When deer feel threatened they will usually hold up and bed in areas that offer thick cover. Positioning tree stands on edges above thick cover can potentially produce a wallhanger on public land. Often the only noticeable deer sign will be a few tracks or faint trails entering the dense cover. However, when the pressure is on you can almost bank on the fact that the deer will visit these isolated havens.

In fact, I have observed and taken deer toward the middle part of the day when most hunters are returning home for lunch. Thickets create a sense of security for mature bucks, who will often leave their beds to forage on available browse and acorn concentrations around the secluded shelter. When hunting thick cover it is good policy to hold steadfast until dark. Remember that when other hunters are calling it quits and returning to their vehicles that deer can potentially be spooked. The chances are good that these deer will head directly toward your position.

DEFEATING A DEER'S NOSE
My first true lesson in deer hunting came at the expense of a massive racked buck snorting as he trotted off safely out of range. The wind had changed, alerting the old buck of my presence and eliminating any chance of a potential shot.

Unfortunately, almost every hunter has a similar hard luck story. So how do we tiptoe around a deer's main line of defense: its sense of smell? My own hunting experience has created a scent paranoia relating to my hunting style. Religiously, I will wash my hunting clothes in a scent-free detergent and place them in a plastic bag. Next, I will store the clothes in a rubber-coated container that I can store in a changing room outside of my house and throw in the back of my truck the morning of the hunt.

In addition, prior to the morning hunt, I will shower with scent-free soap, shampoo and deodorant. I always wear knee-high rubber boots and carry my plastic bag of clothes to the stand, where I will put them on before climbing my tree. My outer layer of clothing consists of a carbon-fiber, scent-absorbing suit. Once in the stand I will generously spray my clothing, facemask and gloves with a scent-eliminating spray to top off my morning ritual.

These tactics may seem a little fanatical to the common hunter, but I strongly believe that they have played an integral role in my hunting success. Numerous times I have been surrounded by deer in a situation where the wind changes at the wrong time. In most of these cases, the deer have failed to detect my scent, and I avoided having a ruined hunt. However, each step to this painstaking process is necessary for the entire scent-reducing system to work.

ENTERING AND EXITING YOUR STAND
The last thing a hunter wants to do is spook deer when approaching or leaving a deer stand. Sometimes the easiest and quickest route to your stand is also the avenue that cuts directly through areas that are high in deer activity. Trophy bucks on public land have accumulated a wealth of knowledge relating to patterning hunters and survival. Hunters who take the easy route will often further a buck's education and almost guarantee that the deer will spend another year of chasing does and fooling hunters.

In many cases, I have hoofed a mile out of my way to avoid the possibility of alarming deer in the area I am hunting. You should always have a clear mental map of how to approach it in the darkness. Where legal, trail markers that reflect light come in very handy when marking a course in unfamiliar areas.

Furthermore, I visualize that I am stalking my stand or vehicle when entering and leaving the area I am hunting. If you sound like a wounded elephant crashing through the woods, you automatically decrease your chances of seeing or bagging your buck. Try to move slowly and methodically through the woods without being detected by the surrounding wildlife. This alone will dramatically increase your chances of observing more deer from your stand.

Implementing these strategies has enabled me to harvest many trophy bucks from areas that everyone can hunt. In the outdoors, luck is a ticket that will only take you so far and sometimes expires after one season. Luck definitely plays a role in any hunt, but woodsmanship, not luck, will keep you and your taxidermist smiling over the long haul.