Before sunup the air will be moving downhill , thermals are generated by warming air . The deer will most likely be headed uphill at that time , check which way the wind is blowing before hunting that stand . One downside to aerial stands is that while they can help hide your smell from nearby game they can also cause it to carry further away too , the odor molecules will eventuallly sink and the deer will smell you from farther away . With the descenting precautions you've described you should be ok except for directly downwind .