The tech top 5

The top technological advancements in use by deer hunters, according to Tom Knutson of Knutson's Recreational Sales in Brooklyn, Mich.:
Scent control products
At the high end, a hunter can spend hundreds of dollars on scent-blocking clothing that purports to use carbon molecules to absorb human scent and trick sensitive deer noses. But for less money, there are scent-killing sprays, soaps, laundry detergents, wipes and chewing gum to cut down on deer-spooking human scent. "Scent reduction has probably had a more profound effect on deer hunting than anything else," Knutson said. "It is the most effective and the most economical. You just have to sit and watch what goes out the door. They buy some slugs and some scent eliminator. It's something (hunters) can do to give themselves a better chance."
Trail cameras
You sneak into deer habitat, hang a motion-triggered camera on a tree and come back a few days later to see exactly what kind of deer activity you're missing when you aren't in the woods. Ten years ago, trail cameras took film pictures that required developing. Now they're all digital, which means popping out a small card and plugging it into your computer. Voila! You have around-the-clock eyes on your hunting area.
Portable ground blinds
Sure, those large wooden boxes are still all over. But once they're in place, that location is not changing. These days, hunters can pack in a lightweight, camouflaged nylon blind that compresses to backpack size and pops open in seconds. They're basically modified tents. And if you don't like your spot, the blind can be broken down and moved in no time.
Supplements
and food plots
Baiting is illegal in the Lower Peninsula, but food plots aren't, mainly because deer can spread out to feed rather than concentrating at a bait pile. A food plot is an area, often less than an acre, planted with foods deer like, such as rye, wheat or clover. As autumn wears on and crops are harvested, food plots can keep hungry deer coming back to feed. And food plots have become science. Some crops are designed to promote antler growth, while others are planted to provide the most nutrition after the weather turns cold.
Electronic gadgets
(computers, range finders and blood-tracking lights)
Many hunters begin with a quick online check of accuweather.com or another source, because wind direction can help them decide where to sit so deer can't smell them. Bowhunters and rifle hunters alike know the value of knowing your distance: Gravity makes bullets and arrows drop, and if you misjudge your distance you could miss, or worse, wound game with a bad shot. Laser range finders take a lot of the guesswork out by sending out a beam to a stationary object and telling the hunter how many yards long the beam is.

More reports

• Modern tools make it easier for hunters to go for the kill