Mistakes were made

I have been hunting a pasture that is about 100 yards across.  It is bounded by brush except for where it connects to another paddock.  That connection is about 20' across.

Due to houses in the background, I cannot shoot to the north, southeast or the west.

One of my stands is beneath a spruce tree at the north end of the pasture.

View to the east

View to the south

There I was sitting when a deer sneezed in my right ear.

Because I wanted to not leave a lot of scent in the brush where the deer would be traveling so I walked across the pasture, pushed down the fence and entered that stand from that direction.  It was also much easier walking.

On the fence five yards to the east of my stand.

The deer noticed the pushed down fence and decided that was the easiest way to enter the pasture.  Rather than jump a 52" tall fence they could step over a 28" tall fence.  Surviving in the wild is all about conserving energy.

I did not put my stand in the middle of a deer run.  The act of putting up my deer stand changed the environment (the fence) and enticed the deer to change their travel habits.  My stand, and my travel patterns put a deer run through my deer stand.

This is  classic mistake, to assume that actions on our part will not result in changes of behaviors in others.  A classic example would be the Affordable Care Act defining "full time employment" as 28 hours a week of work or more.    The authors of the bill were completely blindsided when employers simply scheduled their employees for fewer hours to keep them "part time".

This information about deer seeking out low places in the fence can be used to my advantage.  I can pick a spot where it is to my advantage to have the deer enter the pasture and drop the fence at that location.  Or I can install a gate, keep it closed with the cattle are in the paddock but otherwise leave the gate open.  Then, rather than have to step over 28" they can stroll in without having to lift their feet. 

Bonus picture of a doe eating apples out of a GoldRush tree.  Ignore the time and date.