It seems today we don't see a lot on the subject of still hunting. I know it would be difficult to film hence the lack of shows depicting it, but I'm sure there are many among us who use the technique successfully on a regular basis. So what say you? Is it a lost art? A thing of the past? Or is it an effective tool you use regularly.

I still hunt most of the time. I'm not a good stand sitter and get anxious shortly. I've always been that way. I'd rather be moving, albeit very slowly, than sitting.

I've applied the principles of still hunting to heavy cover as well as open country. In open country I've always tried to use terrain to my advantage but the technique is much the same.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Thanks guys.

I grew up in the east and sitting was the norm, until Noon the First day of deer season, then the drives began... Polar opposite of still hunting. I began still hunting as a late teen , mostly because I started hunting alone more. Once I started to get better at it ,using wind and cover to move and such ,Success came. I moved West and I still hunt elk in the thicker cover, but this year I sat in one spot as the area I hunted was small and full of elk and I did not want to chance blowing them out.

It's not entirely a thing of the past but from what Ive seen not as many do it as they used to. I'd say its getting to be a lost art.

Shrinking areas to hunt that way are part of it, changes in other ways to hunt effectively are another (tree stands for whitetails; better LR optics and capabilities for elk; etc.), and it is damned hard to still hunt well and effectively as it takes a LOT of practice.

Over the years I have done quite a bit of still hunting.. My whitetail buck this fall was taken that way.. I had passed on
larger bucks while glassing and stalking.. But it was a thrill to take one by still hunting. Sell wrote several books on this.. I read them quite early in my hunting career.. Now I would say most of my hunting is glassing then stalking.. Not really the traditional still hunt.

It does take a lot of practice but it can be really effective for hunting small areas or some of the overlooked areas.

I spent one season hunting a small piece of ground, about 5 square miles that had a popular trail through it but was very heavy cover on both sides of the trail. The moose sign was plentiful and people often reported seeing bulls in the area.

Most of the trail users were heading to a couple of old clear cuts to watch in the morning and evening. I parked my ATV in a well hidden area and spent many days working through that heavy cover. I quit counting the cows after still hunting up on 20 of them and ended up seeing seven bulls within handgun range. Unfortunately none of them were legal. One was right on the cusp of 50 inches and may have been over but only had two brow tines. I let him go. He was a whopping 20 yards from me. I got busted by 3-4 other bulls who may have been repeats of bulls I had seen before. I got busted by a half dozen cows as well during that season.

Despite not killing a bull, it was one of my most memorable seasons. I often heard ATV's going by but never once saw another individual back in the timber.

My caribou hunting is generally a combination of spot and stalk and still hunting. One of the areas I like is a non motorized area of a heavily hunted and popular area. There are lots of little hills carved out by glaciers along with plenty of little pockets for caribou to hide. Often I'll spot caribou in that area and stalk fairly close. Then it's time to take it one step at a time and use the hills and terrain to my advantage until I get my shot. Not quite the same as still hunting timber.

Im far from an expert still hunter, but I believe it is a skill best learned on your own. You will make a lot of mistakes, but you will learn from them. You also have to have the right mind set for it, if your hungry or have something on your mind, still hunting will be a waste of your time on that day.

I concur with what 4ager posted above, however my youngest son and I will still hunt if the conditions are right.

I will only attempt it if the leaves are wet. For me if the leaves are wet and it's raining just hard enough to create a little noise is perfect.

We still hunted one day this season under the perfect conditions I described above. My 13 year old hunting partner was able to slip up on a large mature whitetail that was with a doe. The buck spotted him and was able to vanish into heavy cover prior to the crosshairs falling on him.
Although he didn't get the deer, the smile on his face knowing he slipped up on the animal was well worth it.

Most of the time I am moving around.

Conclusions:

If the Deer are not moving, then you best go find them.

If the Deer are moving-especially before an incoming storm-then there are advantages to seeing as many as you can by moving. Couple years ago before a big storm, they were out and didn't much care if I came upon them or not. Perfect timing.

I've caught them with the wind in my face and the wind at my back and moving around you can't always have it your way.

Accept that you are going to move out more Deer than you catch. The fun part is the catching. Accept if you have other people around you are going to have them shoot some Deer you moved.

