Opinions vary widely on the topic of cover. Many never seem to have enough, while hunters like myself prefer to use the least amount possible.
Hunting revolves around your ability to elude perception. I have spoken quite a few times on the topic of scent prevention. Covering your scent and making sure deer don’t catch wind of you is first on the list. Next in line is your ability to stay hidden. There has been plenty of debate as to how deer see. But more important than how they see is what they see. Over time, hunters can make their own interpretation as to what and how well deer see. Using your experiences afield rather than an electron microscope will give you more information. We may never know exactly what deer see, but can be sure of what they don’t.
I can’t answer the question, as to how well deer see. But I do understand a deer’s ability to visually detect danger is a combination of sight and experience. Deer react to danger much like humans. When something dangerous is encountered and eluded, it becomes routine to avoid the situation in the future. The problem with this situation is that you are not sure what a particular deer has or has not seen. For this reason, it’s impossible to judge exactly how the animal will react. The age of the animal encountered doesn’t play as much of a role in this situation. For example, a small spike buck may take off like a rocket upon seeing a pop-up blind. While a large buck may pay little to no attention to it. It’s likely the spike has had a negative experience with a blind, while the larger one has not. I choose to base what I will do under a given situation on how the majority of animals encountered have reacted.
I used to make thick ground blinds and leave tons of branches around my stand sites. I felt that the extra cover would hide me better. The truth is you will be hidden well, but with all of the brush in the way, you will also have a hard time making a shot. I had so many hunts where the deer came into range, they would never see me, but escaped before I could get a clear shot. When I asked experienced hunters what I should do, they said just stick it out, it happens all of the time. Not too effective a game plan in my mind. I knew something could be done to increase my odds, but what?
Like most spring turkey hunters, I choose to lean up against a tree rather than to sit in a blind. I put my back to the tree, and face in the direction the bird is expected to approach.. On several occasions, I was nearly run over by deer that didn’t see me. This made me question, would this technique work while bow hunting? I decided to try it out, and was surprised by the results. I found that while deer will see you, they can’t figure out whether you are danger or not. They will stomp their feet, stare you down, and even play peek-a-boo. They like to look away and look back quickly, or put their head behind a tree and jerk their head back for a second look. I realized that they were trying to trick me into moving. Every time I moved when they were looking, they would run away. But if I held my ground they would soon lose interest, and offer a shot opportunity. Over time, I have watched many deer react to stumps and brush piles as they do when looking at a hunter. This observation has allowed me to realize that deer don’t see colors or shapes as well as they detect movement. I now favor a lack of cover over a thick blind any day.
The camouflage used today is all you need. I find that if you just trust your camo and sit still, deer will approach closer than you would like them to sometimes. You will have to sit more still, but I get away with a lot of movement. I use my ears to first detect an approaching animal, I then sit totally still until it has been spotted. I only move when its vision is completely obstructed. I get myself in a position to make a shot as soon as the moment presents itself. I attempt to draw the bow while the deer is obstructed, and hopefully in range, but not too close. Sometimes a lack of draw trees may cause you to let the deer get closer than you want. If this happens, don’t panic. Let the deer pass, and wait for a shot as it quarters away. Or try and draw the bow as fast and quiet as possible when it goes behind a tree. I have shot several deer under 10 yards using this technique, and rarely hunt any other way. I have found, for myself, it’s better than stand hunting for several reasons.
Good wishes and don’t brush yourself out of a shot.