RE: cant find the deer!!!
check with the game management officals in your state/area and see what the deer per acre ratio is. it just might be that there arent enuff deer the in the first place. It could be that they have ample food/water in other areas to not need to move into your line of sight. I used to have a stand i thought was GREAt, on a creek with a few oaks but not one deer. comes to find out the guy next to me had 300yards of peas, and corn, and about anyother food you could imagine so they never had to come far enough up the creek to eat.