Editor’s Note: Good bowhunters can be better bowhunters, if they don’t commit these deadly bowhunting sins that decrease their odds for bagging deer, especially trophy deer. Sometimes even good bowhunters – outdoorsmen who have taken several deer with their bows and who have hunted for 4 or 5 years – make these mistakes. I’ve gathered this information from some of the top bowhunters I know.

Ignoring the Wind:

Even though a bowhunter is experienced and understands that he should hunt with the wind in his face, you’ll often be surprised at how-many hunters think they can cheat and hunt an area, although the wind’s wrong. My number-one rule of thumb is that no matter how good a hunting site is, or how excellent my chances are for taking a buck in that spot, if the wind’s not in my favor, I won’t hunt there. Rather, I’ll go to a region where my chances may not be as good, but where I can hunt with a favorable wind. Bowhunters who believe they can bag a deer may tell themselves, “I know the wind’s wrong. But I’m going to hunt that stand, because I know I can kill a deer in there today.” However, nine times out of 10, they won’t take a deer and will have fouled-up the area with their human scent in the process.

Overusing a Stand When Bowhunting Deer:

Tree stands can be overhunted. Most hunters who hunt stands in the morning and the same ones in the afternoon won’t go to those stands the next day. If you repeatedly hunt from the same stand, the deer wise-up to what you’re doing. Also, you’re leaving scent going to and from the stand and on and around the tree as you climb up and down. Particularly when hunting trophy whitetails, the less exposure they have to human odor, the better your odds of taking them. The more exposure the deer have to human odor, the less chance you’ll have to bag a specific buck. Too, deer quickly wise-up to a hunter’s movement patterns. The only advantage the archer has for taking a smart deer is to be in a spot where the deer doesn’t expect him to be. So, the more times a deer smells human odor, the more likely the animal will be to avoid that area. Consequently, the more times you hunt from the same stand, the less effective that stand will be in producing a deer.

To learn more about bowhunting deer, check out John E. Phillips’ book, available in Kindle, print and Audible versions, “How to Hunt Deer Up Close: With Bows, Rifles, Muzzleloaders and Crossbows” (http://amzn.to/11dJRu8).

Tomorrow: Not Controlling Body Odor and Not Keeping Dogs Away When Bowhunting Deer