Main Discussion Area > Shooting and Hunting
Stalking & Getting up Close...HOW?
JW_Halverson:
Steve B makes some really good points. You gotta be in the game, not in the recliner watching the Outdoor Channel. Deer are rarely stalked by people in the summer and often will allow us to make a lot of mistakes before they get sick of your attention and bolt. Start, if at all possible, by working with urban or suburban deer. They are used to people.
AND NEVER LOOK 'EM IN THE EYE! I don't know what it is, but animals hate us catching their eye.
Learn what shoes/boots/moccasins allow you to move as quietly as possible. Learn to feel the ground under your foot before committing any weight to that foot. That way you can pick the foot up and reposition off the pine cones, sticks, twigs, crunchy forest bits that are scattered everywhere by the deer to alert them of our presence. Move slow with no jerky actions, move when a breeze moves around you, use every piece of terrain/vegetation to conceal your movements.
You are gonna get busted by the deer. So remember that those whitetails will pretend they are going back to grazing and browsing, slowly lowering their heads only to snap them back up to try catching you moving! If you think you are busted, but the deer has not run off, just stand like a statue until the deer actually moves off with it's head down grazing. The tail will flick just before the head comes up, watch their butts closely...they telegraph a lot with the tail.
It's just one of those things that you gotta do to learn how to do it! That means learning from mistakes. If you wait until hunting season to learn, then you really got a lot to learn fast!
predatorcaller:
Be patient -patient and patient.Realize on a calm day with super dry conditions it will be really tough to sneak to within 15 yards of a whitetail.Pick good stalking days.Right after a rain or light snow or a windy day.always use binoculars(especially us older farts)When game is spotted I will lots of times take my boots off and stalk in my socks(I always carry an extra pair in my pack).I don,t hunt from a treestand ever anymore(nothing wrong with it-just my preference)I have been stalking the last 2 seasons with my old recurve and get busted a lot.I have to be within 15 yards for a shot.Late in the archery season here in Penna. I was fortunate enough to take a doe at 8 yards and it was AWESOME.Put on a 30 minute stalk and was lucky to get a good clean shot.Remember getting a deer or whatever your hunting is a bonus-just being healthy and able to be out spending time is the great thrill.Enjoy it and have a fantastic day!!!!!!LLoyd
crooketarrow:
IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE NO ONE DOSE IT. IT'S NEXT TO IMPOSABLE.
It's not imposable and dose happen. But not use'lly by design. If to really want to do it,do it like this.
This is how my friend CROOKETARROW did it. And he stalked every deer he saw.
First off remember deers not on a time limit so get thast out of your head. SLOW DOWN, He's make it to shooting distance maybe 15,20 times out of a 100. A REMAKEABLE FEET IN MY BOOK Not all deer are stalkable. TIME,PLACE AND CONDISHONS AND MOST OF ALL PATINANCE.
He'd stalk everydeer he'd see. But you have to beable to put yourself in a place to start your stalk. SEE A DEER.
He'd still hunt when deer are up and moveing 9early and late. Still hunting where the deer going to travel to and from food,bedding is the only way to do it always with a cross wind at least. It's imposable to stalk a bedded deer. It's easyer to spot the deer first then move into a place you can intercept him. So you have to see the deer first. SLOW DOWN
There is a time and place I do stalk. I've arrowed 5 bucks like this 2 in thier beds. WHEN THE WIND BLOWS HARD I'LL PEAK STANDING CORN ROWS.
PUT ON MY GHILLIE GET THE WIND IN MY FAVOR STRAT ON A END PUT MY HEAD TROUGH AND LOOK DOWN EACH ROW. WHEN I'M TO THE OTHER SIDE I GO BACK THROUGH WHERE I JUST CAME MOVE DOWN THE FIELD 50 YARDS DO IT AGAIN .
Get use to a lot of seeing tails.
Wolf Watcher:
Hunting in your part of the world is much different than hunting where most of us have to hunt and it depends upon what animal you plan to hunt. I learned a long time ago that you just need to spend a lot of time in the hills and sooner or later it will happen. Mule deer are completely different than whitetails so hunting them is about knowing their routes and those change by season. Like JW says you must be out with the animals to learn. Being able to shoot well is as important as being close enough to shoot so when you are out there practice what we call "stump shooting" at all angles. You won't get a lot of shots at deer so practice until you are able to hit where you aim! Another thing that is very important is to be able to pick where on the animal you want to place your arrow. That was one of the most difficult things for me to learn because being close enough to shoot makes the target look very large when in fact the kill zone is small. You need to really develop a philosophy about when you take a shot at any big game animal. Mine is to promise that animal that I won't take a shot at him unless I can promise him a clean and quick kill. That is a hard thing to do and because of that I have passed up many more shots than I ever took! For many years I have wanted to sneak up on a deer or elk and count coup on him and have never been able to do that. Not needing to kill an animal has made me a better hunter. And finally harvesting an animal with all your own home made equipment is a feeling like no other in hunting. A/Ho Joe
JW_Halverson:
Once while turkey hunting I had a deer count coup on me! She walked around the tree where I was sitting and stepped on my shin. I jumped and she jumped and we both shi...I mean, shrieked.
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