You can't find deer because you don't know what you're doing on the ground. Just lack of experience, that's all. Tracking a deer down to kill takes a ton more skill than ambushing from a stand. If you are walking around like Elmer Fudd the deer are most likely long gone before you even catch sight of them. OR, they are bedded and stay bedded because they know you are not a real threat.
I'm assuming since you're out there with a weapon that you've taken and passed your state's hunter safety course. If not, get out of the woods, please.
Find the heaviest deer sign you can find (droppings, fresh tracks or blazed trails, feeding areas, etc) and setup downwind in some cover but to where you have a decent vantage point of the area. Just because you are on the ground doesn't mean you can't ambush them. I hunted on the ground exclusively for the first several years and killed quite a few that way.
Be patient and don't move much. Sometimes you have to move. Do it extraordinarily slow. If you think you're moving slow enough that a deer won't bust you, do it even more slowly.
When looking for deer, don't look for a deer. Look for movement. A flick of an ear or tail. And remember deer will be doing the same…looking for movement. And they are really, really good at seeing it. When you see a deer, you need to wait for its head to be behind a tree or heavy cover before moving your weapon into position, otherwise you'll get busted.
As for Elmer Fudding your way around, it takes practice. It's a bit of a misnomer but it's called "still hunting." It's called that because you spend more time being still than walking. Never move with the wind; always into it or perpendicular to it. If the sun is at your back, that is an advantage. If it is in your face, that is a severe disadvantage as it highlights you (same with ambushing…if the sun is on you, you need to be extra careful with movements…try to avoid the sun). If the leaves are dry and crunchy (or frozen) it takes extra skill to take a deer this way. But still hunting is the most rewarding way, IMO. And you need to be in shape to do it. You will see that easing through the woods silently takes a lot more effort than simply walking.
