A lot of things have to come together in order to get a good shot opportunity. Using the wind to your advantage, utilizing good cover and having your bow in the right position for quick access with minimal movement are three important elements.

Every year, I hear countless stories about close encounters with big bucks that ended without a good comfortable shot opportunity. After thinking about this sad situation, one thing that amazes me is the number of big bucks hanging on the wall in my family's house -- and how relatively few of these stories our family has in comparison. I believe that we owe much of our success to my father's tree stand setup and years of knowledge that he has shared with us.

Here are a few simple tricks that just may help you turn your next close encounter into a successful shooting opportunity.

Tree Stand Placement
This is a critical factor in getting your shot on a big buck. Know the deer's travel patterns in an area.

Always try to place your tree stand so that all of the deer passing by your stand will do so within range on the upwind side. If you use the lay of the land properly, you may be able to make it nearly impossible for a deer to end up on your downwind side.

You can achieve this by backing up your stand against a river, ravine, levee, steep hillside, ditch, or any obstacle that helps to funnel or direct deer movement. At times, it may even be necessary to create obstacles such as cutting brush and blocking the paths you don't want deer to take, and opening up a new path you do want the deer to take.

Anticipate Their Approach
Consider which direction the deer will come from. Your stand should be set in such a way so that it's comfortable for you to look in the direction from which deer will be approaching.

It's always best if you can pick up your bow without ever taking your eyes off the deer. This helps prevent getting spotted by moving at an inopportune time.

It's equally important to have the deer facing in the right direction. It's hard to get drawn when a big buck is facing you -- and even harder when you have a big buck and five other deer facing you.

A slight bend in the path that angles the deer away from you is often all you need to get to full draw. In the off-season, you can easily create a bend in the path by placing in the way an obstacle, such as a small downed tree that the deer must walk around.

Have a game plan. Pick out the spot along the path where you want the deer to be standing when you shoot.

It won't always end up the way you want. But if you're prepared and do your homework, many times it will.

Sometimes, my father puts a drop of doe scent on the ground in his shooting lane, on the side of the path opposite the tree. When using this method, you must take great care not to step where the deer might walk.

A drop of doe scent may be enough to stop a buck in his path and get him to turn his head. But any hint of human scent is all that's needed to end the hunt early!

Know The Wind
When picking a stand site, always consider the prevailing winds of the region. It's to your advantage to place your stand in a tree that lends itself to your favored wind direction more days out of the season. Hunt the stand only with the correct wind.

Often you only get one chance at a big buck. If he winds you, you could spook him out of the area altogether, and he may not come by that stand again for several months. Better to let the stand rest and wait for the right wind than to hunt it with a bad wind direction and educate the deer.

Use Good Cover
Placing your stand in a big tree with other trees, limbs, or background cover will help minimize the chances of being silhouetted.

My father has even gone as far as to nail a couple of extra leafy branches in a tree to prevent the deer from silhouetting us too easily.

One of my favorite ways to avoid being spotted is to lean close to the trunk or large limb of a big tree. This method also works well in emergency situations on the ground. On the ground, I have often gone undetected by deer at ranges as close as five feet, simply by leaning up against a large tree. If you put on a ski mask or pull your hat down low so you can just barely see out, most times you will go undetected.

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