all the leaves are down and its noisy how do you keep from getting busted

[ALAN]

How does everyone get to there stand without being busted? I know probabily the obvious go slow, be quiet, and play the wind but... Now that the leaves are down and dry how do you keep quiet?Anything you can do to be quiet so u dont get busted on way to sstand?? how earily do you go to stand? do you go earily enough so then things can get calmed down from walking in??

[hunter_mike]

try to walk along the edges of fields as much as possible to get close to ur spot.

also if you are hunting near a road you can wait for a car to go by and use that noise to cover yours.

i have also heard of people using a leaf rake to make nice dirt paths to their stand but if you are hunting on public land, that would probably attract people to your stand.

I have also had luck with walking in creeks. if you have a pair of hip waders it would be even better. i have snuck up on deer and turkeys alike by walking right down the middle of the small creek that runs through my hunting area.

and one thing i have also tried that works is to pretend to be a turkey. walk a little ways, stop, make a few clucks with a mouth call or other call and walk again. The sound of a turkey will quickly ease any deer that may be in hearing range.

[joeaveragehunter]

If youre in a place with a ton of crispy leaves, walk in half hour earlier. When you walk in, only walk twenty yards at a time and then stop for a minute. Makes you sound not so much like a human.

[fly]

I'll usually just walk in and get set up in the dark (morning). In the evening I'll walk real slow and try to sound like a critter in the forest instead of a human trampling through.

[redkneck]

Just go a little early and dont worry about it. Like fly said, rhythm makes a difference too. Sometimes you can tromp in, and make lots of racket in a hand climber and still have deer come in immediately. I have raked a time or two years ago, because I was after a stud in the area, but man that was a chore!

[BearClaw]

I actually skipped and kicked leaves going down a trail with buck lure on my boots and had a four point come down that same trail with his nose to the ground 5 minutes later! Needless to say he didn't get all the way down the trail.

[MichiganHunter]

EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY......LOL.....get in early and leave late.

[NC8point]

EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY......LOL.....get in early and leave late.

I agree

[GWSmith]

EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY......LOL.....get in early and leave late.

Yeppers...thats one of the things to do especially on public land. Another thing I do in crunchy leaves is to vary the cadence of my steps from 2-3 or even 4 steps at a time.

So that each toe and heel sound made sounds like a separate step...or like a deer walking and feeding if you can imagine that try to make your steps sound like it;)

In my opinion each human step sounds like 2 steps of a deer. Also deer dont just keep walking when their feeding either. When relaxed they walk a short maybe 2-4 steps(one or two of our steps) then pause to eat then they do that over again. They will move a front leg and then a back leg almost immediately afterwards(sounds alot like a human single toe-heel step). Try to make your steps sound like a deer is feeding relaxed and not setting the land speed record;)

Edited November 11, 2009 by GWSmith

[wtnhunt]

In the past I have used the box blade behind the tractor to pull leaves away from my most used stands when i could get to them, have raked leaves by hand too. As pointed out above, don't trample and don't walk in a way that sounds like a man, and try not to drag your feet.

All that said, I have on the way to a stand in the afternoon in the past made a ton of noise and grunted along the way. Have had deer come in within just a matter of a minute or two of getting in the stand when doing that, makes for a short hunt.

[dbHunterNY]

earlier you're in stand and let things cool down the better. also, rolling your foot onto the leaves helps, along with stepping where leaves aren't as prevalent. the reality is you can't be quiet though so walk like you're browsing around like a deer. don't keep walking for 30 steps straight for example. take a couple, then a few, and then one. between walking hold pauses for different periods of time to be sporadic. i've walked up on deer that way. it's like they think you're a squirrel or another deer. then if you jump a deer that runs away and gives one quick snort or nothing, give a quick snort back and don't move. they may have been just surprised, but not know what you are. you do this alledgedly acting like another startled deer. i've had deer stop turn around and walk right to me within bow range. the thing to remember though is the deer knows exactly where you were. keep hidden from clear view if you can and don't move or draw your weapon unless the deer is behind a tree or out of view by an object close to it.

hope that helps. it's what i've learned from my experiences.

[maddhunter]

In the evening I make as much noise as possible and grunt all the way in, hang my scents and get up as quick as possible and the deer usually show up not long after. Somethimes rattleing just before you get in your tree can have benefits too. But I have an easy tree to get in and get ready. As for the morning I go in an hour early walk through the leaves, slower than normal, pushing through them them, like a kid dragging thier feet and get up in the tree quickly.

Works for me.

[Randyman]

I usually just get to my stand as quick as possible and get set up so things settle down ASAP. I seem to see more Deer when I'm just stomping along than when I think I'm being sneaky. I believe Deer are sharp enough to know what a "sneaking" predator is up to.