Noise is bad but doesn't mean you have lost the chance. Many times, my noise has made a Deer move and because of it, I saw it. They only moved off a little ways and into the open and watched me. Bang!!!! Or I just waited, they always don't move off far. Deer are curious creatures. Old timers trick of waving a handkerchief has had them look hard and hang around or actually move closer.

Every noise and movement you make doesn't send them off running. I've sneezed, coughed, walked thru leaves, crunchy snow and still had successful hunts. Rather not make any, but the wood isn't and empty church or library. Stuff is falling and moving all the time and the Deer are not running around on high alert. Don't always get away with it, but unless they are real close you can get away with more than some want to think.

A low stream is a great place to walk in and still hunt. You become just another part of water noise.


Early morning and late evening park yourself and wait.


Hunting for me is part exercise and a great way to get it.

You lose more than you win, but the wins are pretty cool.


And finally: Contrary to the thoughts of some, flipping off a Model 70 or Montana safety isn't going to spoil your opportunity.

Finally 2: Tracking is an art. Still hunting is much easier. Try to make as little noise a possible, pay attention and be ready. It's not all that complicated.

Finally 3: If you are hunting an area with a lot of pressure then I would rather sit. Hunting Deer that haven't been hassled is another game.

Whenever I'm in cover my confidence is good if sitting, bad if moving, thus the sit.

However, this is always in a spot I have scouted prior. Under the right conditions I would still hunt. Deer have probably been lost due to wind that could have been managed with the greater flexibility still hunting affords.

I have certainly seen animals using still hunting techniques when no weapon was involved. There is a huge upside in the ability to adapt to conditions.

Carolyn and I have done the same, but more or less speed across the clear areas. and then slow it down. Have walked into quite a few moose, including into a breeding harem twice. Walked into moose bedded down quite often.

But now the damn idiots on ATVS drive EVERYWHERE in our area. There is no safe place out so we just go around in circles and thats what the moose do too... around in circles trying to stay out of the way...

For years we never saw a single person out on foot. Finally 2 years ago we saw one person. but we've seen multiple ATVs.

Thinking about moving over a bit where its even thicker and doing just what you did.... slink around and see whats up.

Up until 5-6 years ago,all I did was still hunt. I killed a lot of elk by sneaking up on them and shooting within 20 yards or so.I killed quite a few in their beds.

But age caught up with me I can't crawl thru that blow down anymore and about a mile walk is the limit for me.So now I mostly sit at some vantage point and hope a stupid elk walks by. I also put the safety back on a lot more and let some elk walk if they are in some nasty stuff . It isn't big deal anymore going home with an unpaunched tag.

However this season so far I have killed a cow elk,a whitetail deer and today a doe antelope, I could stretch it a little and say I was still hunting when I shot the cow.

I can only hope that when I get past 70, I'm still putting animals on the ground every year like you are.

Stupid elk, I don't think so.

I still hunt every year, as previously said much depends on conditions and hunting pressure. Still hunting heavy cover takes a great deal of mental effort and is very taxing to those who have not practised it.

Still hunting as a major storm is coming in has proven to be very successful, it seems to snow whitetails some days.

Late season, I have not punched my tag, so I am "still hunting."

No need to turn simple into complex.

I have only known how to hunt by still hunting. It was taught to me as a kid and it is all I have ever know. Plus I am ADD, I have to know what is on the other side of that ridge. I have caught bucks in their beds and elk where people don't think they are. But you have to be prepared to walk at a very slow pace from sunup to sundown. Some days elk hunting I will slowly walk around 15 miles. I hate to sit for very long, I have seen guys sitting by a tree and 4 hrs later go by them sitting at the same tree. Ask them if they have seen anything and they reply no. But I also understand that some areas don't work to still hunt and I tried a treestand once bear hunting and about went nuts, I admire you guys that can sit there all day and not move.

I grew up reading about Larry Benoit from Vermont. I was a young kid in the Midwest and just marveled at the fact that a person could either still hunt or follow the track of a particular deer. That was back in the days where a doe tag was like winning the lottery in Iowa.

