ORIGINAL: GMMAT
If I knew which way the deer were going to approach my stand....it woud make my approach much easier. I never do. I can only do what seems like the prudent thing......and stay off their known trails. I approach my stand from the points I LEAST likely think a deer will cross it before I can get a shot off.....and rely on scent management for the rest.
It's gambling, where I hunt, no matter what you do.
That is my problem too. A lot of the places I hunt I just don't know which direction or trail they will be approaching from. They have many spots where they bed and a lot of the times they don't use the trails, they just seem to wonder thru the woods.
Sometimes I think the heaviest used trails are used only at night. It make easier traveling for them in the darkness. Keeps the sticks out of their eyes.