crokit

With some practice, you should be able to bring the weapon from a shouldered position to shooting relatively quickly. I prefer to shoulder my weapon by placing it over my shoulder- right side-, then moving my right elbow to the inside of the stock, forcing it to the rear, keeping pressure on the stock with my elbow as I walk. This is very comfortable for me, keeps weapon out of the way, keeps barrel low, don't have to be in constant contact with sling as you do if it is simply just " shouldered. Keeps both hands completely off weapon in order to move sticks/branches etc. out of the way. Try it. I guarantee you'll like it. Only draw back is if you carry a full back pack also.

With your area of hunting being flat w/thickets, seeing long distances doesn't seem very likely.

I would be more concerned with moving quietly/slowly than repeated use of the binocs. If your a beginner, I would concentrate on not moving an faster than 2-300 yards an hour. This will be tough to learn. Get it down to 100 yards an hour. Doing this should get you to seeing the deer before it sees you. Stop often to give a particular spot a chance to pay off. Listen to the birds/squirrels. After 10-15 minutes { or whatever feels right } move on. Practice moving without looking down also. This is much easier said than done however. Easier to do whith snow on the ground.

Through the years, I've foung still hunting the most challenging/rewarding form of hunting, but, to each his own. It is definitly the most mentally exhausting.