This won't be the first time my friend paid me back for something he did wrong. I bailed him outa jail once and I had zero expectation of getting the money back. One day he popped up on my doorstep with every penny - no better way to solidify a friendship than that.
Seahawk12 I totally agree on the back to camp for lunch thing. When you say still hunting, you don't mean in a blind - but more of a very slow spot and stalk approach? I may have been doing things backwords - spending too much time in the am in a blind and moving more during midday. On the other hand, I've read that this time of year they are shedding velvet and may bed for 2-14 days after shedding where 'still' hunting may not work. Maybe I should try a combination of the two approaches to find the technique that works?
The three methods of deer hunting are:
1) ambush hunting from a blind or tree stand. This is best used when the deer are moving in the dawn and dusk hours.
2) spot and stalk. Going high with optics and looking for the deer. Once found you stalk close enough to the deer for an ethical shot.
3) Still hunting. This is basically stalking the woods looking for the bedded down deer or deer that have been pushed by other hunters. Still hunting doesn't have the highest success rate, but it is still higher than if you are sitting back in camp.
When still hunting the things to keep in mind are to move slowly. One or two steps and a pause to look carefully into the nooks and crannies for flicking ears and tails or antler tines. A step or two. Repeat. Deer know the cadence of a human walking. One or two steps and a long pause to look carefully breaks the cadence.
Noise discipline is important when it comes to unnatural sounds like metal on metal or Velcro. Do whatever you have to to eliminate those noises completely. A snapping twig isn't a big deal though if you pause for a bit after the snap. Sit in complete silence for an hour or two in the wilderness and it becomes a noisy place.
Pay attention to the wind. Keep the wind hitting your face. Stick to the shadows. Don't move into the open or outline yourself on a ridge or hill.
In the early season with the hot weather the deer will look for tall timber and/or north and east faces of hills for shade during the day. Be a slow motion ninja going into these areas.
Some hunters will do Ambush hunting in the dusk and dawn hours then still hunt the hours in between. Just be careful not to spread your scent all over the area you are ambush hunting or the areas leading to and away from the ambush site. (Gets tricky depending on the wind.)
Some will rely on Spot and stalk. Getting up high to their spotting locations pre-dawn so they can be glassing when the deer are moving. Watch them until they bed down so you know where to stalk to.
There are many combinations of these methods. Part of the fun in hunting is trying different tactics until you find the tactics you enjoy.
For some hunters going back to camp for lunch and hanging out with their hunting buddies is a great time that they wouldn't want to give up.
I personally love to still hunt the afternoons. It takes a lot of practice to get it down to a point where you're not gritting your teeth and thinking you sound like an elephant wearing corduroy jeans stomping through a field of rice krispies, but it does pay off after enough time.