^Yep, stay on the stand. I've always been bad about leaving the stand a little early, kind of like if your boss tells you to go home at 4:45 on Friday you go, just human nature I guess. I took two deer last fall a couple of days apart within 5 minutes of legal shooting time ending. There is no telling how many deer I've missed an opportunity at because I left 15 minutes too early. But, take good binoculars, both of the deer I took were difficult to see in the low light and both were spotted and shot at 200+ yards, mainly because I didn't have enough legal light to wait for them to get closer.
-Also take a book, magazine, or even your smart phone to the stand, although considered unconventional by many, you will kill more deer in a stand reading a book than you will at home in front of the TV.
-Scout the area before hunting if possible, the more scouting you do the more you will know about the local deer. Look for bedding areas, water sources, and food. Then find a funnel between these things, preferably the thickest, nastiest, cover you can find, this is the route the big boys take.
-Make sure you have what you need to be comfortable in the stand all day. Bring plenty of food and drinks, but nothing noisy. If you are using a blind or permanent stand make sure your sitting arrangement is comfortable, if it's not you won't stay out all day like you should.
-Keep your feet warm when the weather gets cold. Once my feet get cold I am done! They won't warm back up until I start moving. This can be challenging when you are sitting still in a stand. Invest in good boots.
-Binoculars....Get the best ones that you can't afford. Besides using them to size up and locate game, they are a good way to pass time and learn more about your hunting area.
-I usually hunt from the ground, I've killed the majority of my deer simply sitting at the base of a tree. I don't wear camo either, kind of pointless IMO when you have to wear orange anyway. Anyway if you are in a wooded area, kick back all the leaves around where you will be sitting, that way you don't make a lot of noise whenever you move.
-I could go on and on but I think you will see mostly my secret is staying on stand and not making noise. Here is one more for after you have been successful. Carry in your backpack (you do have one of those right?) a pair of neoprene elbow length decoy gloves, Wear them when you are gutting. I have found I have enough dexterity to do the job while wearing the gloves. Once I have the deer gutted I remove them and stick them in a plastic grocery bag until I can get home and rinse them off. This way my hands and arms are completely clean and I don't have to find water in the field to clean up with.