How do you hunt?

I hunt from a tree unless I'm taking my kids, then we sit in a blind.
I've tried to call in deer, I've also blind calling. Never luck with either... Sometimes I think it just educates the deer to where I am and they avoid that area.
 
I mostly "still hunt." That is, walk very slowly, frequently stopping to listen to my surroundings and move towards likely areas that may hold game. If I come up to a promising spot, I might sit and wait in an area with a good vantage for a while. Once the season kicks off, deer often move into the thick laurel and higher ridges to evade hunters during the day. They may go "full nocturnal."

Honestly, if I had private land or somewhere close that I could comfortably set up a stand, I would. The key there is that you have to do good scouting for sign, to make sure deer are going through that area. If you're going into new woods, keep checking the ground for hoof prints, droppings, or scrapes on small trees. It's hard to shoot a deer if there aren't any around.

It's really all about pre-season scouting. The more homework you do before the season begins, the higher your chances of success. That said, sometimes you just need a little luck too. MA has a particularly low success rate for deer compared to say Oklahoma or Texas.
 
All of the above.
Tree stand hunting is the best way to see deer if you set up in a good area. No deer? Get down and start still hunting...Walk slow and quiet, sit, rest, look, walk slow and quiet stopping and watching for movement. Always know which way the wind is blowing. Stop against trees or something to break up your outline. Key in still hunting is to see them before they see you and the first thing you will see is movement....

2 years ago I was walking very slowly up a logging trail with snow falling steadily. The woods were dead silent. Walking slowly, stopping frequently and looking.....I saw some movement to my right about 40 yards ahead. It was a 7 point walking perpendicular to me. He had no idea I was there. I took a knee under a pine limb and when he entered the logging road I bleated at him - he stopped - "Bang". That was one of the best still hunting experiences I have ever had. Deer never knew I was there and with the snow falling gently in the woods it was really nice.

But I have killed more deer from a tree stand than any other method. Enjoy and good luck!!
 
I do all of the above as well. Still vs stand is usually determined by what time I get up in the morning. If I get up too late to be in my stand before the sun's up, I'm still hunting. Still hunting is also good for mid season scouting when you feel like your stand is either busted, or their patterns changed to the point where they're not in that area any more. When I still hunt I bring a little folding seat with me. If/when I find a promising spot, I'll sit there for a bit (preferably in the branches of fallen trees).

I use one that looks just like this.

http://www.sourcingmap.com/portable-tripod-camping-fishing-folding-chair-stool-p-41781.html
 
While i have shot deer from the ground there is no question being in a tree stand will greatly increase your odds.
 
I'll usually sit->walk->sit usually sitting for an hour or so at a stretch. I've had decent luck the past few years, walked up on a small 8 point 3 years ago. Got does the past 2 years sitting, saw 10 deer walking/sitting this year beside the 1 I shot.

It's all a matter of what you're good at, if you're going to be walking a lot get some good light weight hiking boots so you can walk quiet. If you're going to be sitting get some heavily insulated winter boots. It makes a huge difference having the right footwear for me.
 
tree stand and ground blind/cover

Scouting, Scouting, Scouting........Running trail cams, watching for food area (Acorns,corn,water), Looking for scapes and poop.

and sitting in the woods just watching
 
So talk to me more about Walk/stalk...thats what I did this weekend...and I saw a whole lot of NOTHING. Do you just walk? How do you handle stealth? Do you walk, sit for an hour somewhere "out of the way" and then walk again? or what?
 
So talk to me more about Walk/stalk...thats what I did this weekend...and I saw a whole lot of NOTHING. Do you just walk? How do you handle stealth? Do you walk, sit for an hour somewhere "out of the way" and then walk again? or what?

I scout deer from around August through the season. In the old days, I would enter the woods, get a feel for where the wind is and head in accordingly. If I knew of an area where there was a lot of sign, I'd approach, find a place to sit and observe/listen/call. Rinse, lather, repeat. Sometimes, I follow a well-cut deer trail for a mile or two and try to catch them where they lay up. I was never into 'deer drives' and rarely hunted with more than one person - if at all. Now, I have trail cameras and have been observing deer and pulling them into my camera areas for months. I have a pretty good idea of when they've been in and also realize that that may change, but I know they're there. The trick is to get into the spot, (again wind and noise conscious) at roughly the right time. I have two cameras roughly 30-acres apart. On camera 2, I rarely, (if ever) see deer during the daylight hours. On camera 1 however, I have deer in the zone from 1pm to dusk - nearly every day. I don't know why that is - it just is. So for me, it makes the most sense to get in and move into the area around this time....
 
So talk to me more about Walk/stalk...thats what I did this weekend...and I saw a whole lot of NOTHING. Do you just walk? How do you handle stealth? Do you walk, sit for an hour somewhere "out of the way" and then walk again? or what?

If your not seeing deer it is because of one of two reasons.

1, there were no deer where you walked.

2, you were moving too fast.

Stillhunting is the art of moving slowly and methodically through the woods to surprize and shoot your quarry. If you think you are moving too slow, slow down more. 0ne, two or three steps, stop, methodically visually pick apart the woods in all directions with your eyes. Lather rinse repeat... If you start jumping deer and not getting shots you are moving too fast. If you catch em laying down in their bed, standing unaware of your presence or just standing up from their bed looking for you, you are doing it right. One you know the properties you are hunting well enough to know where the deer most likely will be you can speed up through unproductive areas and slow down in the good spots. It takes years of practice.
 
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