Sounds like I'm in good company.
I carry a lot of gear when I go hunting just not in my pack. Pack carries just the essentials and I don't make noise. ( meaning I do not call or rattle).
I carry climbing stands, and I have a ghillie suit if i choose to still hunt, but it's hard to beat the camouflage sleeping bag, and a turkey seat. On one occasion, i dug a pit blind to hunt an open field ( with the permission of the owner of course) he had never seen one used, and wanted it left afterwards.

My bucket-list contains all forms of hunting, except 2. I will not high fence, or remote rifle. Everthing else, has my interest.

I still hunt alot and have been fairly successful at it. I think it is becoming a lost skill. I also agree that some situations dictate sit rather than still hunt - small chunks of land is one that readily comes to mind. To me still hunting isn't walking slowly; it's moving slow enough to let the animals reveal themselves. That requires very slow pace. I've taken an hour to cover 100 yards when I think animals are close. To do it right, you won't cover alot of ground.

The older I get, the more I like still hunting. When conditions are right, I'd prefer still hunting over any other method. I spent 7 hours in a treestand yesterday waiting for a deer. I decided it was time to still hunt. I still hunted through the thicket I was watching and literally saw a deer within 20 minutes. Saw 2 more over the next 2 hours. None of them knew I was around. I dig it alot.

I like that term, totally get it.

I have tried to teach a few younger guys how to do it. My biggest problem was getting them to slow down. Then it was getting them to stop and look and using their binoculars more.Binoculars are not just for looking at things far away.

I always still hunt, might sit for an hour morning and evening but that's about all! I've never owned a stand, I do make blinds to watch areas, then move after a little while! Someday I would like to try a stand, I have been getting more patience as I age! Blind making while scouting keeps me occupied. I've hidden in the same blinds for years in certain areas, some seem to stay, others need rebuild every year! If I'm not seeing animals within an hour I'm usually moving. I've never killed an animal from a blind!

The first time I used a binocular in heavy cover it was like a light going on. What huge difference it made.

I learned to still hunt pretty much on my own. My early mentors were mostly eastern drive hunters. One old guy I hunted with kind of got me started on still hunting but I was always moving too fast and too much. It took a lot of years to figure it out. I still move too much sometimes but find it's way easier to move slow and deliberately the older I get. I still don't like to sit. I'll do it occasionally but it takes more determination on my part to sit on a stand than it does to still hunt properly.

You can, with a cc and the internet, hunt a waterhole in Zimbabwe, or others. Controlled by a joystick, cleaned and gutted by others and shipped to you by mail ready for the freezer or the wall mount.
intended for the handicapped but anyone can do it. ( common name is remote rifle)
As for high fence, I will not hunt in a cage no matter how large it is.

I think it's a dying art. Many of the younger hunters have grown up with such a short attention span, a "microwave" type mentality if you will, that the concept of still hunting is lost on them.

My Father & Grandparents were all from Minnesota, so stands and deer drives were what they knew. We were living on the foothills of the Cascades in Southern Oregon, so hunting west was for blacktail or heading east was mule deer. I had to learn much from reading Outdoor Life, JOC, Fred Bear, etc. My Dad's skill set wasn't working out so well.

One summer I did some odd jobs for an elderly neighbor. It started out me stopping to help him when passing by and seeing him struggling to push a wheelbarrow. He started asking me to come by and offered money. At first I refused to accept the cash, enjoying his tales of hunting the area. Over time he wanted to "hire" me and insisted on payment. The more I was around the more he revealed.

His most valuable lesson was probably about still hunting deer. He had much to say and when that fall came around I started using his tips. I blew a few chances, but bagged the biggest Blacktail I've seen in the area two years later. Still hunting, emulating his storied examples as closely as possible. I was not only proud of the animal, but of the way I had gotten it.

This fall my Son shot his best Whitetail so far still hunting in heavy timber. To me it was a proud accomplishment.

His buck as posted in the deer hunting forum.

I'm with mart, The older I get the more patient I have become. Almost all of the deer I have shot over the past 20 years are the result of still hunting. I move at the speed of a very slow "old man" shuffle, especially in snow. My 30 minuted deer hunt here on the fire was the result of still hunting. I catch myself wanting to get to the next spot often enough to stop take a deep breath and then proceed.

I love to still-hunt, and most of my blacktail deer hunting has been like that. I had access on some great private land for about a decade that held a lot of deer, so days typically held multiple close range encounters and lots of adrenaline.

