Deer seem to sneak up on me before I see them comming.
Do ya'll usually have time to watch them through binoculars and reach for you bow off of your hanger and are able take your time and prepare yourself for the shot?
I have to have my bow in my lap and on the edge of my seat all the time.
especally when the ground is wet and I can't hear them.
Just curious.
thanks

you might want to look in to a Walkers Game Ear. it is like a hearing aid for hunting. suposed to help hear game animals. most hunting stores have them.

I most usually always have my bow at hand when i'm in my treestand. I use a lone wolf climber that has the built in bow holder but it's always too much of a pain to get my bow out when I see a deer coming in. When I ground hunt i'm either stalking with bow in hand or usually sit the cam on my boot and hold the wheel with my hand to give my arm some sort of a break. Whatever you do, you just have to be ready to get up and beready to draw before the deer get to you. It's a lot harder when they're right on top of you or you have several sets of eyes watching you.

As far as not seeing the deer before they're right on you. You might try a little different stand placement and try to anticipate where the deer might show up in relation to that. I don't know what kind of land you hunt, but it does make it very difficult when you're hunting the thick stuff or when there's ridges or benches where the deer can just pop up out of no where. I always try to keep scanning the area constantly for any kind of movement and try to listen for any noise at all, especially when it's raining or the ground is wet. It's amazing how something that big can sometimes sneak right up on you.

How high is your stand. I am a minimum 20' up and I will begin to go 25' when the leaves fall. The other thing, learn to watch deer. I move a lot on stand with deer insight.If Isee a deer and its not a shooter, then I reach for the video camera. I have video of a 6pt and an 8pt right underneath me and they never saw me once. I was even in a 15' ladder stand that day.

Now, I dont do that when a big boy is close, just on your average deer. Big boy is in the area or a big doe (which means old doe), then I watch my movement a little more. But most 1.5 to 2.5 year old deer are oblivious to slight movement 20' up.

As far as seeing them come in sooner, well good luck, deer will almost always win that battle.

Chris
SW MO

I go to the end of my utility rope, it is 20 feet long so i guess iam 20 feet up. I usually hunt 15 yards back in the woods overlooking fields and they come in from behind me. The woods arethick so I usually don't have a shot until they get into the field. Its been wet here since the opening day of bow season so that has alot to do with them sneaking up on me. I always say that if it sounds like a sound you would expect form a deer then its a squrill(spelling)l and if it sounds like a sound you would expect from a field mouse then its probably a deer. hahaha

Slow-PitchI have hunted more wet days than dry by far this season! Alot of the deer I've seen were on top of me before I heard them with the ground so wet. I wouldcatch movement out the corner of my eye and there would be deer 12yrds from me! The wet is great getting in but it sucks once your set up.