How "Smart" is a Buck?

I had a chat with a good buddy of mine a little earlier, and we were talking bowhunting strategy. He's gotten permission to hunt a little 100-acre block of woods in Mid-South, USA that is bordered on two sides by land that has a history of producing big bucks. He's found an area within the property torn up with deer sign, but isn't sure yet on how he'll hunt it. Good trees to climb are few and far between, but he has a ladder stand, and a couple trees in the area will accommodate that. "I'm shooting a crossbow," he said, "and I could go in there and hunt off the ground, or I could try and hang that ladder stand. What would you do?"

If it was early in the year, before the season opener, I'd probably hang the stand. But right now, with season open and the rut still taking place, I advised him to wait for a good wind, slip in there and hunt from the ground. I don't know that a whitetail has the reasoning power to look at a ladder stand and say, "Hey, a hunter put that there. I'm not going near it." But I do believe the animal can recognize it as something out of the ordinary, associate it with human scent that is left behind after hanging the stand, and decide to avoid it, even if it's only by 100 yards and for a week or so. That's plenty out of range for a crossbow and a lot of time this late in the season.

But slip in there on the ground under a suitable wind, and the area is still fresh. Take a small folding chair if necessary to keep comfortable and settle into the brush. If deer have been passing through an area on their own and aren't given any reason whatsoever to avoid it, chances are they'll do it again. Why not be waiting for them at eye level with your favorite deer dispatcher in hand?

-Will in Tennessee