How much sound and movement...

[scubacamper]

...In the stand?
Being a first generation hunter in my family, other than Catman, I've not had a hunting coach/teacher except for the odd tip here & there from some friends, so I'm trying to see how my technique is lacking and where I can improve.

First question: how much do y'all move around in the stand? Do you sit perfectly still the entire time or do you move to scratch an itch, etc...?
How much noise can you make? (Can you blow your nose for example?)



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[Southern Sportsman]

I, for one, cannot possibly sit perfectly still for very long. I try not to make sudden movements, but I look around, eat a snack, take a drink, pee, etc.

 

[catman529]

I move way too much. The more you sit still the better. If you hear something walking behind you, don't whip your head around to look. Turn very very slow in case there is a deer facing toward you


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[gunshow420]

By all means I'm no expert hunter. I try to make as little noise as possible. No blowing nose, no sneezing, coughing, etc. sometimes it can't be helped. As for movement I believe it depends on height off ground. Closer to ground less movement. I never stay completely still. I look on my phone if I have service. Get food and drinks out of my pack. Change seating angles or stand up for a few minutes. I just make sure that when I do move it is very slow and deliberate. I try to look around for deer movement before making any large movements of my own. This is just me. I'm sure there will be differing answers.

 

[infoman jr.]

It depends on how wet the leaves are. If it's been raining, I try to be more careful. I read kindle books a lot, so that's keeps me pretty still.

 

[MUP]

My personal routine is to hunt continuously as much as possible. For me this means very slow movement, head on a swivel, and I don't eat or drink on the stand...tree stand that is. If I'm out in the open, then any movement can be seen by deer before I can see them. Again, this is hunting from a tree stand in the woods, and not an open field or from a shooting house, from which you could probably get up and dance in and not spook the deer from the field. Food and drink also ADDS to the scent you're pouring into the area. I'll eat a biscuit before I go out and that holds me over till I come out for lunch, or till I kill something.

 

[tree_ghost]

Depends entirely on that amount of cover you have in the tree. I've been piled 18' up a cedar that I could've done jumping jacks on the stand and the deer wouldn't have noticed me. Other times I've been 20' up a poplar tree and it was like I had a blinding sign on me. It all boils down to that ability for you to break up your silhouette against the sky


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[MUP]

Good insight tree ghost. I've been in those trees where there was just no available cover, had deer come from below me on the ridge, watched them walk 40 to 50 yards completely at ease, then at about 40 yds from me look up, and i know they just saw this blob up high in a tree, so they start turning, not alarmed really, just playing it safe it seemed, and made an arc around me, staying at about 40-50 yds out.

 

[fairchaser]

Just remember, you're not up there for a picnic. You are a predator and everything you do matters. Some more than others. The wind, scent and smell are the most critical and if this is wrong nothing else matters. This matters from the moment you get out of your truck as well as sound and movements you make. Decisions about when and how you approach the stand is important too. The deer you are hunting are generally on their feet and within only a few hundred yards of your stand. Once you get up the tree, most of the critical movements and sounds have been made. Just don't make clanks of metal or unnatural sounds and make slow and deliberate movements. Once you see the deer you want, try and move when their vision is blocked and not when they are looking directly at you. If they spook a little, that's the time to get your weapon ready so when they stop you are ready to shoot.

 

[Mike Belt]

It's almost impossible to sit perfectly still and be perfectly quiet for an entire sit. Head on a swivel but only after sitting still and cutting your eyes from side to side first and always before making any moves. Sometimes I eat a snack and sometimes I don't. If I do I try to keep noise and movement to a minimum. If I see deer movement I try to have my weapon at ready and pointing in the direction of the potential shot before the deer gets there. If I have to blow my nose and there's any wind I try to wait until a gust.

 

[tahtah]

All good points above. Keep in mind hunting is fun and the longer you can sit in the stand, the more likely you'll see something. Moving to stretch, taking a bio break, eating a snack, are all things that extend your sit. Something else to keep in mind, the woods can be a pretty noisy place. Squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys and even deer, make a good amount of noise. Have as much cover as you can, move slowly when you move, avoid the unnatural noises, metal clanks and such. Keep an eye open for movement and an ear open for that magical walking through the leaves sound, and enjoy the experience. Oh, one more thing, I think deer cough and sneeze occasionally too.

 

[brass magnet]

I take water but not in a crackly water bottle, cola or Gatorade bottle, and M&Ms or the like in a sandwich baggie, maybe grapes or raisins, just quieter that way. Having "Arthri" in the stand with me helps me move slow.

 

[scubacamper]

Thanks for the input!


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[wsm]

Lots of good tips in this post.

 

[Jmed]

The less movement the better. lack of movement is more valuable than camouflage in my opinion. That being said I cant sit still, and I have to move some. I usually stand up a couple times an hour or so to stretch my legs but always make sure I don't see anything around before I do. Ive talked on the phone, ate a sandwich, and even peed out of the tree with deer around me undetected. But Ive also been busted by simply turning my head to look another way.

