Movement for sure. Like Justin said, running cameras add a lot of extra movement. I also find that it's almost always the does that get me.
I've ever been spotted in a treestand, I've been busted getting out of a tree or getting in a tree, but never actually getting spotted and busted when I'm sitting. I normally get busted by those mature doe, I'll have yearlings, young buck and doe walk under my stand all day long, then get a mature doe walk in, smell that I'm in the area and make all kinds of noises, warning the other deer I'm in the area. It's normally my fault as well by wearing my clothes in the house and then heading back out into the woods. Over the years I've found the most important thing is making myself scentless as possible, at least the deer around here don't play around when it comes to picking up on human scent.
My girlfriend. "I have to pee" " I'm cold" " I'm hungry" " its starting to get dark" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Cost me 150" buck this year... Does came in calm so I wasn't looking for a buck to be behind them and decided to take pics of them under my stand. Then saw buck about same time does spotted me filming... One snort and they ran off with them. I was so mad I crawled down immediately and went home. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Movement, especially on my favorite stand set. The main trail the deer come in are eye level with my stand then slopes down into the field. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I find that movement is the big buster for me. However, as much as I like to use my summit viper climber I find that I don't get busted nearly as much if I use my little portable with lone wolf sticks. Nothing beats getting up in a group of 3 trees where it sometimes can be difficult to get up certain trees with a climber.
I think entry and exit trails get people busted more than they think and you won't even know you were busted. But if you are talking within visual range it has to be movement.
I think thats a tougher question to answer than what we realize. Sure, we know for sure when a deer catches us move because they're right there and we see it. But what about the deer we never see that catches our wind or crosses our path? I'd wager to bet that number is far higher than the deer that see us move in the tree.
Not enough cover around me, whether that's on the ground or in a tree. Mostly when I am on the ground.
Hey Swamp Stalker............your deer go "poooooooof" - just wondering what part of RI are you hunting? I've never had a deer make any kind of pooooofing noises. You sure that was not one of your pink unicorns???? LOL
It's amazing how oblivious young deer are compared to mature deer. My first deer was a spike and I hit my bow on the rail of my stand while he was at fifteen yards. Very loud clang. He just looked up, kept eating and got shot a minute later. But I'll have mature does bust me off the slightest movement or noise. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I hear that! A mature doe's sixth sense is mind boggling. Two seasons ago I was picked off by a mature doe 25' up in my stand with the perfect wind direction, making zero noise, and not moving at all!! Just my shape alone in that tree was enough for her to stomp, snort, and switch ends. The following Sat evening (7 days later) I was hunting the exact same tree, and sure enough she comes out with the same yearling (I could tell by light brown coat) she had with her the previous week. Again, she looks right up at me! If something bothers them enough, they will remember.
Add me to the movement list. Next to that would be sound. Not of my bow, but with my stand. A couple of years ago, I learned a lot about keeping my stand quite and free of metal rubbing metal.
Where I live and hunt the wind is always swirling!! No matter how great the wind is when you go into the stand a half hour later it is blowing another direction. Tough to hunt the wind when it is constantly changing directions!
Wind direction changes. Though I no longer hunt along a river I am not far away. I am very seldom busted due to movement.
Scent. I'm sure there's many deer that are down wind that were heading towards us that we never see because they smell us.
