Went to one of my favorite spots to hunt last night. It was my first time there this year. Over the summer I spent days cutting in to this really thick stuff, found the only tree in there big enough to hang a tree on and then cut out shooting lanes. Hung my trail camera there and got some good pics.

So I went out there last night and the deer are using the trail I cut to get in there. Well this doe comes by and goes through my shooting lanes before I can draw on her, she walks right up to my trail and puts her nose on the ground, goes stiff then looks right up at me. It's like she knew my whole set up. MAN I WAS HOT[:@] I can't really hunt that stand now since she busted me there. I'm going to set up out side of the thick stuff and hope she comes out for acorns before it gets dark. If I can take her out then I'll feel comfortable hunting there again.

Just wanted to vent!!!!

how high were you in the stand?? I would say go higher. and if she smelled your boots then you need to use some cover scent. Just cuz one deer busted you dont mean the rest will, good luck

Man you and me both[:@]. I say arrow her if you have the chance. Every year I'm supprised at how smart and whitty these creature we hunt are. It definately sounds to me she smeled you. What were you wearing on your feet? If you can scrub them down with baking soda and water and them take a walk through the mud. this should help to eliminate the scent trail you're laying down behind your feet.

Great point! I clean my boots all the time and when I am going to my stand I find a mud puddle and give em that extra wash. I can honestly say that I have never had a deer that was spooked smelling where I have walked. At one of my stand locations I have had deer walk right down the same trail I used a half hour earlier. It is the boots! I would not change my stand location if you think that it is a great place. Let her cool down the next couple of days and go back. The one nice thing is you know that she is in there and where the does go you can rest assure that her daddy will be there soon.

That's the worst part guys, I forgot to mention. I keep my boots in the garage (maybe they got some dog smell on them) but on the way out there I spray down with scent eliminator, then there's a small creek I cross. I stand in 1.5 ft of water and wiggle my boots in to the sand to try and wash them a little, then proceed. After all that she smelled my trail. I was down wind of her so she didn't smell me, just my trail. I guess she instinctively looked down wind.

I was about 20 ft. up the tree, can't go much higher or I'll cut out all of my shooting lanes.

They were headed out to the acorns so next time I go to that spot I'm taking my climber and sitting out by the oak trees. If I tag her then I'll feel better about that stand.

The climber is key. Use it to your advantage, move around and change it up. She'll make a mistake and you'll get a shot at her and then all will be good in you stand again.

Well this may help! I had a doe do me the same way once. I was hunting along a creek so I started trying some new thing in order to try to get away with my scent on the ground so i tride every thing i could think of? But nothing help. The same doe or does? keeped smelling where i would walk![:'(] And start blowing alerting every thing within 5 mile range[:@] I was sitting in my stand one afternoon when i looked down and there was a racoon? I started thinking that i had seen some coon scent spray so i went out and bought some! And the first day i used that stuff on my boots i watched a doe walk up and cross the same trail that i came in on and she never even gave it a second sniff? Well i shot that doe about 5 min later and took two more deer out of that same stand that yr and none of them winded me. Ever sence then i have used that stuff when ever i am hunting next to a creek it seems to work fairly well?

RTA, that's good advice. I have used fox and coon pee before with good sucess. 2 years ago I got busted and I think they associated the heavy smell of fox pee with busting me. Didn't see anything a few times out so I went out without the pee, saw some deer.

You have to be as willing to stop using something as you are to start. That is good advice though, maybe I will use the coon pee since it is next to a stream.

Thanks.