Can't get to the Stand with out being busted!

DanO · Post by **DanO** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:55 pm

I walk in to my stand very quietly over an hour before daylight. I use scent blocker sprays and masking scent. I've been busted by 3 does on two out of three occassions. Usually I'm in the stand for over an hour after daylight before they give me the warning spit or hiss. They aren't alarmed because they come around and circle me at a distance of 40 yds. They're busting me on my scent.

I've heard that deer almost always know their is a human in the bush somewhere. All the stand does is give your scent a chance to mix and swirl so that you are harder to pinpoint. I've only used 12 feet of my ladder stand because any higher makes shooting really difficult (low limbs). I've always hunted with the full stand up (20 feet) and I've never been busted. Could that be the problem? Not enough height.

Any help would be appreciated.

Dan O.

TPM · Post by **TPM** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:12 pm

If you've been busted two out of three times an hour before sunrise then you're invading their sanctuary. Stay out of the bush and stick to the field edges and let them come to you.

deerdhunter · Post by **deerdhunter** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:43 pm

I got busted this morning in my 12 foot 2 man stand. I almost never get busted in my 1 man 20 footers. I would us the extra height if I were you.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:29 am

Try something different ... I'd definitely stop stomping around where they hide in the pre-dawn.

TPM has a point. They're very likely to pop out on the edge of that cover in the early morning.

If you can, try hunting between 10:00 and 2:00 or thereabouts. So many hunters think that early morning and late evening are the times to be out, but I see more deer in shooting light on this farm very late in the morning and early in the afternoon ... and I've killed deer then ... again, not in the cover, but on the edge of it.

I've got one six-acre woodlot I don't even go into at all during season ... I just watch a strip through it from stands on the edge.

DanO · Post by **DanO** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:01 am

Thanks for the advice guys. The deer do make noise but they return after about an hour and walk around my stand at the 40 yard range. Too far for me to shot.

They seem to hear me walking in predawn and then their curiousity gets the better of them. They walk about 100-200 yards out from their bedding area to the area of my stand. They don't seem spooked just very curious. They move around with the wind until they get my scent.

I've always hunted edge but the edge I need to be on is a corn field and I don't have permission on that property. I'm on the opposite side of the bedding area. I'll try the edge more towards the feed.

ninepointer · Post by **ninepointer** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:18 am

Dan O,

Morning eh? Sounds like they are detecting you from their feeding area, despite your stealth. It also sounds like the feeding and bedding areas might be close together. Tough situation. You may want to use this as an afternoon stand only, for now. Try mornings again after the crops have been harvested or are totally gone (plowed under / late season).

As for stand height, I go no more than 12 -15 feet up and it works fine for me. That's not to say that I have never been busted...

ONLY8PTS · Post by **ONLY8PTS** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 2:42 pm

I don't know your area,but I might try moving my stand a little one way or the other to be cross wind.

flbuckmaster · Post by **flbuckmaster** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 3:49 pm

Sounds like you need to move slower and stop often to try to mimick a deer walking on your way to your stand. If you walk in at a steady stomp,stomp, stomp the deer will know what you are. They are then waiting till after daylight before moving about to try and find the human they heard walking in before daylight. By you mimicking a deer they may not pay any attention to you so you can ambush them from your stand. Since you have been busted several times now you need to move your stand as they already know where your stand is now and will either avoid it or ease in downwind to see if you are there. Above all, never underestimate the intelligence of deer as you are in their living room and they indeed know if something is not right. It may mean waiting till daybreak to slowly stalk your way to the stand when you can see better. I use to clear a path of leaves to my stand so I could walk in with a minimum of noise. Those big bucks dont get big by being stupid!!

jay

DanO · Post by **DanO** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 4:16 pm

Thanks guys. All great ideas. I'll let you know who wins.

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:51 pm

I had a stand location like that and I had to end up just hunting that stand in the evenings since I always walked up on deer. Most of my woods stands are afternoon stands for that reason.. I usually hunt field edges in the AM since its easy to get to them and little noise is made.