Without knowing all of the specifics about your particular hunting grounds and practices, it's sure hard to offer general advice to you other than to "keep on keeping on!"
I live in Northern Illinois (right above you) and the up and down warm weather seemed to wreak havoc with alot of the bowhunters in my neck of the woods-especially during the rut. It seemed that either you saw alot of deer or had little to no activity during the daylight hours.
I began bowhunting a few years ago (largely in part to alot of knowledgeable folks on this website that helped get me set-up and shared their knowledge and wisdom from experience) after rifle hunting whitetails for a number of years. I wanted to experience the challenge of bowhunting.
Well...I got it!
I learned more about deer and deer behavior in one season of bowhunting than a decade and a half of rifle hunting. I made alot of mistakes but learned from them (mostly1
) along the way.
There are many ways to position both treestand and groundblinds in areas that will allow for reasonable distance shooting and I have gleaned quite a bit from books and then experimenting with them myself in the field. Creating natural funnels to and from food sources and bedding areas is a science.
The trial and error is part of what got me hooked. I've made more bone-headed mistakes than I care to remember but have seen things work in the field that I would have never thought possible previously. Let me tell you-when it all comes together, it's a feeling like no other.
Welcome to HC! Stick around and be like a sponge and absorb everything you can but more importantly, besides reading and educating yourself on your quarry-get out there now after the season and scout the heck out of your hunting property. You'll see clues that will help you put it all together.
I took the below deer this past Fall, my first archery buck after passing up smaller bucks over the past three hunting seasons. Hang in there buddy! It'll happen!