent looked at my stand since.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Aahhh sooo a croaker soaker comes out of the closet.. 

rut-ro
Aint nothing like some good ole fashoned fun. I enjoyed that. good huntin


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