 

[dburt]

Being a fairly new hunter of only a few hunters, most of my advice is from my dad who I consider an expert hunter. Lots of good tips above, slow head swivels or other movements, try to use common sense as to how you might look to a wandering deer that you can not yet see, or especially if you hear or see one. For example, don't face your phone's illuminated screen toward a potential deer in the dark. If a deer locks eyes with you and the deer is mature you might be toast already. But I've held eye contact with a young buck for about minutes (eyes half closed so there's less white), hunting on the ground sitting on a rock up against a tree, 15 yards away, and took him right after he decided I wasn't a threat.

One additional tip I remind myself of is to choose the tree carefully making sure that there is background cover. If you're exposed, silhouetted against the sky, it's easy to spot any movement. If you've got a big tree or branch just behind/above/below you, it helps you to blend in with the surrounding lines and leaves and you're way less difficult to spot. Besides clear shots, that's the second thing I look at when I pick a tree. It can also be in front - so that you're actually hidden from the deer at certain moments, and that makes it way easier to get ready for the shot, but far fewer shots as there's obviously more to shoot around.

Thanks for the post - good topic and good reminders

 

[Urban_Hunter]

I may be going on a tangent, but this may be helpful depending on your situation. I tell everyone if I had to pick one thing that changed the way I hunt it is my climber. Get the most comfortable stand you can. If your stand is similar to sitting in your recliner at home it is very easy to sit still. If it's like sitting on a bench you're going to have a bad time.

Sometimes a cough or sneeze is unavoidable. As for food, if I have a pass I'm hunting all day without coming down. I won't starve myself. I'll pick a time and have a lunch break. I usually take water and some sort of unpackaged protein bar. Fast, easy, and chocolate. Deer won't run from chocolate [emoji1]

 

[MUP]

Another point on the sound part, is that years ago I got away from making any sound, any intentional sound that is, such as rattling and grunting, etc. I've seen more deer this way, and bigger better bucks slipping thru as well. Now, if I see one heading away or out of range, sure I'll try to grunt or tickle the horns to get his attention, but for the most part I just try to be still and quiet anymore.

 

[Urban_Hunter]

Another point on the sound part, is that years ago I got away from making any sound, any intentional sound that is, such as rattling and grunting, etc. I've seen more deer this way, and bigger better bucks slipping thru as well. Now, if I see one heading away or out of range, sure I'll try to grunt or tickle the horns to get his attention, but for the most part I just try to be still and quiet anymore.

I agree. I see a lot of new hunters with grunts and rattles. I have yet to witness either of these calls actually work, despite many people swearing by them. I simply try and make it as if I am not there.

 

[Boone 58]

I move when and about as much as I need to.....................but.....................always be looking and scanning and no video game playing on your smart phone..............lol......my son does this. I almost always see a deer before it sees me or I hear it first. scanning back and forth constantly and looking for movement. I have been busted a few times each year because I got careless and shifted my feet and or moved and reached for something carelessly and they caught my movement at the same time they caught mine. I absolutely come unglued when I screw up like that and use it to motivate me to be more careful. You in no way have to be perfectly still.............but should a deer see you never, never never move your eyes with its head bobbing and jerking. Fixate on a spot past it or to the side of it slightly and no eye movement whatsoever................they can see that like a turkey can and will bust you every time. If you have your bow, you can keep it in front of your face and peek through the strings and arrows................95% success rate of beating them everytime with this trick. They just cant make your outline if that happens. move when you need to but keep it in a slow movement and deliberate. If you haven't looked completely around you for a few minutes then scan very thoroughly first and then once you are clear, move. Hope this helps......it works very well for me. I always try to hunt with the wind at least partially if not all in my favor. You will never truly beat a deers nose no matter the lying ads that say otherwise. Human scent is always recognizable to them.

 

[jb357]

I move very little and don't make a peep.... For about an hour. Then I start fidgeting. I have never been able to just sit in one spot and not bounce my leg or be tinkering with something but I make it a point to have good cover though. I will always climb a double triple tree if its a viable option. I don't know what it is but I've never been busted in a double or triple tree. If that's not an option I try to find a tree with another beside it that has a limb hanging in front of it. I climb up to where I'm hiding behind the limb. Then my other choices are really thick background cover to not be skylighted or I just climb high.

As far as noise, I don't get too hung up on staying perfectly silent but I avoid the obvious like metal clanking, crinkling plastic, and coughing. Just think about all the weird noises that squirrels and birds make throughout the woods.

 

[fairchaser]

Another point on the sound part, is that years ago I got away from making any sound, any intentional sound that is, such as rattling and grunting, etc. I've seen more deer this way, and bigger better bucks slipping thru as well. Now, if I see one heading away or out of range, sure I'll try to grunt or tickle the horns to get his attention, but for the most part I just try to be still and quiet anymore.

Using deer calls can be a two edged sword. My two best bucks came after rattling but you will have a lot more failures and often you will rattle in something that you will never see because he smelled you or saw you move. It's not for everyone because it puts you in the game against one of nature's wariest animals. You definitely have an advantage once you see the buck so many will wait for that but sounds will often travel further than sight so your hunting can be enhanced with calling. Very few deer will avoid the sounds of another deer simply because they hear them. So I see it as stacking more odds in my favor especially if the buck has to expose himself to get down wind.