I know it only too well. It' s part of hunting, the part I' m not too fond of.

Two years ago was the first year in many that I didn' t get a deer. I hunted every weekend and some week days from Oct 1 through Jan 1. I saw ONE deer - a nice 8, and blew the shot. (gun- Marlin 30-30, deer was 50 yards out, squeezed the trigger, gun didn' t go off. I think dud. Got out of the woods, round fired. My glove caught the hammer coming down enough to stop the pin from hitting the primer good).

I didn' t get a deer last season because I only hunted twice (I built my own house which took up a year of my life).

Haven' t got one yet this season (can you say " slump!" )

What keeps me going is MBs like this, books, mags, hunting buds, and first and foremost, the internal burning passion to deer hunt and harvest a deer.

Deer get used to making out sounds that let' s them know when you' ve arrived - they hear car doors shut, hear branches cracking under foot, hear the branches sliding off of material, blah blah blah. Make sure your stand is set up right w/regard to wind direction. Change stands after 3 or so hunts. And of course, just keep hunting.

Hang in there Geoff! They ARE out there.