Tree Stand Movement
 

This is my first year hunting and I was just wondering how much you all move when you are in a tree stand. If you are out all day sitting in your stand you are going to need water and food. Do you just try to move really slowly? What about your head movement when you hear something off to one side or the other, do you just move your head really slowly?

Also, anyone here take an MP3 player out with them? A friend of mine has thought about taking one out with him and just keepign the volume really low and only in one ear. I was thinking it might help to pass the time, but also might cause you to miss a deer.

no to a mp3, but yes to move very slowly...sittin still is crucial...i usually find when i wake up from a lil nap, the deer are usually there. just dont fall outta your stand!!

I try to sit still, but it depends. Sometimes I get impatient, cold, and move more than I need too. I do take naps on all day stands, which helps.

I dont bring a mp3 player, I have thought about it for windy days when I cant hear anything anyway.

Being 27, and being in the Army hasnt helped my hearing. When I was little I could always hear the deer before I could see them. Now I see them before I hear them, which isn't good.

Thanks for the replies!

I got me a safety harness, so hopefully I should be good.


I feel your pain...I worked on the B-1s for 4 years, my hearing sucks

No matter what you do, rest assured, the moment you have an itch that simply must be scratched, that's the most likely time you will have a deer close to you. Murphy's Law or something.

If you can find a tree with good cover you can move a bit more. Noice on the other hand will make them spot you more than anything. I play poker on my phone to pass the time.

Like Maryland Whitetail mentioned...the better cover you have the more you can move around,but you still have to watch for sound and your scent.I try to make very slow movements if I have to look behind me or turn my head further than my eyes can see....if I catch a Deer coming up on me I try not to move at all and only move when their head is down feedin or when they pass behind a tree or cover and they cannot see me getting ready to draw my Bow or raise my Rifle.


Like Horacio mentioned....the moment you get a scratch,take a drink of water or try not to cough a Deer will be there watching You!

Reading books, watching DVDs and getting advice from here will help considerably. However, this is one of those situations where in-the-field-experience will really help you out. While I was hunting, earlier in my bowhunting career, I was putting myself on a lot of deer. This was a time when I learned not to shoot the first thing up the trail. LOL! I started to be patient and started to "mess" with the deer.

I use to make sounds on purpose to see the deer's reaction. I would make them with my mouth or break sticks, etc. On the younger deer, I would actually make hand movement to get them to look up at me. It's surprising how much a young deer will take when it spots you in a tree. Usually if they're next to mother or are in the group, they take a lot. After a bit if you are still as a statue, they go about their business.

Playing with these deer as I did, did teach me how much or little I can get away with. Blowing on grunt calls, doing lip kisses and things like that really taught me how deer react to sound and how best to counteract their hearing defenses.

iSnipe

Whne you're in the stand all day, you've got to move. I avoid 'lateral' moves, such as moving my hand to my face to eat, as much as possible. For searching, simply rotating your head is nearly undetectable. With a face mask, I've even done this while deer were looking at me, and most of the time they don't spook.

Before making 'major' moves (sitting, standing, etc.) I just take a real good look around to make sure nothing (hopefully, because you won't always see them) is nearby.

I will move but limit my movements to slow and non jerk movements. Also try to move some when the wind allows me to. I normally can sit still for 30 minutes or so without having to adjust much. After about 3 hours I have to stand up, normally stand for 20 - 30 minutes and ease back down for the rest of the hunt. I also move me eyes more than my head and my ears are always listening for the normal sounds and the "that noise doesn't sound like a squirrel or whatever"

Buddy had a two man stand I used on several occasions that had a camo netting around it. Nice and roomy and allowed for movement under coverage.