Originally Posted by
Cypress32
you havent seen the size of my squirrels. Usually thats what I try and listen for but then i hear them laughing at me and the scraping of bark as they run up a tree.
A lot of times I will sit for 4-5 hours. I figured playing games on my phone with no volume is less likely to spook a deer than reading a magazine and turning pages. Although the biggest buck I have seen this year came out while I was flipping through my anatomy book.
You are right, it is less likely to spook a deer but you are not paying attention to hunting. That is why you look up and deer are suddenly there. Mentally, you were not in the game. That's not a knock on you, as it is something I fight with as well.
Personally, I can't read a book or magazine while hunting....it is just too distracting to me. You have to train your eyes and ears to see and hear deer and this takes time and experience.
You are going to have to find something else to occupy you on the stand, IMO. Have you thought about a set of binoculars? You said you don't see well so they might help you in this regard. I use them and will admit to using them to look at birds, squirrels and other animals to help pass the time.