Position stand or glinting on a bow or gun

Select a spot for a tree stand where the wind and thermals are right. Then back off a couple hundred yards and evaluate the surrounding terrain. Oftentimes a place that looks perfect for a stand is actually poor. Here's an example. By the looks of big tracks and rubs, you know a good buck is running a draw between two ridges. Hanging a stand on one ridge close to the funnel seems logical. But what if one day the buck varies his pattern and walks not down in the draw, but along the opposite ridge straight toward you? There's a good chance he'll look over and bust you since you're set up directly in his sight plane. Always back off and study the terrain to troubleshoot such problems. Once you've chosen a tree for a stand, walk all the way around it, looking 15 to 20 feet up to see which angle provides the best backdrop for a perch. Try to conceal a stand amid limbs, leaves and vines-bucks look up more than ever today, especially in areas with lots of hunting pressure. Tucking a fixed-position stand into the fork of a tree or running a climber 18 to 25 feet up to a "Y" and hunting against it hides you well. Speaking of 18 to 25 feet, that's how high I like to hang a perch (on the low side when the terrain and cover permit it). On most hunts this is plenty high enough to put your scent stream above deer. You're also well above a buck's normal sight plane. You can see a deer best when sunlight glints on his antlers or hide. Same for a buck-he'll bust you if he sees sunlight reflecting off a stand or glinting on a bow or gun. Set stands in mottled shadows, preferably with the rising or setting sun at your back. You'll be hidden in the shade, and a buck that looks into the sun probably won't see you. Facing morning stands west and evening stands east also gives you an extra 10 to 15 minutes of prime shooting light at dawn and dusk. Finally, don't just stick a stand on a tree. Rather, angle it into the prevailing wind so you can draw a bow or aim a gun with little movement when a buck approaches anywhere out front. If you're right-handed, set a perch where the breeze hits your left shoulder (vice versa for southpaws). Fine-tuning your stands on trees is another little thing that will help you get the drop on more bucks!