Imagine two circles surrounding you.
The first is your circle of perception - it represents the area you're able to perceive. The things you can easily see, hear, and recognize as you are hiking around. Usually this circle is quite small, because people generally focus too much on the area immediately in front of them. We move too quickly and are forced to constantly plan out our next few steps without taking breaks.
The second is your circle of disturbance - it represents the area in which /other/ things can perceive you. The comes from amount of noise you're generating, the amount of movement, etc. This circle is usually quite large because most of us are clumsy and loud.
For most, your circle of perception is MUCH smaller than your circle of disturbance. So by the time you are able to spot wildlife, they have already seen, heard, or smelled you, and are long gone.
To be a successful hunter, you need to swap the sizes of those two circles.
Get quieter, more compact gear. Move lightly and silently, without your backpack/rifle/whatever getting caught on branches. Lose the big heavy boots that crunch everything under you.
Move more slowly and deliberately, stopping often. Plan routes through the forest out before you have even started moving, and traverse them as slowly as you can.
Be aware of any scents that may be on you. Laundry detergent, soaps and shampoos, air freshener from your car, etc.
If you're with someone else, try to avoid speaking.
You get it. Figure out what you need to do to swap those circles around, and you will start seeing a lot more wildlife.
