Of course, when a deer approaches to within bow range of your stand, you’re going to have to move at some point. The key to not being spotted -- whether you have good cover or not -- is to avoid moving when a deer is looking your way. Try to move only when a tree or some other vegetation blocks the animal’s head or when it’s looking away from you.

SOUNDS OF SILENCE
Someone once said, “Silence is golden,” and that person must have been a bowhunter. Bowhunt long enough, and you’ll swear deer can hear you change your mind.

Have an arrow fall off your bow’s rest and hit the riser, or shift your weight on your tree stand so that it squeaks, and you’re likely to send any deer nearby high-tailing it out of the area.

Regularly check your climbing stand at home to see if any of its moving parts create any sounds. If they do, spray them with a shot of silicone gel. Also, cover your bow’s riser and shelf -- the places an arrow might hit -- with felt. Most archery shops carry patches of this quiet material, which has one sticky side so you can affix it to your bow.

When it’s cold, fabrics like nylon and cotton can get stiff, making noise when you move. Stick to fleece or wool materials, which are extremely quiet.

A DEER TOO FAR
When you’re hunting with a rifle, the difference between 30 yards and 40 yards doesn’t matter. Aim dead-on, and you’ll get your deer at either distance. If you’re bowhunting, however, and you guess it’s 30 yards to a deer when it’s actually 40 -- or vice versa -- then you’re going to miss.

Bowhunters must be able to judge distance precisely in order to be effective. And today’s archers are fortunate to have laser range finders available to take away the guesswork. Simply point one of these devices at your target, press a button, and you’ll instantly know how far away that target is.

But to avoid having to pull out my range finder, put it up to my face, take a reading on a deer, put it away and then pick up my bow -- all while a deer is standing 30 yards away or so -- I like to use my range finder to mark trees around my stand long before any deer show up. That way, when a deer walks in front of one of my marked trees, I’ll know exactly how far away it is.

Of course, just when you think you’ve marked every necessary tree, a huge buck will walk through an area you haven’t ranged. So don’t neglect the art of judging distance using your eyes alone. Spend time looking at objects at known distances away, and your brain will become calibrated like a range finder. You’ll get a feel for when something is 20, 25, or 30 yards away.

I MISSED!
For a deer to walk within bow range of your stand while you’re in it, so many things have to fall perfectly into place. Wouldn’t it be a shame to have the buck of a lifetime saunter up to you one morning, and you blow the deal with an errant arrow because you didn’t take time to practice your shooting?

The best way to avoid missing a deer with a bow and arrow is to practice, practice, practice. Shoot at 3-D foam deer targets to train yourself to target the vital heart-lung area and drill it with an arrow. Shoot from your tree stand, so you can learn how to find that vital area from an elevated position. Because the arrow is traveling downward, you’ll have to have to aim higher on the deer’s body than if you were shooting from the ground. A higher impact point is necessary to get the arrow to travel through the “heart” of the vital area.

Practice shooting at a target that’s quartering away from you so you’ll learn to aim farther back than normal. If a deer is quartering away enough, you might actually have to aim behind the stomach area in order for your arrow to slice up into the chest cavity.

Always practice shooting at targets in real-life hunting situations. That way, when opportunity presents itself in the woods, you’ll be ready.

Bowhunting deer might seem like a daunting game at first, but don’t be intimidated. Be smart and pay attention to details and this could be the year you find yourself within spitting distance of the trophy buck of your dreams.