Bow Hunting TipsCrossbow Hunting for Whitetail Deer
Since everything is already in the deer's favor, these bow hunting tips may help even the odds!
Crossbow hunting requires a close range target, so even seemingly small changes in your protocol, can sometimes make a tremendous difference in whether or not you come home empty handed. Wind direction is extremely important. 
It ranks right up there with being one of the most important factors you can use to your advantage. Have various stands or places to hunt, so you can hunt with the wind in your face whenever possible.
Other important tips include, wearing camouflage or dull clothes, as you do not want to stick out like a sore thumb. You want to blend yourself into the environment as much as possible. Don't forget about covering your hands and face also. Sound and movement are major factors, so try not to move around too much while waiting for the deer to arrive, and make sure that any movements are done slowly. Try not to make sound and be as absolutely quiet as you can. Make sure none of your equipment rattles or is up against a part of your stand to bump against, causing noise. When deer are moving into your hunting area, quietly and slowly take your crossbow off of safety, so it doesn't make a loud clicking sound. Scent is also a factor. Wash your hunting clothes in a scent blocking detergent or plain baking soda, using no fabric softener, and dry your clothes outside.
Along those lines, if you smoke or chew while in your stand, do not spit or throw your cigarette butts on the ground. Take a bottle with you and use it, or preferably, do not smoke or chew while hunting. Do not leave trash laying around, such as empty water bottles or wrappers. If you took it in with you, bring it back out with you. On your way to your stand, try to avoid brushing up against leaves and branches. Use your bow to push branches out of your way. Other good bow hunting tips include being in your stand early. At least an hour, preferably more, before the sun comes up, so that the woods have time to settle back down. If you are hunting in the evening, again, go much earlier than the deer normally move, so the area has time to settle down. When you do see a buck that you plan to shoot at, wait until his head is turned away from you, or better still, his line of vision is blocked by a tree or bush. Then raise your bow up, so he doesn't see you move it. Deer have this annoying little trick that they do if they sense something is out of place. They will look around, then graze as if everything is safe, then suddenly, they will pop their head up and look straight over at you. 
They are trying to see if they can catch any movement by surprise. Be prepared for this and do not fall for it! Go into a freeze position and do not look them in the eye. Do not even move your eyes, just steady them into a stare that is not directed at the deer's face, but to the side of the deer instead. You always have time to take a deep breath and tell yourself to calm down so that your shot is slow, steady and sure. If you don't have time to calm yourself, you probably don't have time to make an accurate shot! Wait until the deer moves into a kill shot position. If he does not ever move into a position that lends itself for a kill shot, then do not shoot. It is better to go home empty handed, than to superficially wound a deer, but not kill it, or to give away your hunting spot secret, to them. A mature whitetail buck may not come back into the area once he busts you out for being in there. These bow hunting tips may seem very simple, but trust us, it is the basic fundamentals that many times decides the way a hunt turns out!
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