Heres something my buddy and I came up with over the last few years and it works. In the mornings, before daylight, we were spooking deer as we headed to our stands. Then one day I was sitting in my stand listening to an armadillo walking through the woods. They make a ton of noise, but it is not foot steps like a man...just a constant rustle in the leaves because they are low to the ground and always rooting around. While I was watching and listening to the armadillo, some deer came through and they did not give the armadillo a second look. I thought...why not try shuffling my feet instead of walking on my way to my stand? I tried it the next morning and I did not spook any deer. OK..I think, but maybe no deer were nearby. I talked to my hunting buddy about it and he said he would try it the next morning. Well...he came back to camp that afternoon excited. He said he started shuffling--without really picking his feet up off the ground--about 150 yards from his stand (in the dark). After going a ways, he stopped to rest for a minute and heard deer feeding in the area of his stand. So he shuffled a ways further. The deer didnt leave. To make a long story short, he did a stop-and-go shuffle all the way to his ladder and the deer were within 30 yards of his stand--they did not even spook when he shined his flashlight on them (it was does)! They finally spooked and ran off when he started climbing the ladder. Needless to say, we use this technique in the daytime now, too. Try it and report back on your experience with it.

i personally think that walking to your stand before light is the best thing to do. if the deer dont hear you make any unnatural noises they probly wont be spooked. just by walking to your stand and stepping on a stick isnt going to spook them. they hear that stuff all the time. on the other hand if you clang your bow against your stand or against a nail they will know that your a human and get outta there.

I always like to be in my stand an hour or so before daylight. I use as small of a light as posible, and walk as quickly, as I QUIETLY can. I watch the wind, so anything that I spook up will usually have forgotten about it, and will still be in the area at shooting time! I would much rather spook something in the dark, when they will think that it is just another animal, or limb falling from a tree, than to spook them up at shooting light and ruin a mornings hunt!

In gun season I would say you can definatly get away with it more so than in bow, but the key being that you are careful to make little noise. Lets face it if you have a good spot you always risk spooking deer. I always like getting in early and getting settled in before daylight I think you have a better chance that deer are bedded down in dark than at daybreak. Also in full camo leaving tree stands at night I've walked out into fields when it was pitch black knowing there were deer there but couldn't wait any longer for them to leave and had them woof at me before they ran off and even though it was pitch black and I could not see them I know they were close. So my point is it is definatly to your advantage walking in at dark.

I put bright eyes at teh base of trees so I do not have to shine the light up into the woods. I also try and get to my stand 1 hour before shooting light. Walk slow and use the wind and if you spook a deer, you spook a deer, try your best and you will not spook as many.

iv spooked em going in and not an hour after daylight they came back

See the "cool trick to not spook deer" thread,

http://forum.hunting.net/asppg/tm.asp?m=760290

just because they get up and move around a little doesn't mean they are spooked and won't come back. They are there at that time because they figure it's a safe place to spend the day and more may move in as it gets closer to daylight any way.

Just noise will not normally spook deer out of an area. Everything makes noise from squirrels to other deer, turkeys and possums. Just try to sound like anything other than human and don't give them any other clues like scent or stand clanking noises and you'll be all right.

I carry several types of calls with me when deer hunting as well as this is a good time for a scent trick. I've been busted when walking only to drop immedieately and work a trick. They are not that much different from you or me. They "flinch" at something unexpected and then stop to try to figure it out. If you give them something they expect to find in the woods to excuse the noise, the smell of a doe, a turkey purr, squirrel bark, or a little buck grunt, something to suit the faub pax committed that is what they WANT TO HEAR so they will convince THEMSELVES it is safe if you just give them an excuse not to leave a spot they like.