First and foremost, I believe that my biggest problem (other than my own lack of experience) was not having a proper lane cleared out for hunting. I was on my grandparents property in Atlanta, MI. On the front of the property is grassy terrain with forest backdropping your look. Going into the forest a ways you step into swampy terrain, very wet and very thick. The only sort of "lane" I had at my disposal was down a couple of thin lines traveling north, the northeast, and the west lane which cut into my aunts property. the north lane traveled the farthest at maybe 75 yards at best, and and the others were no more than 25-50 yard lines. Maybe a couple of feet wide, it was hard to look at anything with fallen trees and branches in the way. I felt I didn't stand a chance.
Ideally I should have spent the summer preparing for that day by going out and cutting down trees to make my lane wider and longer. at the very least I could have cut the brush, and smaller branches in the way ( I was a bit young then to be handling a chainsaw) in order to give myself a better view.
The benefits also extend beyond yourself because deer tend to prefer open and clear pathways to walk, especially in the thick swampy woods where I was hunting. A couple of years ago I took it upon myself to properly clear out the lane during the summer and cut down trees to open up and extend my path. I took my dads chainsaw (brand new Stihl) and went to town, I made good progress but only got so far, I didn't get as far as I wanted to go but I did end up making it longer and a little bit wider (though not as wide as I hoped). Below are some pictures.
This is my clearing that leads to the New South Lane that I cut to extend my line
This was previously a thick wooded area that I followed to my blind, I used neon tape to find my way in the dark.
The End of the New South Lane "Fresh Cut"
Looking out to Blind
Walking down the South Lane
The North Lane, I didn't have enough time to properly clear it
Photo taken from my blind
Taken about a month after my initial large clearing my work was paying off.
Fresh Deer Tracks, Made my heart jump and was relieved that maybe I hadn't wasted my time.
I was so happy to see the fresh tracks coming down my cut lane after spending 3 weekends cutting and clearing, I thought that maybe I would actually have a chance this year. I had to stop cutting after august in order to quite things down before hunting season began and get the deer comfortable with their new highway through the swamp. My blind was left in its original spot and I placed fresh ferns and pine around the outside to hide and shield any smells. It now lies in the middle of my hunting line, a north, south, west, and northeast line to hunt from, I was feeling better even though I didn't get to clear out the rest of my lines. Unfortunately in Montmorency county we are unable to bait/feed the deer due to disease outbreak control, but I tried to do what I could to prepare.
That is just one way you need to prepare to hunt though, besides just clearing a viewable lane, as I mentioned you should also hide your blind as best as you can, especially if you wait until the last minute to setup. Use branches, pine, and brush, fresh if possible so that the aroma from the brush will hide the scent of your blind. Deer have very sensitive noses and are easily alarmed when smelling foreign objects so this is a good way for a deer to miss you, you may also look at various hunting supplies stores and you can find various items that are said to block scents to avoid being spotted by deer.
If you are able to bait/feed the deer in your area, you should begin about a month or two before the planned hunting season begins. Again deer are very nervous animals and foreign objects easily make them feel uneasy. It is best to bait for a month or two beforehand so that you first allow time for the deer to find the food, and also to allow them to get comfortable enough to eat the food and come back to the same spot. It is also best to refill your food plots on a schedule and at similar time intervals so deer know when to expect a refill. The best method I believe is to purchase an automated food plot dispenser, this way a timer controls when food is released and you don't have to continue coming back.
There are many more tips that hunters know and use to better there chances of hunting, below is a link to an article I read that has a few good tips on how you can best prepare yourself for the hunt.
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