Still Hunting Methods

[DirtTime]

We probably all have our own way to still hunt the woods. Will be interesting to read how others do this.

 

I prefer a somewhat open area to walk though, so I am not crashing through brush/thickets/etc.. I prefer tree to tree method. Once standing close to a tree I will look the area over for at least 5 minutes ( usually more but feels like an hour ), plan where I want to stop next, then look for another few minutes and move to next tree. Always trying to keep the wind in my face. I try not to jump deer, but when still hunting that's going to happen. If you are a still hunter, then you know what I mean. We have all walked right up on a deer and they jump up at 5 yards and scared the crap out of us at first.

 

How do you prefer to still hunt?

[stoneam2006]

I love to still hunt in rain wind or snow...especially if I know the area real well....I'll try and walk and stop ever 25 yards are so until I cut a track I can tell is fresh then it's game on...nothing like stalking a specific deer especially in the snow

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[Core]

I am new to hunting but have been out seven times this year primarily trying to still hunt.

My first day I walked up on a deer that was feeding and never saw me. Got close enough for a good shot. I have spooked MANY deer with this method but have learned the following about it (also have read a lot):

- large visibility areas are preferable to me. I feel this increaMses odds of seeing a deer before it sees me--but this is because I am not trying to get bedded deer (damn hard, though some do manage it)--I want them when feeding

- damping sound is completely crucial. I have been out once after a rain and the leaves were all quiet; I was a ninja

- wind is important--not just direction but the stronger the better; when wind is in the teens the entire forest is loud and this is what you want

The last time I was out the leaves had really started to cover the ground a lot since the start of October and moving quietly through 2" thick cover of dry, curled leaves is brutal. Of course, I also probably move too quickly. Moving through marsh quietly is also very hard--suck suck of shoes.

This Saturday morning I plan on trying a new area. It is going to rain on Friday, which will shut down the heavy leaf cover everywhere now. Also it is supposed to be very windy. The wind will help further by giving cover noise and if it is really strong should help cover scent as well. As such the deer will be mainly brought down to using vision, and although deer have better motion vision than us their detail at range is poor. I still hope again to come up on a deer feeding oblivious to me In any case, wet ground + high wind are perfect conditions for this stuff.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Core

[DirtTime]

I love to still hunt in rain wind or snow...especially if I know the area real well....I'll try and walk and stop ever 25 yards are so until I cut a track I can tell is fresh then it's game on...nothing like stalking a specific deer especially in the snow

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Snow is the best. Tracking and spotting really fresh sign is super easy. 

 

I am new to hunting but have been out seven times this year primarily trying to still hunt.

My first day I walked up on a deer that was feeding and never saw me. Got close enough for a good shot. I have spooked MANY deer with this method but have learned the following about it (also have read a lot):

- large visibility areas are preferable to me. I feel this increases odds of seeing a deer before it sees me--but this is because I am not trying to get bedded deer (damn hard, though some do manage it)--I want them when feeding

- damping sound is completely crucial. I have been out once after a rain and the leaves were all quiet; I was a ninja

- wind is important--not just direction but the stronger the better; when wind is in the teens the entire forest is loud and this is what you want

This Saturday morning I plan on trying a new area. It is going to rain on Friday, which will shut down the heavy leaf cover everywhere now. Also it is supposed to be very windy. The wind will help further by giving cover noise and if it is really strong should help cover scent as well. As such the deer will be mainly brought down to using vision, and although deer have better motion vision than us their detail at range is poor. I still hope again to come up on a deer feeding oblivious to me

The part I highlighted in red was because I do things the same way. You want to be a ghost. It might take me 20 minutes to get from one tree to the next 10 yards away. I do my best to make every step count and be as quiet as possible. But, as we all know, walking through the woods on dry leaves or crusty snow, you cannot be that quiet.

[Lawdwaz]

I'm no Indian, I hunt from a tree.

I was givin an Indian name when I was in my 20's though: Shooting Bull.

[grampy]

A couple knee surgeries have slowed me down a bit. But that is the key to still hunting, SLOW! When I think I'm moving too slow, I'll move slower. I plan each step before I take it. Good balance is a help to keep movement to a minimum. Keep in the shadows and use trees and brush to hide your outline as much as possible. The sun at your back will help. The wind in your face is a must. A good binocular will help to see parts of a deer, the flick of an ear, the tips of antler, of a bedded buck. They won't always be standing! A windy day with maybe a little drizzle or light snow is perfect for still hunting. Two of my best bucks have come from hunting this way. And have been doing it for over forty years. And still learning!

