... how many times a monster buck snuck past you without you noticing? I often wonder how many racks I'd have on the wall if I was always on my toes while on stand. Or how about the number of monsters that took a path just out of your field of view? If you'd placed your stand 30 yards away you would have had a golden opportunity. These are just some things that I think about now and then. Some day I'd like to ask the good Lord these same questions. I'd probably be famous if I had harnessed every opportunity.

-BB

My first year, those same questions drove me to change stand position way too often.
Nowadays, I don't entertain those thoughts. Confidence is what will keep you on your toes in the stand. As soon as you start thinking about whats over the next hill, you're already done hunting IMHO.

Nope not ever! No deer has ever got past me with out me noticing it!

I really don't think any deer has ever snuck by me within bow range without me seeing it. I'm sure there are times when a deer at the edge of your sight radius will get by when its only visible for an instant, but you can't look 360* continuously. If you hunt long enough you'll have times when you just pick the wrong tree and watch the deer stroll perfectly past your other option. That's all part of hunting.

The reason I mentioned it is because over the years I have had a few instances where I turned to find a deer within shooting distance or even already past me. I always wonder how in the world they could be so stealthy. They are amazing animals, nearly able to hide in plain view. I'd bet all of us have been duped a time or two.

I've had a few deer sneek past from behind that I never noticed till it was too late to get a shot.I'm sure this is common with bowhunters whether they want to admit it or not ,we're not perfect and this is just part of the game.If we were perfect in our stand location every time I don't think we would appreciate this sport so much.I don't think any have gone by without me at least noticing but who know's .

nubo

...Heh heh, there is no doubt in my mind that over the years deer have gone by unnoticed even though I try my best to stay on alert 100% of the time on stand.

Under the right conditions/locations deer can come in silent. Not only have I looked around and wondered how that deer got there without me seeing it, I have had the opposite occur. In other words, I hear the deer approaching and know it is in range but have trouble getting a visual on it!

What drives me crazy is when you know a big buck frequents the area you hunt but in spite of the many precautions you take with scent, stand location, entering and exiting areas, and the number of times you hunt a stand you only see signs of him and never the deer itself.

For the past few years I played musical chairs with a monster buck that I never saw but knew was in the area because of the signs he left behind. Two years ago I let a friend of mine hunt some of my stands and he saw the buck twice. This year he did kill a 140-150 class buck out of one of my stands that I sent him to but that wasn't the monster buck I was after. Some gun hunters finally caught up with him last winter not far from one of my stands. They put on a drive and shot him as he jumped the fence to the road and he piled up in the ditch. The Game Warden measured him at 191 5/8. That is the way it goes sometimes.

Antler Eater ! doesn't that just take the wind out of your sail's ,I seen the big boy in my area at least 6 times last season and now i have his routine down so today I started by putting some deer cocaine and a mineral block down for him ,and being careful not to contaminate the area with a whole lot of human scent I picked his favourite trail coming from behind the rub line ,it's almost like a thicket the area that he's sticking around .I've seen him approach it from behind and from the front ,so hopefully thing's go as planned.Unless he's been hit by a car I'm sure he'll be back this season ,I seen some large track's on the roadway leading to his area that were pretty large but I'm not 100% sure that they're his .

Nubo,

All part of the game my friend, all part of the game.

Sounds like you have a good handle on that big guy. I hope you can put a "Patriotic" arrow right in the old pump station on that dude. If and when you do, send me some pics.

You guys are a little more elegant with your words than I am. Basically I was trying to say the same thing as you all... You can never get perfect placement, can't be in the right place every time, and those buggers will sneak by you every chance they get... thats what makes it so fun.

At the peak of the rut 2 years ago I put some doe estrus on the end of the string I pull my bow into the tree with and let it wave in the air about 5 feet off the ground. I had basically forgotten that I put it there and didn't pay much attention to it since it was behind me and directly downwind. About lunch time i reached in my bag for a quick snack and scared the crap out of a decent little buck who had snuck up behind me. Who knows how long he was there because even though I was on full alert, I never heard a sound. He appeared to be straining his neck to sniff that string when I startled him and he blazed.

Them squirrels can sound like monsters and the deer can sound like ghosts!!!