There is so much miss information promoted on social media sites now, and so much that gets written, posted or videoed and then accepted as “the truth” is never verified. Even then there is almost always disputing sides, yes even in the "science" world. The people that truly want to learn how deer see, smell and hear will do their homework and verify what has been stated in these posts out in the real proving grounds - the deer's back yard.
However, to be frank - Who the hell cares? I mean really who cares if the deer saw, smelt or heard you first? It fricken spooked and an opportunity was missed. You now have a couple choices in front of you:
1) Sit there regurgitating "facts or fictions" and feeling like a victim of circumstances beyond our control and powerless due to the fact no one can “know for sure” what triggered the response.
Or
2) You can take steps to mitigate whatever it might have been. i.e. you use milk pods to test and take advantage of wind and thermal currents (even though it may not be 100% effective it is better than sitting there shrugging your shoulders and saying it won’t always follow human scent trails). Or you remove metal, hanging things that can bump together and alert a deer through hearing (rather than debating how well a deer can or cannot hear on windy days. You could also remove anything that will sway or move with the wind that could potentially alert deer. Perhaps one could use material (camo, paint, natural brush, etc.) to help break up harsh colors/lines or shapes that seldom appear naturally and could appear unnatural to a deer in their environment (i.e. black sticks appearing on trees).
Most of these steps sure as hell aren't going to hurt your odds.
As for me I could care less what others think or how they hunt, how many You tube videos they have or have not made, how many books they have written, who sponsors them, where they went to school or how many letters may or may not follow their name. I pay attention to what they DO and the RESULTS THEY GET (i.e. for hunting how successful they are and then I LISTEN and absorb). Afterwards, I observe from the ultimate teacher - nature, I take notes, I analyze, I come up with potential ‘whys” and then I TAKE STEPS TO CHANGE THE OUTCOME TO A MORE DESIRABLE ONE FROM MY STANDPOINT. This is called LEARNING (and it can’t be assimilated through school, from a podcast, from a TV show, or even from a friend… that is all knowledge)…. True learning comes from the application of knowledge – you have to take the knowledge and APPLY it yourself….. and for me it continues to this day.
We all have different methods and goals and that is OK with me. I try to preface all I share and post as this is what works for me and I hope it does not come across as "this is the right way.” There is no one single right way. For example: I Recently watched a video on you tube of someone climbing and setting up for a hunt and timing it. It was obvious the goal was to do it quickly. It received several accolades and I will admit it was fast…. A heck of a lot faster then I can do it.
However, would I personally hunt that way? NOPE. Reason: There was so many things moving around, bumping together, and overall movement that IN MY EXPEREINCE it would spook any mature buck bedded even remotely close to that area. So while it was cool to see how quick it can be done, for me personally and the way I hunt, setting up quickly is never a goal. I actually practice slowing down while setting up. That’s just what works for me and the way I hunt as I usually set up very close to bedding areas so being quiet, taking my time and moving slow, eliminating things from casting a glare, swinging around or banging together are far more important to me then how fast I can set up.
So while this discussion has ping ponged around I personally applaud G2 for taking the step he took painting/camouflaging his sticks. He addressed one of three KNOWN defense of a deer and took a small step to change an outcome he has experienced. He keeps doing that and I would bet his success rate will continue to grow. I think its pretty obvious He certainly didn't hurt his odds by doing so and he included his daughter.... win/win.