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Look for the Eyes
By Ken Piper
If you can see a deer's eye, the deer can see you, and that's an important tip to remember. When a deer is close, you cannot afford to move if he can see you. It's the movement that attracts a deer's attention. Unfortunately, you have to move in order to draw a bow or swing a gun.
I wait until the deer turns his head so I can't see his eye, or I wait until he walks behind a tree or brush so I'm certain he can't see the movement. If the deer steps behind some cover, there's a timing issue involved in getting the shot, because you can't hold a hunting bow at full draw for very long.
If the deer stops behind cover and just stands there, you might have to let down the bow and wait for an opportunity to draw again. Along with stand placement that puts you in position to get the shot in the first place, knowing when to take the shot is a critical aspect of bowhunting. The deer has to be close before you draw the bow, and any sound or movement can give you away.
The ideal situation is for the deer to be moving steadily along a defined trail. When he walks behind a bush or tree, I draw or aim. When he steps into an opening, I grunt to make him stop, then take the shot. It's hard to beat a broadside shot at a buck, so I try to set up my bow stand at a 90-degree angle and 20 yards from a game trail. If the deer's walking the trail, as I expect him to be doing, I'll have a broadside shot.