I walk in my socks when there is little cover from noise from the wind and the prairie grass is dry and crunchy. It makes a huge difference where I hunt. I also have walked in crunchy snow a few times with only socks and it makes a difference there too. I usually only walk in socks when I'm stalking a big buck though. I almost never crawl, I step on enough cactus with two points of contact on the ground, I don't need it in my hands too. I also am always worried about breaking the sights of the bow on foliage or getting a cut in the string from crawling.
Use topographical advantages as much as possible. I'm probably not in the majority when I say this, but here it is anyways...the wind is important too, but I would rather stalk over the top of a buck with the wind blowing towards him than stalk out in the open below him with the wind in my face. If you're concerned about him scenting you just grab as much sagebrush or other highly scented plants and rub them all over your clothes and fill your pockets with them. Sometimes if the buck is below a steep cliff, he wont scent you as your scent mostly blows over him. I have stalked up on deer with the wind blowing towards them but never have stalked up on a deer that was watching me walk towards him.
Of course the smartest deer in the area usually bed where it is nearly impossible for anything or anyone to get within 50 yards, but its always fun to try. In those instances you should be ready for a stalk that takes several hours. Step or crawl only when a wind gust is blowing, move only when the deer is looking away or has his head down. The slower you go the better your chances are of getting close.
And never forget your binoculars if you are going to be out of sight from the deer for any distance. It can be very difficult to find the deer again when you are stalking from a different angle or the deer may have moved a bit and bedded down in a different spot. I use my binoculars even when I know I'm within bow distance but still not in sight of the deer. The most important part of your stalk is finding the deer before he finds you when you are within bow range. Use your binos and look THROUGH grass or foliage to find the deer before the deer can find you. Antlers can easily look like branches, weeds, or the background of what you're looking at. If you find those antler tips when you are walking over the top of a deer you can usually get your shot off. If the first thing you find is a white face, its usually the end of the stalk....but still exhilarating none the less.