I use my 8x30 Swaro's obsessively and move really slowly if at all. Nothing wrong with being still and just watching for a while. My favorite weather for this is a light drizzly rain.

This will probably get laughed at, but in my opinion, you can't really be too camouflaged when still hunting. I used to use a turkey-hunting face net and even on warm days would wear mesh camo gloves. While duded-up like that I was within 20 feet of deer many times, under 10 feet a few times.

I hunted this way with a number of rifles and cartridges, but by far my favorite is my 20" Model 7 in .358 Win. Kills them flat dead without jellying and bloodshotting too much meat.

HOWEVER, I've found that still hunting is difficult in areas of lower deer density. It's hard to stay on point all day if you aren't seeing deer. If you get sloppy and start moving too fast, if you DO cross paths with a buck, you are unlikely to win the encounter if you are moving too fast and not minding the details.

When I sit on a stand I start thinking to much about stupid stuff.

I have had some nice time still hunting. Older now and more or less disabled it is becoming difficult. Now, also, we have a lot of cut overs in various stages of growth. These are extremely difficult if not impossible to still hunt so areas are limited where still hunting is practical.

Best thread I've read in a while !
I did some hunting scouting Friday while setting some snares -I love still hunting but I can sit in a blind or treestand all day too .
The comments about using Binos is correct -they work great .
Here in the deep south it is VERY thick and the wind swirls in every direction every 15 minutes .
I try to keep an eye downwind because my scent will spook an animal into jumping up and running so I keep the rifle on ready that direction .
Read an article many years ago , the author stressed the importance of moving SLOW [drive yourself crazy slow] and looking everywhere . He said you might be standing in the spot where you could see a trophy bucks rack if you looked really well or you could take a step and not be able to see it . I try to always keep that in mind .
Another thing that I have found important is to carry a lightweight rifle , a heavy gun will drag you down and you're more likely to set it down etc. .
Lots of good camo is a big plus also .
I'll be still hunting east river island here locally real soon ---can't wait !
I gotta get rigged up like those Australian/New Zealand guys who pack a whole pig out on their back .

done right, you have just as good a chance of one coming in behind you, so watch your back Trail as well.

I'd have like to shot all the Bucks that I walked by, and didn't see, while they watched me walking by.

One thing though.I have never worn camo in my life, except for a few jackets and they were promptly covered with blaze orange,or a pair of old BDU's. The BDU's I wear in ML season because I want the cargo pockets. It's the movement that gets you,not the color

5 steps forward stop look back, 5 steps forward stop look back. Guys that have walked with me always ask why I look back so much. Simple, the mulies won't bolt on you so much as the whitetails. They will let you walk by and then run out behind you, never giving you a shot unless you turn and see them.

I've killed a few stillhunting, and counted coup on some others during squirrel season, which is a great time to practice. The problem around here is finding a place where it is safe and effective due to hunting pressure.

My best buck ever was taken by following up after a miss with a handgun. I was hunting with my son and we followed the tracks verrry slowly down the narrow ridge the little herd had taken. After a bit, I spotted some deer below me and then the buck, at about 75 yards. My son couldn't see them in the heavy cover, so I said, "Gimme that rifle", rested it against a tree and shot him through the shoulders. He reared up like a horse and fell over backwards. When we got close, we couldn't see antlers and my son said, "Dad, what did you do?", since only bucks were legal. I walked over and pulled his head out of the leaves, revealing a nice 8-point rack, not great, but solid, and better than any I'd taken before or since. The rifle was a J.C. Higgins Model 50 .30/06 with a Williams receiver sight and a front blade I made by cutting down a brass sight made for muzzleloaders and painting it orange. Probably the toughest shot I've ever made on a deer.

This is just the thread I've been looking for! I've been teaching myself to still hunt over the past few years. I've read few a things by Larry Koller and the Benoit's. But I still have a few questions.

I started using binoculars last year, I feel this gives me a huge advantage. I have a pair 10x42 Leupolds. While I like them, sometimes they almost feel to big. What size do you feel optimum for still hunting?

