my secret when hunting deer if finding sign first. food is most important. if you bait regularly that can bring in the deer most times. if you dont have a good food source or the piece of land your hunting is just a pass through piece baiting will help. when i find a potential spot i set up just off the trail or preferably where a couple trails meet .i try not to set the stand up so the sun is in my face for the time of the day i plan to hunt it. you will find some stands will be better in the morning and some in the afternoon .you mite get lucky on both sometimes though. once the stand is set up the most valuable secret is just spending time in it. i usually have to move my site the first couple years till i figure out the patterns or decide to move all together. also try to plan a trail to your stand that isint on a major deer trail to your stand area. cut through some nasty stuff if you have to. you could use reflective tacks to make it easy. this is just the basics and i think is the most fun part