# What am I doing wrong?



## brian02 (May 24, 2006)

I have only been bow hunting for a couple years and I have never seen a deer while sitting in the treestand. I killed two hogs the first year so I thought I was in good shape. I have deer on my cameras almost everyday in both the morning and afternoon at the same times I sit in the stand. I always wear full came including facemask, all my camo is washed with a sent-away detergent and I spray down with scent-away spray.

My question is, are there any rookie mistakes you can think of that I might be doing or just bad timing on my part and the deer just aren't there when I hunt?

Any advice would be much appreciated.


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## Titus Bass (Dec 26, 2008)

As a bow hunter, learn this lesson..........*Endeavor To Persevere.........*


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## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

I would like to help you out, but it is hard with only the information provided.

I will say, that you have to play the wind. All the scent killer, cover scent, and carbon clothing will not work if the deer is down wind of you. These products help, and I use them....but they will not completely cover your scent.

I don't know how much you move while on stand. I know some guys that just can't keep still no matter how hard they try. For them I recommend a tent blind.

I always try and hunt in the shade. If you are in the direct sunlight, a deer can pick you out easily even wearing camo.

Or it could just be bad luck. If you are hunting where there deer numbers are low or there is a lot of pressure, that could be part of it.

Bowhunting is suppose to be hard, that is why the reward of success is so sweet. Good luck.


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## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

Chunky makes some good points. Another thing to consider is how you are accessing your stand, are you walking through a staging or bedding area, hows the wind as your coming too and from your blind? Noisy entrance (by a deers standards)? I would double check your blind position, maybe they are picking you up before even coming into the open. I moved my ladder stand 2 times one season because I kept getting blown before I could ever attempt a shot. You gotta get down and look at your setup from a deer's perspective sometimes. But keep at it, if it was easy it wouldnt be any fun!


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## brian02 (May 24, 2006)

Chunky said:


> I would like to help you out, but it is hard with only the information provided.
> 
> I will say, that you have to play the wind. All the scent killer, cover scent, and carbon clothing will not work if the deer is down wind of you. These products help, and I use them....but they will not completely cover your scent.
> 
> ...


I have thought maybe I need to try a pop up blind, but i am pretty still while sitting in the tripod/treestand. 
Also, this year has been hard for me as far as the wind goes, it seems like everytime I sit in the stand the wind is swirling and can't make up it's mind which way it wants to blow.

See the pic of my setup, this is a new setup that I am trying this year. I typically walk in on the trail on the right and sick close to the edge.


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## FishinFoolFaron (Feb 11, 2009)

DUDE. You're in the wide open. You need a solid background of foilage from the deer's perspective. Looking at this pic, you would doo much better with a tree stand in the pines to the right or move the tripod directly the other side of the feeder behind that small tree.
My .02


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## OL' LUNGBUSTER (Mar 3, 2008)

I agree....hide that stand! The deer are probably watching you sitting in that stand.


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

Bow hunting 15 years now, 5 hunts this year and ain't seen a deer.

I got all the sent loc gear. It's hunting:clover:



brian02 said:


> I have only been bow hunting for a couple years and I have never seen a deer while sitting in the treestand. I killed two hogs the first year so I thought I was in good shape. I have deer on my cameras almost everyday in both the morning and afternoon at the same times I sit in the stand. I always wear full came including facemask, all my camo is washed with a sent-away detergent and I spray down with scent-away spray.
> 
> My question is, are there any rookie mistakes you can think of that I might be doing or just bad timing on my part and the deer just aren't there when I hunt?
> 
> Any advice would be much appreciated.


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## brian02 (May 24, 2006)

FishinFoolFaron said:


> DUDE. You're in the wide open. You need a solid background of foilage from the deer's perspective. Looking at this pic, you would doo much better with a tree stand in the pines to the right or move the tripod directly the other side of the feeder behind that small tree.
> My .02


I thought that, and in the past I have used treestands that were on large trees. The reason I am using a tripod here is the trees are all small, on average ony 5-6in diameter bases. Next time I go up I will see about moving it over or just back a little to put me more in the brush with some cover around me. From looking at the trails the way the deer come in from left to right while sitting in the stand, they can't see me untill they get under the feeder. That is if they are using the same trails all the time.


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## big_zugie (Mar 14, 2006)

i would try pushing the pod back in the brush more. my tripod is pretty wide open and the deer will walk right under me, i sit kinda in a willow tree in a full leaf suit head to toe. always have my cam on top of my boot so all i have to do is draw back. sucks sitting there for 4-5 hours like that but its what it takes.

are you taking a fourwheeler to your stand? if so how far away are you parking it? what time does your feeder go off and what time are you going to the stand?

















http://photos-gk.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...19523998849_1549500068_30296409_2230353_n.jpg


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## Screeminreel (Jun 2, 2004)

Can't tell from the pic, but does your stand have one of the rings used for a rest? If so get some of the cheap camo burlap, and ty-wrap it on for added cover. Even if your standing up it will still cover half of you up and hide a LOT of your silhouette. Sticking that stand back into those tree's will help out greatly as mentioned by others. 

Also, if when you go and come from your stand you might have someone drop you off an extra half hour or more earlier from a vehicle other than a 4 wheeler. A lot of deer will leave the area just from the sounds a 4 wheeler makes. On my buddies 1500 acre place, you can slip out an hour or so ahead of the folks on the place next to him and when they head out to their stands it's almost like a stampede as the deer come from that side of the property moving back away from the sound of their ATV's. Once they move out they don't come back until after dark. 

My wife drops me off sometimes on our family place with the truck and I have had deer standing within 60 yds of me while I climbed up in my stand. When she drove off they came right back under me and went on about their business. 

