Stanton,

You mentioned that you needed to buy a "doe grunt"...I think you're referring to a specific estrous doe bleat replicated in products such as "The Can". 

Climbing stands are great (I own one), but I'd suggest you get totally familiar with it before you ever take it into the field.  Practice climbing, getting situated in the tree, and coming down in your back yard or some place where you can work up gradually.  Also, with their tubular steel construction most of these things have a tendency to be noisy, at least in my experience (I've had mine for a number of years so maybe the newer ones aren't so bad).  With the one I had we eventually had to use some spray insulation inside the climbing aid to quiet it down.  Whatever you do though, wear a climbing belt or harness every time you go up.  A friend of mine was on a climbing stand several years ago and fell asleep.  When he did he also fell out of his stand, and because he wasn't wearing a harness fell to his death.  He broke his neck when he landed on his head and it killed him instantly. 

And, most folks will tell you to get at least 20 feet up in a tree to avoid being seen, although there are some bucks that have learned to look up into trees.  Hope this helps.

Was his nose to the ground?  Also, do you have any idea whether the area you hunt has a lot of does to every buck (i.e. low buck:doe ratio)?  How big a tract of land were you on?  Do others rattle out there as well (bucks can get wise to the rattling trick)?  Also, you said you rattled real subtle...what did you mean by that?  Based on what I've seen if its just two smaller deer sparring a big buck often won't come. 

I'm sure there are a lot of people that know more about rattling on this site than I do, but those are some things that initially come to mind.

You might be hunting in what we call a 'buck haven' - I've only seen a place like that once or twice.  For some reason the bucks will prefer a central spot (proximity to food, doe groups, away from hunting pressure, etc.) and have a tendency to hole up there. 

With your lease considerations I'd suggest the following:  First, be very careful how you go in and out to your stand.  Just a guess, but without knowing much more about their moving patterns in my brief experiences with 'buck havens' they exist near buck bedding area(s).  If these deer pattern you they will stop showing up.  If you have more than one route into the stand I'd vary how I came in, wind permitting.  Second, I'd sit tight.  The bucks will likely be gone most of the time during the rut, but they'll likely show up afterwards.  If you can keep from spooking them you might actually have better success pre- and post-rut. 

Having grown-up with Case knives (lived in the same town where they are made) some of them are very good.  They're now owned by Zippo lighters so I don't know where that will take them eventually.  Looks to me as if they are starting to get out of the hunting knife business though...they don't seem to have the selection they once did.  Bucks are hard to beat for locking blades.  Kershaws are good too, though I've never owned one.

Gents,

On one hand, considering all the threads here, Jim says he needs cash flow to keep his ranch going and Kevin, you're saying that prices need to come down to enable some folks to be able to continue to hunt.  Both are valid points in my opinion, and a typical crossroads you reach in discussions like these.  A few ideas:

One answer would be to have a hunter ask a landowner, especially if the owner sets a quota on his ranch, if there are a couple doe, cull bucks, etc. available at the end of the season to give let him have a chance to take them.  Arrange a price, and off you go.  They do this in STX pretty regularly.  Its not a year lease, and it may not be all you want, but its a hunt and hopefully will end up with some fond memories and meat on the table. 

Another solution would be for the landowner to save a few deer off his kill quota for the purpose of allowing some other hunters, who do not have a place to hunt, to come on his land after the season at an affordable rate, whatever that would be. He'd probably have to make some arrangements with his hunters, but I would think that's doable.  More than likely those guys already on the lease know some people they could vouch for. 

A third idea would be to discuss a hunt, not a lease, with a landowner.  Try to arrrange a price for a given period of time which would be less than a lease price but something you could afford.  My sons and I have had the privilege of doing this for over 9 years now with a landowner who has been nothing but extraordinary to us...a real blessing from Heaven.  

Its been said on this thread before, but I think any kind of lasting solution will be person-to-person on a small scale.  But, the 'middle ground' we're looking for might involve on one hand hunters changing their expectations of how they would want to hunt, and landowners making some deer available for those folks to take at some reduced price...maybe even making some other arrangements for payment.  As long as there are ethical, considerate hunters wanting to hunt and landowners willing to give them an opportunity, even if its just a couple of hunters, the sky's the limit.

Great looking deer, and a lifetime of blessings...