[stoneam2006]

Idk if anyone read nyantler (I believe) story on the buck he shot where a old time said step sharply heel to toe to mimic the sounds of a deer....something to think about when still hunting....I believe it could work as when deer are in sight you can watch their reactions of other deer coming in and we all know what happens when it's us walking lol

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O and something else that makes me love to still hunt is almost (again almost) never go out without at least seeing something

Edited October 15, 2015 by stoneam2006

[DirtTime]

I'm no Indian, I hunt from a tree.

I was givin an Indian name when I was in my 20's though: Shooting Bull.

I am not going into the Native American name you have. 

 

 

I'm no Indian, I hunt from a tree.

 

So you are a monkey. Don't they throw poop? I seriously do NOT want to know how you get poop into the woods, or if you poop and the take up in the tree to throw it around. Seriously, that's just gross.

 

 

Forgot to add the quote stoneam2006, you have a link to that story? I would like to read that as I put toe first.

Edited October 16, 2015 by ....rob

[Lawdwaz]

I am not going into the Native American name you have. 

 

 

So you are a monkey. Don't they throw poop? I seriously do NOT want to know how you get poop into the woods, or if you poop and the take up in the tree to throw it around. Seriously, that's just gross.

 

 

 

 

Chinese named friend of mine: "WhoflungPoo", good guy from down the street.................I don't think he'd appreciate your humor.

[NFA-ADK]

I don't really still hunt like others, I just take off my clothes (Yes I keep my underwear on!) put them in the back pack and run as fast as I can for about 30 yards, then stop and look.  Then after my 2nd 30 yard long distance run I catch my breath and sit for about 32 minutes.  Get up and do it all over again.  When I am bored I start climbing trees and hang from them like an ape and scream WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL THE DEER!!!  I grunt as loud as possible about every 2-3 seconds or until I pass out.  Then when I wake up I know the woods are calm.  Then I pack it in and call it a day. 

[DirtTime]

Chinese named friend of mine: "WhoflungPoo", good guy from down the street.................I don't think he'd appreciate your humor.

Are they related to "twoflingpoo"? Or maybe "takpooclan" who sit in trees throwing poo at people? Perhaps all of those clans should join the "ifidundoitshutup" clan. Or the "wrekathredclan".

[Core]

A couple knee surgeries have slowed me down a bit. But that is the key to still hunting, SLOW! When I think I'm moving too slow, I'll move slower. I plan each step before I take it. Good balance is a help to keep movement to a minimum. Keep in the shadows and use trees and brush to hide your outline as much as possible. The sun at your back will help. The wind in your face is a must. A good binocular will help to see parts of a deer, the flick of an ear, the tips of antler, of a bedded buck. They won't always be standing! A windy day with maybe a little drizzle or light snow is perfect for still hunting. Two of my best bucks have come from hunting this way. And have been doing it for over forty years. And still learning!

What percentage of deer that you get into shooting range of were bedded vs standing vs walking, when you snuck up on them?

[Doc]

I describe my version of still hunting as "mobile standing". I generally move quickly to get to preferred areas, and then on come the brakes. Putting the wind in my favor, the real hunting starts. I find a tree or something to break my outline, and just stand there looking at every stump, log, hump in the ground, and any place where a deer could be bedded or feeding. A lot of this scanning is done with binoculars. After about 10 or 15 minutes of studying everything in front of me and off to the sides, I will move super slow about 30 or 40 yards and start the scanning thing all over again, looking for a tail, antler tip, ear, or if I am lucky I might even spot that horizontal line through the trees of a deer's back. Another 10 or 15 minutes and it's time to move again.

 

It takes forever to cover any distance, but the technique is only used in places I am pretty confident hold deer, and distance is not the object.

 

I have watched bucks do a version of this, and it works pretty good for them. Many times they do a whole lot more looking than walking, and that is where I developed my technique.

 

I don't do a whole lot of still-hunting in bow season, but when gun seasons comes, I'll stay on stand when hunters are active (opening day, thanksgiving, and some parts of weekend days), but later when hunters start getting scarce, still hunting is all I do.

