Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters JB Article on Stalking Big Game

The "Deere" sneak?

Love this thread.

Tell the guys at Wolfe, you earned them an online subscriber with that article.

Actually, at 19,97 $ per year it is a steal. Thank you.

I know it's a time-honored technique for elk hunting in Montana. Shrapnel even made a video of it, awesome!!

John,

As you know better than most of us, language evolves. I have always thought of "still hunting" as a kind of slow, blind stalking -- moving only one or two steps at a time into the wind in the woods, hoping to see a deer before it sees you and getting a close shot. Increasingly across the South I see the usage becoming "the opposite of hunting deer with dogs." You are either a "dog hunter" or a "still hunter." (And there is increasing tension between the two because still hunters don't want someone else's dogs running across their private property or lease.)

Regards,

Al

Good one John,

Is it a modern version of this....."Elk don't know how many feet an F250 has....!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFePYTa0xwY

Mule Deer, the guy I was talking about, was still hunting.. In those days after opening day, the woods were quite until Sat.. So still hunting was quite deadly if you had the skill.. He also tracked his deer IF there was snow.. Haven't seen the article yet.. Will pick it up when we leave for our turkey hunt.. In that country spotting a buck then stalking would have been a tough deal.. I would guess more difficult that still hunting.. The spot and stalk you mentioned, we used to use on a couple mts. north of town.. A guy could spot a buck or bull then put the sneak on him until we were with in shooting range..

Those farmland deer really get used to tractors. Over 20 years ago my boss was coming down out of his woods on a tractor hauling firewood; he saw a buck bedded about 20 yds. away and never even flinched as he drove right by it. Got down to the house, parked the tractor, grabbed his slug gun, and stalked in from the opposite side of the woods where he had heavy cover. Shot a nice buck right in his bed at what was later measured at about 35 yds. IIRC. Don't worry.... it was deer season, he still had a buck tag ; it was all legal.

Ready,

Glad you liked the article!

I have had occasion to stalk,or stillhunt a few deer in my 43 deer seasons.
I have found it works better ( for me)in less than ideal conditions for stand hunting,like when the wind is blowing,or snow is falling,and the wind is blowing.
It makes enough sound,so that the deer cant hear any better than we can,and I can get within range of them.
I find it much more enjoyable than stand hunting,and usually will when condition are favorable for it.

Al,

Good point.

The original meaning of still-hunting was a slow, blind sneak through cover--as detailed in hundreds of pages in W.S. Van Dykes classic book, THE STILL HUNTER. From what I can gather, the "still" came from the hunter moving with the illusion of stillness, like the hands of a clock.

I have heard that some people (especially further east from Montana) now use it as a term for stand hunting. But also admit I haven't hunted in the South for a couple-three years now, and then not in an area with any dog hunting.

Westerners are quite familiar with traditional still-hunting, especially those of us who grew up in the mountains. I have used it to kill quite a few deer and elk, including whitetails. Snow of course helps, but one interesting thing about hunting the mountains out here is that often deer and elk will hang out just below the "snow line" after early-season storms, the elevation where snow turns to rain. Evidently the realize their hoofprints are very obvious in snow, and I've often found them in the rain-zone just below, where the moisture makes still-hunting very quiet. Deer in particular like to bed under conifers in those conditions. I've ended up close to bedded deer of both species, but couldn't get a shot due to low brush, so had to make some slight noise to get them to stand up.

WyoCoyoteHunter,

Yeah, in thicker country it's tough to spot and stalk. Snow sure helps!

It is important to recognize that the ability to successfully still-hunt/ stalk, is inversely proportional to an individuals beam.

You can't buy enough technology to overcome the negative effect of being way out of shape.

Happens all the time down here in plantation country (SW GA). Many farmers are locked and loaded during fall harvest. Especially cotton picking.....the deer think they are invisible in cotton fields.

I have often thought that a cardboard blind shaped and printed to look like a rusty mud-splattered 1/2 ton pickup would work as well in the midwest as anything like a Double-Bull from Primos.

I think that my FIL shot most of his whitetails from the seat of his pickup. He'd go so far as to wear his hunter-orange clothing and turn the engine off before shooting, but he parked in the same place year after year and seemed to have the ranges locking in.

Godogs,

Happens all the time here in the West too, and not just in farm fields. Both mule deer and pronghorn on ranches aren't very nervous around haying equipment, trucks or even pickups, because they see 'em all the time--one reason many outfitters learn to "stalk" in pickups: Animals get far more spooky when somebody starts hiking, because they're not used to seeing people walking around.

John,
Someone, I can't remember who, described still hunting as "stalking the cover"; an exellent description. You hunt as though you had game in sight, even though you don't. The technique requires a certain amount of territory unoccupied by other hunters to be successful (and safe), a commodity in pretty short supply during deer seson in this part of the East. I've taken a few deer this way and count those as my greatest achievements in the field, even though the deer weren't anything special.

Once, during a gentle rain, I discovered a group of deer slowly feeding their way through the woods and managed to work my way close enough for a shot at about 20 yards. In my mind, I had that doe tagged and in the trunk, but the wretch ducked the string on me.

Great pieces on still hunting can be found in Sell's "Deer Hunters Guide", "Whitetail", by George Mattis, and of course, Koller's wonderful book.

Still hunting...is there any other way? Deer, hogs, turkeys, coyotes, bobcats and such. Gave up on stands decades ago, mostly a waste of time IMO.

OTOH, I know a fellow out in WY that stalks speed-goats with a flintlock. I've done something similar, disguised as a Chevy Impala.

JB, I haven't read your article yet but remember one from Ross S. in S. Hunter/Rifle/Handloader (don't remember which) probably 15 years ago about still hunting Elk. What I got was, go slow and ALWAYS move into the wind and stay in the shade. I have hunted w/a couple of friends in wheelchairs who taught me about "road hunting" for quite a few years. They couldn't walk but could see like eagles. BOTH of them said don't get away from the truck where they could see you! I put in a lot of hours skinnin, draggin, guttin, hangin, smokin, eatin, and fishin w/em. BTW went 27 for 28 on Colombian G. squirrels today w/an old K Hornet.-Muddy

That is rather a nice image.

The other explanation is that the word "still" is used according to a broader meaning here, which includes "silent" or "quiet". "Still" as a synonym for "quiet", has a history going back to Middle English, though it isn't widely used that way nowadays other than in this context and one or two others.

FWIW "both loud and still" was at one time a common phrase to mean "in all conditions".

I do like your explanation though. It does seem to capture the need to slow it right down as well as keep it very quiet.