RE: Beginner's mistake six times in a row!
I take it you are not seeing deer. I don't know what legal shooting time is in MS but here in Md it is 1/2 before sunrise so if sunrise were 7:06 I want to be in my stand all set to go 1 hour ahead of sunrise, that gives the woods a half hour to settle down before legal shooting time which in this case would be 6:36. Next thing I do is only use a light spareingly on the way in and it is either green or red in color. I consider the wind before I hunt a particular stand and if it's not right I don't hunt it. Get as close to the bedding areas as possable without disturbing them unless you are field or food plot hunting. If there are logging roads or defined trails throughout the woods try to find a crossing coming across these and set up 10-20 yards off the intersection. Try not to skyline yourself in a bare tree. Those are just a few thoughts, hope your luck turns. In the coming weeks you should see more activity as the rut sets upon us.