Take advantage of a deer's laziness
By Benji Nail

Throughout my years of hunting, I've noticed deer can be pretty lazy at times.

When it comes to jumping over or crawling underneath obstructions, they seem to prefer the path of least resistance.

This is especially true when the obstacles are ditches and fences.

Ditch Tip

If there is a ditch between your stand and a bedding area, situate your stand near where the ditch begins to play out or becomes shallow and easy to cross.

Even if a ditch is only a few feet wide, deer will go out of their way to find a spot they can just walk across instead of jumping. Look for a crossing in the shallow parts.

Fence Tip

I have a ground blind set up on a cornfield and have watched deer after deer walk completely across the field to walk through an open gate instead of expending the energy to jump the fence.

I like to open the gate prior to bow season and allow the deer to become accustomed to using it.

Of course, you can't do this if there are cows on the property, but if there aren't any, I highly recommend this.

Set up your stand downwind from the gate and you'll have a good chance of deer walking through it within bow range.