All of my attention goes to watching and listening to every noise and movement.

I want to make sure I can get my bow or rifle up and be ready when a shot presents itself.

If I had a book in my hands I do not feel I would be able to put the book down fast enough to raise my bow or rifle.

Keep in mind most book covers have a glossy coating. If the sun hits the cover at the right angle it could produce a flash similar to shining light on a mirror or lens. If an approaching deer sees sun bouncing off the book cover it could bolt before you get a clean shot.

Most book pages are white, a danger color for deer. Turning pages could flash enough white to alert deer of your presence. A deer seeing a flash from the white pages may associate this with danger and run before you can shoot.

One could eliminate the problem of the sun bouncing off a cover or the white pages alerting a deer if they hunt from an enclosed blind.

I know you, Marcel, hunt from an enclosed deer hunting tree stand, so the sun’s reflection off a book cover or the flash from white pages may not spook deer while you are deer hunting. I am sure you will be fine reading books while in your tree stand. But, if you hunt on the ground, I would shy away from reading a book.

To see a picture of Marcel’s deer hunting tree stand read the November 1, 2006 blog post.

Reading while you are out deer hunting can be an enjoyable and relaxing activity while you sit and wait for a big buck to appear. As long as the deer doesn’t see flashes from white pages or a reflection on the book’s cover you could still get your deer.

It is purely the hunter’s choice whether to carry a book to his stand or not.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com