Ok,
This is my first season bowhunting. I have been hunting since mid Sept. and not only have I not gotten a deer I haven't even seen one.

Now there is a TON of sign. At this point I think they are even taunting me. How you ask? There are fresh tracks from the FIRST STEP I take into the woods to all my spots. They have even been so kind as to take a dump right on one of my trails. They seem to appreciate my trails and have made them their own. I know they are there I just can't see them.

Now I have come to HATE lugging in my portable tree stand and all kinds of junk. It really takes the fun out of hunting for me.

But back to my *problem*, I think I am spooking the deer everytime I head in.

Now my mindset is to get to my spot and set up quickly so I can maximize hunting time. I will also say it is darn near impossible to sneak through the woods with a tree stand on your back.

Twice I have packed real light and snuck in to just hunt on the ground and those were my two most exciting hunts to date. I *think* I had 2 deer coming in but I never saw them. It was fun, exciting and relaxing for me.

How do you guys move through the woods? I just don't see how you can make little or no noise with all the leaves on the ground etc.

So if walking briskly was one end of the spectrum and a sniper crawl is the other, how do you describe your entrance into the woods.

I'm sorry about the whiney posts but this is driving me crazy, I NEED to get a deer.