I know plenty of hunters that has had deer spook just buy crossing there trail including myself not many times but it has happened.[/quote]Is that not the reason that they invented Scent pads, cover scents, and rubber boot, and none scent sprayAs far as being lucky? It is begining to sound like it Well if your wife likes the way you smell thats good enuff for me. After all I don`t have to live with you[:'(]No problem ask anytime[8D] I practice well before the season startsfrom my stand to find out if I will be hitting my stand with anything?Bow or anything else ect...And I also practice a few timesbefore the season starts with myheavy winter gear on just to be sure I am not going to hit anything not just my sleevesI don`t wait untill I am in the stand hunting to start trying to figur all that outNo in the area that hunt it is rear to see such an animal. I have taken a few decent bucks in time142,133, 126, And many others that are in the 120s and teens "Not big to some standerds" But likeI sead itsrear to see big deer like that.where I hunt. AmI to believe what your sayingis that size like the 160+ of your kill is what makes you a better hunter.(lmao)Silent I just don`t believe in putting more scent on the ground than it has to be like leaving anything on the ground or putting anything back on itafter I am in the tree with any human scent Seriously!

So your wear the exact same amount of clothes every time you hunt? So you set you climber up in exactly the same spot in exactly the same tree every time? I didn't think so[:-][:'(]You can't practice for EVERY scenario until your in that scenarioIf you think you can then you are more naive than I originally thought[:-]

Well I didn't really say I had killed anythingBut am I to assume that you are saying you are a better deer hunter because you don't take a practice shot[:-][:'(]That sure seemed to be what you were saying. I was just reminding you in a round about way that my reocrd speaks for itself and before you go acting like anyone that shoots a practice shot is stupid; you might want to stop and consider that

Well that's great for you. You sound like a guy that believes in scent lok and most anything else the hunting industry will try to sell you. I personally do not have the amount of faith in the capabilities of the whitetails nose that you do. For me, being prepared is more important than taking a chance that a whitetail will smell and arrow that I touched (but not smell the 62 limbs that I inadvertently rubbed into on the way to my stand). I think at times their noses can be exceptional but most of the time they just aren't. I have had too many deer straight down wind of me while I was on the ground and in the tree that never smelled me. I have had too many deer bed right under my tree on no wind days that never smelled me(scent molecules had to be falling to the ground). I have spit dip on SEVERAL deer that were right under me that never smelled me. I have had to many walk up to the base of my tree and sniff where I just climbed that could smell something but couldn't tell what it was to be worried about a deer smelling where I touched an arrow.

No way. I know i'm ready. Besides, arrows are tooooo expensive!

[blockquote]I don't take any practice shots from the stand.[/blockquote]

[quote]ORIGINAL: silentassassin

So your wear the exact same amount of clothes every time you hunt? So you set you climber up in exactly the same spot in exactly the same tree every time? I didn't think so[:-][:'(]You can't practice for EVERY scenario until your in that scenarioIf you think you can then you are more naive than I originally thought[:-]

Silent how many practice shots do you take?You talked about stand placement never being the same, or the amount of clothes never being the same. What about deer placement. How do you take a practice shot for that. The deer may be 20 yards quartered away straight in front of you. It may be 12 yards to your right broadside. I just think the animals placement is also as critical as stand placement and clothes.

Did I say That I wear the same clothes "all the time' to practice in? No I did`t think so[:-].I sead a "few times a yr." You do know what that means I hopeSilent! Silent?Your making this toeasy.You no as well as I do I hope? that no one can beready for EVERY scenario "BUT? bypractice for every possiblescenario we cantry to be ready for the ones thats we are most often faced with. thereforemakes shotseasyer! but by no means makes them always easy!Over the yrs I have found that by talking to other experienced bowhunters? And I will agree that mostshots are pretty much on ave the same that has accured before ."That does not mean that there exactly the same?But by practicing the way we hunt and knowing our equipment helps tremenously on shots that may actuallyaccureand if you find your self in a difficult shot scenario that you are not sure or confident enuff to make? Don`t take it!Question?Do you notpractice like you hunt? If you do would this not eleminat the need to shoot an arrow into the ground from your stand?First off if you shoot an arrow from your stand at a target say 20yrds to check your sights while you were huntingand you miss that target? how would you know that it was the bow and not you? would this not call for you to to shoot a second arrow into the ground?[&:] If so now you would have "two" arrows in the dirtand so on, and so on,ect..ect...Than why even say it like you had? I am begening to wonder about you[&:] No need to remind me. but the awnser to your question is "no" I do not think I am any better than any other hunter but it is begining to sound as if you think you are?Ijust think it isfoolish to shot arrows into the dirt especially while your hunting (imo)if you practice like you should you want have to do that![:-][&:]Everyone else`s record stands for itself also as well as mine if that makes any diferenceas far as if I think a hunter isstupid for shooting there arrows into the dirt while hunting YES[:-]there is really no need for it.(imo)Wrong I don`t believe in scent lok never owned one and never will.But you sead you did!For a experenced hunter to say that suprises me.He is ether hunting tame deer or finced in deer in a small area that the deer are used to seeing and smelling humans.Are you hunting tame or finced deer silent?We definitely see deferent on this subject.I think the white-tails nose is one of the most important things that a hunter has to keep in mind at all times and try to avoid at all possible times.If a white-tail in the wild winds a human or picks up human scent it will not hang around for very long and will be at full alert.[&:]If you believe all this crap you are saying then you are more naive than I thought..rta47

Well, at the chance of looking like a stuipid bow hunter, I will admit that I also shoot a practice arrow from my tree stand, nearly every time I go out, for much the same reason that Silent mentioned. I also stump shoot often while elk hunting, using my judo tipped arrows. It simply gives me confindence that when the moment of truth arrives, I will be confident in my equipment, and I'll make the shot! Theprice of a broken arrow every now is not going to keep from practicing and being prepared, it's cheap insurance!

What if you miss? Will you go home.....or just continue to hunt WITHOUT the confidence. Or will you take another shot, then another turning your hunt into a practice session? Shoot a lot of arrows before you hunt. In every position, in every weather, with gloves and facemask on. Then you'll have all the confidence you need.

DITTO!!

I come a whole lot closer to being prepared for them by taking a shot. On more than one occaision I have either slapped the arm of a rain coat or bumped a limb in the stand on the shot that saved me from making that same mistake on a deer.

I guess that's great for your area of the country but in my area (and all the other areas that I travel to) when the bucks are rutting and chasing does around you, you don't ever know where they are going to end up. I am glad that all of your deer cooperate so well.....no offense RTA but did you even think about that before you typed it?...........rotflmao

That's exactly right and that is exactly what I do. I just take it one step further than you do

Oh I have, I was just being coy[8D]

I can respect that because I think it's foolish not to. Just differing opinions that's all.

Experienced is spelled with and "I" and fence is spelled with and "E", but I digress. No, actually I spend most of my time hunting public ground.

We diffinitely do. I agree the whitetails nose is it's best weapon but I still think it's highly overrated. I set my sets and hunt my sets to avoid the whitetails nose, but I have lost a great deal of respect for their sense of smell over the last few years. You can call me full of crap all you want but at the end of the day my record speaks for itself. I am 30 years old and I have been bowhunting 16 years and I have killed 12 bucks that will score 120 or above in an area that isn't known for big deer. So if being full of crap will continue to net me those kinds of results then that willbe fine with me

Well I will tell you what I won't do and that is make a bad shot on an animal when my equipment has been knocked offLet me ask you guys a question. What would you do if you got out there and didn't find out your equipment was off?