RE: do you use a red dot
Spiffy - You mentioned that you just turn it on when you see the deer. I turn it on when I get on the stand and adjust for brightness as the day wears on. My son does what you do and missed a dandy buck (much bigger than the one on the wall) because he gave the sight a "couple of clicks" and came up, no dot - it turns off between clicks! The buck just looked and walked away. Still walking as far as we know.
One problem with the cheaper red dots is parallex - you have to be looking from the same place each time.
Vern