When hunting do you guys sling your gun over your shoulder? I do because I feel it's easier to use my binoculars and to move a twig/branch out of the way. But yet at the same time I feel I need to be ready to get my gun up quickly. I'm just wondering what you guys have found best.

Thanks for any help.

The rifle should be in your hands; not slung. Take the sling off and loop it on your belt behind you. You an attach it later of you need to drag or something.

( the reason I say this is to remove any tendency you may have to sling the rifle and for sure that's when you will have a shot opportunity that you will blow because the rifle was not where t was supposed to be...in your hands.)

The bins should be 7-8X; no more. 6X is great if you can find them.

Keep your head moving side to side,use your eyes. Don't get married to binoculars. Too much tunnel vision is not good. Things can happen closer and faster than you think.

I love still hunting. In fact, it's how I bagged a nice 6x6 bull the first year that Arizona offered a November archery hunt. Nowadays it's especially fun with a decoy. I was still hunting through dark timber with my decoyed cousin about 20 yards behind me. I looked back and watched a young muley buck cross our path directly between us. I'm not sure I'd use the decoy during rifle seasons, however. Like others, I'm not programmed mentally to sit still for long.

Saddlesore is correct; movement gets you busted, not color.

Back when I was learning to hunt in the late 70's early 80's everyone just wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt/jacket. I like my camo, but it's more marketing and a fashion show than anything.

I've got a book written in the early 1900's regarding the subject. Chapter 1 the author mentions the arguments of the day: "slow twist, slow ball...fast twist, fast ball...gain twist, strong ball", and basically states he'll avoid the subject.

Can't say much has changed.

Unless the wind is in your face.

The thing about "still hunting " is, you have to be still. It's a lot like bow hunting.

That is what "hot doe" on a drag is for. A buck chasing sex, sometimes forgets or overlooks what else he can smell.

(True with us too. jewelry shops are in business for that reason)

ridgerunner85,

For sure I would switch to 7X or even 6X binos. I have lots and after trying different magnification now use 7X35. Also I keep them in an elastic held pouch on my chest and carry the rifle. It is always in one hand or the other unless it is slung on my shoulder to use the binos which is often. I never take a step after using the binos without the rifle back in my hand.

I used to wear the hunter orange until a guy wearing a hunter orange pants and shirt was shot. Since then I wear camo unless I go to a state requiring orange. I don't want the "hunter" who would shoot an orange deer to see me.

Thanks for the help BobinNH and Ringman. I'll look for a 6x to 8x pair. What model/brand do you suggest in the $300 range?

Is there such a thing as an area being too thick to still hunt? The reason I ask is one area I love to hunt is an old tornado blowdown. The deer love it but it's dang near impossible to get through without making a bunch of noise.

ridgerunner honestly I don't know on the bins. But others here do.


If the deer are bedding in that tornado mess you may be better off waiting them out. But sometimes bucks go nocturnal and the only way is to go in after them. If you get good conditions what's the worst that can happen? They get spooked? So what? Hunt somewhere else until the area settles back down.


One of the largest NH bucks I have ever seen was killed by a friend who tracked it into a thick cedar swamp after a fresh snow; the buck knew he was there but hesitated, likely figuring he had not been seen. He ended up dead. The guy is one of the best whitetail hunters I know.

The "experts" would tell you it's impossible to approach a big mature whitetail buck by walking him up, or still hunting . That's just BS.

8x42 Vortex Diamondbacks can be had for a bargain. Wish they had 6x42's.

[quote=ridgerunner85]Thanks for the help BobinNH and Ringman. I'll look for a 6x to 8x pair. What model/brand do you suggest in the $300 range?
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These are always mentioned when this topic comes up .

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https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/binoculars/bx-1-yosemite-binoculars/bx-1-yosemite-6x30mm/

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I really like carring my 8oz. zeiss conquest 8x20 but in low light conditions the small 20mm lens doesn't gather much light .

The level of stupidity you exhibit on a daily basis is ever increasing. That is truly astounding.

Hunt the conditions for that. After a rain, with a significant pressure change and a drop of 10-15 degrees, with the wind right for hunting it would be the recipe for success. If the conditions aren't right, don't waste your time or bust out the location.

