post your tips and tricks you have used while hunting ill start...... i put Vaseline on my rage o rings so that they will last longer and not dry rot
Tie a 12" piece of sewing thread onto the end of your stabilizer... you'll always be aware of the wind direction.
I sometimes use a diaphragm turkey call as I slip through the woods to my stand for an afternoon hunt if I think the deer may be bedded fairly close by.
when walking in and out of the woods after sun down, use a blue, green or red light. Deer will be spooked by the white light from a normal flashlight.
Tape a shot routine on the inside of your top limb. 1. Breathe 2. Draw 3. Settle 4. Don't force the shot Or something to that effect. Sometimes help calm the nerves before or during the moment of truth. Also, Crick, and I believe Duke or Scott mentioned using small pieces of yarn, fabric, or feathers, to throw out to watch the thermals. Wind spray won't be as telling as it dissipates so fast.
Find yourself some milkweed. It will be the best wind detector you've ever seen. The white fluff is highly visible for quite a long ways and will rise, dip, curve, and bend with the slightest of breezes and thermals. I have to admit, that tip came from Schultzy a few years ago.
What he said. Plus, pay attention to the wind and thermals. Wind = place stands so that the wind is blowing from the directions the deer are traveling to your stand. Thermals = Rise in the morning and fall at night. So again, place stand accordingly knowing that if you are in a bottom in the morning, the thermals are going to flow (rise) up the ridges around you and take your scent with them.
The sewing thread on the stabelizer is a great idea. Thanks! Always wear rubber gloves when applying scents to a mock scrape, etc.
I'm sure everyone already does this but I range trees at different yards and different locations around my stand that way when the deer come in I already know how to aim.
Don't fall asleep. I was dozing two years ago and a big 8 pt came in. I didn't have time to pull off a shot.
Take panty liners (maxi pads) and stick them to the bottom of your boots before you walk in. Apply the scent you want to leave and walk in. The liners hold the liquid and as you walk, they will leave a perfect scent trail. They are easily disposed of when done and biodegradable. Just don't let the wife know you stole them. lol.
If you are walking in (during daylight) and a deer blows at you, blow back. They will often stop and even come closer to see who it is. Couple years ago I walk still hunting and a couple does jumped up from their beds 15 yards from me. I blew right away and they stopped @ 33 yards for 40 seconds or so. Even took a couple steps closer. I would have had a shot had I wanted to