RE: anyone bow/gun hunt without blind or tree stand?
About 95% of my hunting is done on the ground with no artificial blind. I use trees and brush for cover, and I don't wear camo. For early muzzleloader season I usually hunt in jeans and a t-shirt with my blaze orange vest and cap. To be honest, I think people overestimate the importance of camo for deer. I've sat still against a tree and watched deer mill about 30 yards away and never notice me. It's when you move that they bust you. I think scent is also a good way to spook deer, or at the least make them wary. I will use the spray scent killer stuff on my boots and outer wear, but I refuse to spend hundreds on the scent block clothes. What's more important is just being mindful of the wind and staying downwind as much as possible. That being said, I shot a big doe once that had come straight to me from downwind, apparently following my scent. At the time I had a big dip of Kodiak wintergreen in and had been spitting on the ground next to me. She walked straight in to me with the wind in her face, and I drilled her from 25 yards away. I think that she was curious about the strange but not alarming smell and wanted to see what it was. Oops!
Mike