LMAO!!

ridgerunner85,

On the way to settling on the Nikon 7X35 I tried a few. Here are a three comparison sessions. The newest is at the top. I have 46 pages of this kind of info for my entertainment. When I started keeping records I put the newest at the top of the page.

March 4, 2013

This evening I decided to compare some binoculars at sunset. It was the end of a beautiful cloudless day about 60* and I didn’t get out to enjoy it until after dinner. The object on which I compared them is a fork antler 131 yards away in the woods. Four brands of different magnifications included Bushnell Legend Ultra HD ED2 8X42, Vortex Raptor 6.5X32 (porro prism), Nikon Action Extreme ATB 7X35 waterproof/fogproof (porro prism), and Alpen wings ED 8X20 pocket model (roof prism). These last one are in a pouch on my belt.

I started about 5:45 PM. At first I was switching back and forth but realized the Nikons and the Bushnells were definitely better than the other two for the lower light. I limited my switching to the Vortex and Alpens. When I could no longer distinguish the antlers well enough to shoot the deer carrying them I noted the time. A very disturbing observation was that I could not discern the antlers in the woods hand holding them. The sand bags were necessary.

I thought the Alpens might be the first to go because of the small objective, but wondered because it is 8X. I have discovered from comparing scopes when it is too dark to see the antlers I just turn up the magnification setting. It lasted as long as the Vortex till 5:57; despite the Vortex having about 2 1/2X more objective area and an exit pupil 2 1/2X greater. The Nikons lasted ten minutes longer and went to 6:07 while the Bushnell took me to 6:13. If I do an afternoon hunt the Bushnells will be the ones I take.

About 2PM the next day I compared the Nikon Action 7-15X35 with the Nikon Action Extreme ATB 7X35 during a drizzle. It seemed the variable was slightly easier to get a sharp image but neither gave a sharper image than the other. I trained them on the 1956 military optics chart. I could make out the lines on the large number six with both. The fun part of the variable is I could discern the lines on the small number six. I am still delighted with the optics of the 7-15X35 that I keep in the pickup.

December 27, 2012

Recently I became interested in a binocular that will show me about the same detail as my roof prism Bushnell Legend Ultra HD ED2 8X42 (426 feet field of view $160 with rebate) and have a much larger field of view. Today, December 27, 2012, the porro prism Nikon Action Extreme ATB 7X35 waterproof/fogproof binoculars (487feet field of view $125) arrived. The weather is totally overcast at 3PM. John, my son-in-law, opened the package and started looking through them. “These are nice!” he exclaimed emphasizing “nice”.

I laid out a couple sand bags on the edge of the porch but he was not interested. He continued to hold them in his hand. “I can read ‘Can you read’ on the pump house. The field of view is huge,” he continued. The pump house is 127 yards away.

I put the roof prism Bushnells on the sandbag and focused them. I could read the second line and sorta make out some letters in the third line. Finally John handed me the Nikons and I gave him the Bushnells. I put them on the sandbag and adjusted them with the right side blocked. Then I adjusted the diopter for the right eye and adjusted the binocular to its best adjustment for my eyes. Definitely these are better than the Zen-Ray 7X36 ($375) I purchased and returned last month. Those allowed me to read only the first line. I couldn’t tell any difference when looking into the woods beyond the pump house with them and the Bushnells. Same thing with the Nikons. The Zen-Rays certainly weren’t good enough to relegate the Bushnells to backup status. The Nikons, although only 7X, allowed me to read the second line. So I get some bins for 1/3 the cost that are maybe 10% better than the Zen-Rays.

November 16, 2012 (This one included the Swarovski z5 5-25X52 scope.)

Today is totally overcast at noon. I compared the Zen-Ray 7X36 ED2 (477 feet field of view / $375) with the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD ED2 8X42 (426 feet field of view $160 with rebate) and the Swarovski z5 5-25X52. After adjusting the diopter on both binoculars to my eyes till I really liked them I fiddled with the Swarovski. I tuned it up from 5X till I could clearly make out the “Can you read” at 127 yards. Then I fiddled with the side focus until the image was as sharp as I could get it. I turned the power ring down again till I could not make out the first line and turned it back up till I could easily read the first line. I looked at the power ring: barely past 8X. I looked again through the scope to check if I could read the second line but could not. I could make out some of the letters.

