Sitting in a tree stand for some 12 hours involves boredom. It is virtually impossible to concentrate all the time. And in our boredom we miss deer and other animals. Most times the deer wasn't there; then suddenly was there. Many would have been missed. Especially the deer which I spotted, its head and neck only, showing through the V of a tree. I would have never harvested that deer if I wasn't concentrating.
Would have never spotted the quiet coyotes that I spotted moving through the trees. Never would have harvested them.
Missed one coyote, when I thought I was concentrating. The coyote got so close go me, silently in my rear, that it would have been an easy bow shot. I just couldn't get the bow around in time, to get the shot.
I'm glad I learned hunting concentration before cell phones. Lots of concentration time is lost due to time talking on the cell phone, texting on the cell phone, and time just talking on the cell plone.
The cell phone, the very thing that helps people lose their concentration. The deer they see and lose; the deer they never see.
You do your best in concentration and fighting boredom. Sometimes your struggle isn't good enough.

Hunting is very relaxing...so calming that often it is hard to stay awake on stand. Through the years I have had some great rest periods in the deer woods.

Seriously though you are right. The difference between success and failure is often something as subtle as being ready for that split second decision.

Learning patience is a large part of it. Taking the next step and learning the rhythm of the woods is another.

Watch how a Deer moves, watch how a Yote hunts. They don't have much *manic* wasted motion. Sure they are looking, listening, sniffing the breeze. But the rhythm is different than ours and the city.

Learning to slow it all down is a large part of it.

Using other animals to tip you off is another part of it. The Deer start acting spooky and it is either you or something else. I often know the Hogs are coming by how the Deer act. I've found numerous Fox dens by watching the Hawks, they know in the early evening the Kits come out of the Den to play. The Hawks sit in the trees above the playground hoping to snatch up a careless pup. A whole bunch going on, that is subtle, you are likely to miss unless you force yourself to unlearn your normal rhythms and relearn the rhythms of the woods.

Like Islander has said, I've fallen asleep in a stand. I once woke up at 2 A.M. with over a dozen Deer within 20-30 yards of me.

I may be a bit metaphysical here, but I believe wildlife can sense it when you are stressed, anticipation, edgy. Maybe your scent has added hormones? I believe I have better luck (or is it luck?) when I'm relaxed.

I am always at my worst when I am up in my Summit Climber. Just too darned comfortable and by design when properly tethered is reasonably safe from falling. Sitting there on a warm, sunny day with a gentle breeze is almost like being in heaven. Watching the squirrels and birds all around is very calming to both body and soul. 12 hours in that setting is wonderful providing I have both food and drink.

Same as being in my Ol Man Grand Vision. Have had some mighty fine naps up there. Have woke up to squirrels barking at me. I guess l was snoring and bothered them!!!!

This could go in the "I've been hunting deer so long" thread, but I've had days in my Summit Goliath where I was so peacefully relaxed, I honestly don't know if I wanted a deer to disturb me.

C. Davis

Actually, I find being in a stand concentrating, being one with what is going on around you very relaxing. It gives us the opportunity to actually see and hear and in fact, there is lots of sound in the woods, some of it is subtle like winter birds and squirrels scratching up and down tree trunks, tiny peeps from some birds, leaves crunching because of deer either scratching for acorns or running from something . Deer and squirrels make different scratching and running noises in leaves but it gets our attention and we look in the direction it came from anyway. I am rarely bored on stand but like others, if I was in the stand before daylight I sometimes do have to fight a nap when the sun is shining and I warm up.

Well I enjoy a nice peaceful nap in the deer woods on a sunny day. Just like scouting for a good spot to deer hunt learning the prime time for a nap is also important. I have found at my UP deer camp just about any time was fine between 10 AM to 4 PM. Since the pressure is so lite the deer move before 10 to a bedding area and after 4 to a feeding area.


Here at home where there is a lot of pressure for the first week nap time is different. between 2 pm and 4 pm works best. other hunters get bored and cold so are up and moving about after about 8:30 9:00 am then they go in for dinner and come back out, about 2 they all sleep dinner off and by 4 deer are going to feeding areas or getting kicked out by those who were to bored to sit still.


I wrote a story about taking my middle sister deer hunting her first time. A little bit of it.

If I remember correctly she was 14 years old so that made it November 1970 when I took her out one morning deer hunting. We got to my ruff thrown together brush pile deer blind just as it was getting light enough to see plus be a legal shooting hour. She sat for a while but being a fidgety person to begin with she was soon bored and asked me how I could sit so still in the blind so long day after day of deer hunting.
So I asked her what she had seen since we got in the blind. She said some birds that had flew by and that was it. I then pointed to the leaves on the ground I had kicked in a pile around the edge of the blind and asked if she had seen anything in that area. She said no she never saw a thing. I then told her to watch close, soon a little mouse poked its nose out of the leaf pile and ran to a different pile. I pointed out the clouds in the sky and told her what shape I thought some were. Soon she was telling me about what she thought the clouds looked like. Wasn’t long after that I asked if she had seen any deer since she got to the blind, She said no.
She was surprised when I pointed across the swale to the east facing hill side and said there were 5 does laying there. I had seen two of them get up and stretch then lay back down earlier. Wasn’t long after that she is telling me about the different birds in the different trees and such, till it was time to leave for dinner at home.
I am not sure just when she did start hunting alone, I know she had got a Savage 99C, 308. I believe she was with Rob (my brother) & I when she finally shot her first deer a nice buck about 6 days into the season.


Al

This is the experience I was looking for. Instead. I was up on my climber stand at 24 degrees being hunt by hypothermia. Stayed up there from 5.50 AM till 9.00 AM. Could not hold any longer. Second day was a little better, 28 degrees from 6-7. 33 from 7-12. Met another hunter on my way out who commented on how nice and warm the day was... Oh yeah, and no deer.

Hey... I still enjoyed it... and can't wait to be back. Nobody said hunting in Vermont was going to be easy. But is it comfortable? not even a bit up in the green mountains.