[grampy]

20 percent bedded.

45 percent standing.

35 percent walking.

A couple of my favorite area's to still hunt are hemlocks along a good sized swamp and three quarters of the way up a south facing oak ridge, with a strong Northeast wind. It take total concentration, to try and see them before they see you. The more you do it, the better you'll get at picking them out. As I posted above, I'm still learning every year! And I can't stress enough,SLOW is the key. At times depending on conditions, 100 yards in an hour will be too fast! But that is a good starting point. When you are stopped, and "LOOKING" from close to far away, is when you will see them or a part of them. Everyone has their own inner clock and timing, so the more you do it, the more natural it will become to you. In this fast paced world we live in, we are geared to go,go,go. So for me it's a welcome change to take a deep breath, and "go slow"!

[jjb4900]

my method is usually thinking I'm being quiet until I see the white flags running the other way......my problem is my feet are usually one step ahead of my eyes. I won't even attempt it unless the weather is windy, rainy or snowing.

[Core]

 

A couple of my favorite area's to still hunt are hemlocks along a good sized swamp and three quarters of the way up a south facing oak ridge, with a strong Northeast wind.

Yes! I spooked two pairs of deer in these exact conditions recently. A steep hill down to western marsh with a NE wind and at the top of the hill were oak trees. Well worn deer paths going from the marsh to the oak and on my way up got very close to deer on two occasions before spooking them. First I got within 40 yards of bedded and one still had no idea where I was as its friend hissed and freaked out. The second occasion I am not sure if they were walking or bedding because I saw movement and no more than 20 yards or so away there they both were frozen staring at me.

[Pygmy]

Grampy and Doc mentioned using their binoculars...They are an invaluable tool for stillhunting.  They really help you to "pick apart" the cover and focus THROUGH a lot of brush and cover...They are not just for long range viewing either.. They are just as useful at 30 or 40 yards as they are at 200, scanning every bit of cover within your view , peeking way back into tiny openings in the brush  looking for a flicker of an ear, a patch of white, or perhaps an antler tip...

 

I move a short distance and then stand an scan for several minutes with my binocs...Then I take a few steps and repeat the process...

[DirtTime]

I didn't mention the bino's because whether still hunting, tree stand hunting, or ground blind hunting, I figured everyone already uses them for the specific circumstance to get a closer look.

 

I don't like to rush things when still hunting. It's a patience thing. Discipline. 

[coldwater]

It's my favorite part of the whole season. After opening week when things get quieter, I spend my time off the stand. I use draws and creekbeds to cover distance, then switch to the slow movements many described well above. I scan with good binos at every couple of steps. I crouch down a lot, leaning on trees or stumps. About a third of the deer I see are bedded, another third are standing or walking, and the rest are running away because I'm not good enough at it yet! Even on noisy frozen snow or dry leaves it can work, but then you need to break up your sound pattern (irregular steps, toe-heel, etc.).

The binos are the most important element, for me - it allows me to see them before they see me.

Edited October 19, 2015 by coldwater

[turkeyfeathers]

I love to still hunt in rain wind or snow...especially if I know the area real well....I'll try and walk and stop ever 25 yards are so until I cut a track I can tell is fresh then it's game on...nothing like stalking a specific deer especially in the snow

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I will still hunt primarily with snow on the ground. Love my snow camo and cutting tracks and seeing brown on white is a lot easier than without snow. with snowshoes on I can be pretty darn quiet to boot.

 

I try to walk as slow as I can and then go slower

Edited October 19, 2015 by turkeyfeathers

[DirtTime]

Methods aren't varying much. Guess we all more or less hunt this way in the same basic manner. Another thing I like about still hunting is when hitting a new area you are still on the hunt, and combine scouting and learning the land all in one.

 

[thphtm]

A story about Shoot Um Up Joe . May he RIP. Jo was a still hunter if that is what you want to call it. But he would not walk from tree to tree. He would walk with the wind in his face ,  wearing his orange colored fur hat and red and black coat. He would only walk fire lines or logging trails with his BAR in 30 -06 with a sling on his sholder . I never seen anyone that could get that rifle off of his sholder and wrap the sling around his wrist and fire as fast as Joe could.He learned the from his father in Europe who was a guide for the rich that wanted to hunt hogs.Joe got his share of deer and bear also by his type of still hunting.