Setting Treestands

[Upatreeinwv]

It seems deer are very aware of my steps and hang on if left over night. I've come back to hunt my stand after leaving it for a few days and come back to have deer bedded right up against my climbing sticks. Anybody else have these issues? Are these deer really that guard dog-like of my entries/exits. I wish I could have just hunted this area once and done, the beast style, but it had the biggest buck I was after in it.

[Jdw]

I used to have that problem a good bit.

I think they are picking up your ground scent, trailing you to your stand and hanging out until you come back to hunt.

I typically try to use creative access routes and set up quietly in a different location each hunt to try to keep them from patterning me. Sometimes a ground hunt can be a good way to catch them off guard.

If you think they are watching your access try to figure out how to put yourself in the game without tipping them off.

It seems they are better at patterning us than most of us are at patterning them.

[dan]

change up your tree and your approach more often. They are smelling where you have been. I rately hunt the same tree twice, however, I hunt the szme buck and same area

[Brad]

Just a few days ago I was just saying this to someone who complained of not seeing deer. He also complained about getting stands stolen... I said there are two reasons I refuse to leave anything in the woods. #1 is because people are likely to steal it. #2 it leaves something in the woods that tell the deer someone I have been in the area. Even though they can smell my footsteps in and out, that dissipates over time, and/or they can probably tell that I am not there anymore. But, if I leave a stand in the woods, there is something in that spot that lets them know something they don't trust is still there, and since they are likely to be wandering through that area at some point day or night, they'll likely know about anything left in the woods. Maybe I'm wrong, but I try to make sure that if any deer finds out that I have been in their area it's after my arrow has made contact.

[Upatreeinwv]

Appreciate the feedback. I'm always on the move, and I know deer pattern people very well. Ive hunted downwind of spots where I had a stand prior and watched deer come in and be on alert. Once they realized they didnt smell nothing they went about their business. Im constantly trying to figure out ways to access differently. The crunch crunch is hard to get around tho if youre hunting the woods.