IF you walk in, as mentioned, the wind will kill you. Try other routes to get in and out and see if it helps. Wear rubber boots, get some of the local dirt and scrub them down with wet handfulls of it. This will get any imbedded offensive scents off the surface of them. Get some of those pine brows, bend them just enough for them to crack and release the scent, and toss your camo in a plastic bag with a few for a week, to scent them up with it as it is familiar to the deer and will help to cover your scent. 


There are a LOT of things that will put the deer off. That's why hunting is so challenging. Getting within the yardage required for a shot with archery gear is getting down and dirty with one of the most elusive critters out there. 

Good Luck and hope this helps. 

LAter,
SR


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## brian02 (May 24, 2006)

big_zugie said:


> are you taking a fourwheeler to your stand? if so how far away are you parking it? what time does your feeder go off and what time are you going to the stand?


Yes I take a 4 wheeler and I will park about 400 yards down the trail. My feeder is set to go off at 7:15 and I get to my stand at 6:00 and also 4:30 in the afternoon and I get to the stand around 2:30.

FYI....No one has hunted this spot in years.


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## Team Binnion (Jun 3, 2004)

*UV*

If you are wearing clothes with UV Light in them forget it, they can see you 100 miles away.


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## bogunter (Dec 16, 2007)

for years I had my feeder out in the open on a little meadow. I didn't see many deer. I moved my feeder back into the woods a little where they would feel not so out in the open and had a lot more success. I would say move the blind to better conceal you, and then move the feeder a little closer to cover so they don't feel so out in the open. In some places the deer don't mind, but my east texas ones don't like it out in the open.


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## aggie82josh (Mar 16, 2007)

I could just be the picture but, it looks like you are **** near sitting on top of the feeder? I like to be 20+ yards from the feeder (my feeders will thow corn every bit of 15 yards, which can put the deer at 5 yards). 

If you are riding a 4-wheeler in it doesn't matter what you do you are going to get smells on you. What you can do to prevent this is store you clothes in a plastic container, wear normal while on the 4-wheeler, when you get to where you are going, change into your hunting clothes, this will cut down on the exhaust fumes, engine and gas smells that come along with riding a 4-wheeler. And make sure the dear aren't coming across your 4-wheeler on the way to the feeder, you may need to park further away.


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## ss mudminnow (Jun 13, 2006)

Nice tripod where did you get it ?


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## ZenDaddy (May 22, 2004)

What's the height of your tri-pod? I had a 12 foot tripod and it proved difficult to hunt out of. Deer usually came into my feeder in groups of three or four. A couple wood eat, the others would watch .... me.

I moved up to a 15 foot ladder stand and the deer tend not to look up that high. I had two small bucks come in and I would make a slight noise. They'd look in my direction but did not bust me ... they generally don't look up 15 feet.


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## ZenDaddy (May 22, 2004)

I should point out ...

Once you get the stand in the right position, specifically the wind ... it becomes a lot easier. I have a hard time sitting still, but with my new set up - up 15 feet, face to the wind, and feeder 20 yards away I can pretty well do a jig in my stand and the deer won't notice.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

Good advice all around.

Move your stand into those trees where you can see over the limbs to shoot but where most of your body is concealed. Or, get a pop up stand and put it behind where your stand is now...that hole in the brush looks like a good place. Don't worry about brushing it in or anything just set it and the deer will get use to it. If the windows aren't painted or dyed black do so before you put it out there.

2 years is a long time not to see a deer at your feeder while you're on the stand so something's wrong as you already know. So begin by either moving your stand back into the trees or getting a pop up and keep doing the other things that you're doing right.

Good luck to you. You're already persistant in that you've not given up so keep going at it.

TH


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## brian02 (May 24, 2006)

ss mudminnow said:


> Nice tripod where did you get it ?


Academy, the one with the deluxe top


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## brian02 (May 24, 2006)

ZenDaddy said:


> What's the height of your tri-pod? I had a 12 foot tripod and it proved difficult to hunt out of. Deer usually came into my feeder in groups of three or four. A couple wood eat, the others would watch .... me.
> 
> I moved up to a 15 foot ladder stand and the deer tend not to look up that high. I had two small bucks come in and I would make a slight noise. They'd look in my direction but did not bust me ... they generally don't look up 15 feet.


It is a 16' tripod


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

I do think the tripod could be concealed a lot better. But, based on what you are saying my best guess is it's a scent issue. Your scent is likely permeating the area. I find a lot of hunters set up for a north wind, when in reality the predominate wind direction in Texas is SE. Usually we get no more than 2 or 3 days of N wind after a front and it switches back SE. The kicker is, you never know when a front will come in. So you have to be prepared for both. What I do is set up a tripod for SE wind (typically milder temps) and set up my pop up so that I can hunt either SE or N wind. I like to be able to get in an enclosed blind when a wet blue norther blows in. 

If that is not it, you may be disturbing your deer on approach.

Good luck....and be patient.


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## jboogerfinger (Jun 16, 2009)

A place where we used to bow hunt, we had a feeder that was thick in the trees and a tripod practically right next to it. the deer couldn't see unless they looked straight up, which they seldom do w/o reason. Also, don't be afraid to sit on the ground next to a tree with alot of canopy hangin around. you will be in the dark shady area and the deer will be in the lit area. Try looking around and you will discover that even if you try, you can't see the base of some trees because too dark from shade of all the low hanging branches. You see out just fine (kind of like being able to see out of a car with dark tint, but from outside you can't see in). Heck, you can practically move all you want, and it doesn't matter because they can't see you anyway. I have had deer walk right by before and they had no clue I was there. Great for afternoon hunts or later in the morning when the sun comes out.


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