I do a little of both, just depends on how the deer are moving. Sometimes I'll come out of my stand and still hunt for a couple hours, then make my way back to the stand and sit still till dark. Sometimes I just go sit on a log somewhere. Just depends on how I feel.

In the area I hunt mule deer are the most common.
I do occasionally hunt whitetail, but I grew up hunting mulies

Sometimes, I just go sit in my stand with my camera LOL. Less work cleaning one that way.

I'd love to hunt mulies someday. Shoot, I'd love to hunt some big whitetails. Our deer here are small, there are too many of them but the state won't extend the season any for us. Only 3 weeks, and season limit is 4.

I will usually sit for awhile with my back against a tree or sitting on a log.
I usually can't sit for more then an hour

I've done the same

I have been known to drag a folding lawn chair into the woods and set it up. What ever keeps me in the woods.

I grew up hunting mulies, when I was in my early 20's I went on my first whitetail hunt.
When I saw my first whitetail run I broke out laughing as I thought it was so funny how they ran.

I used to have a small daypack that had a little stool attached to it

I love just sitting and watching the deer around the house. They're so graceful, they just ease along. Saw a buck and doe yesterday morning on my way home, the buck still in velvet and probably not grown out fully yet, but he was a forkhorn already.

On Vancouver Island we have really small blacktail deer. Used to hunt there with a cousin.
We call them dog deer because they are so small.
Biggest one I ever got was only about 110 lbs

I'm buying a pop-up blind before another season, just leave it in the woods set up with my chair inside. I used one last year and it was the cat's meow. I'm not big on heights, so I don't care if I'm in a stand or not.