Both binoculars appeared to be about the same when I looked into the woods and at the deer antlers beyond the pump house. To really check out their ability to resolve detail, though, I went back to the “Can you read this?” chart. With the Bushnell I could read Lines one and two but could not make out number three. The Zen-Ray allowed me to easily read the first line but could not read the second line. Its value was the increased field of view if it was as good as the Bushnell. It will be returned for a refund. I will keep trying.

Couldn't agree more. Hunting the rain can be very productive and it keeps 90% of the other hunters home. Hunting a snag patch like that in dry weather is sure to be counter productive but in the rain or snow when you can move nearly soundlessly it can pay some dividends.

On the binocular question, I use Pentax DCF's 8x43. Great glass and not overpowered for the brush nor underpowered for open country.

I love hunting the rain for that simple reason. Most of the hunters stay home.

You must smell awful nice.

For the most part, a great string of comments. I find still hunting the most rewarding, and pleasant, way to spend a day.
Sometimes I think that some folks are taking it all a little to seriously, defining success by the kill rather than the hunt.
Here in western NYS, most counties have made legalized the use of rifles for big game, over the last decade or so. Permanent tower stands are proliferating, and I am aware of several properties that require hunters to remain in their stand. Sniping seems to be the rage.
The good old days of "drives" has become rare in this area of the Finger Lakes. Where and when I grew up up, this was a great social exercise aong the neighboring farms.
As our gun season often takes place just after the rut, it seems that I often enjoy a successful season slowly still hunting back in the thick stuff, rather I kill one or not.
Only downside, sometimes I take one in a gawdawful place to get them out.
Adapting to the conditions mother nature provides is crucial. I view most bad weather as a bonus. My priority is to enjoy the day.

I've always thought of it as kinda "oozing" through the woods. Seems the second you get sloppy there's a white ass waving at you.

There's a book out there, written a long time ago, on this topic. "The Still-Hunter" by T.S. Van Dyke. It's very repetitive, and covers all the basics of wind, walking speed, observation, and deer behavior. If you're a still hunter already, you'll enjoy the book because reading it is somewhat like the hunting itself - detailed, rewarding, yet requires patience and constant focus and visualization. If you don't like the book, that'll be a good sign that you should find a tree stand, strap into it, and wait.

Good binoculars are always better than bad ones, but most glassing will be at short range, so a 6-8x of something decent will work. I've used Pentax DCF WP's at 8x for almost 20 years. You're not judging trophies, you're looking for pieces of deer, 99% of the time.

That's the one I was referring to earlier. Actually picked it up here in the classifieds. No mention of making sure that your truck has the proper window sticker that says what brand camo you wear or preferred energy drink.

Agree 100% finding pieces. Sometimes you get blown away wondering how in the hell it got so close. Or how you got so close.

That's life hunting pockets in the east I reckon.

And two still hunting together and staying about 50yards or so apart can fool more than a few. The experts probably think two would make make too much noise to even have a remote chance.

A little noise can be your friend if you are trying to tag team them.

Are you talking one in front of the other person or left or right of each other?

To the sides of each other. Obviously out in front would be nuts.


Sure you know Deer don't usually go off far. Usually just enough to think they are safe. Then they often stop and watch back or loop around. The person on the side often then gets the opportunity.

Biggest Bucks I've encountered have been when I was hunting with Bird Dogs. The Dogs would push them out, but they often would move off to the side to watch them pass. Intent on the initial contact with the Dog and ignoring me. Wish I could hunt with a Dog that just slowly wonders around, side to side, about 20-30yards out front.

Hmm...

I thought that everyone sat on top of a big ridge with a spotting scope and binos, then picked the biggest one after calculating what he scored, then set up a big long dramatic shot with a custom rifle and handloads, then ranged and dial and had their buddies get the camera rolling while sucking down monster energy drinks that they got out of a Yeti.


That's what they do on TV, no?

Oh, and they have to name him something before they shoot. Then there's the shoot-gasm and high fives 'cause he's DRT and you couldn't have done it if weren't for product X, yadda, yadda....

Agreed, works nicely.
I've also seen deer play peek-a-boo around trees, while a pusher slowly walks through on a drive. The pusher never saw the deer, nor the deer see me. (Bang-flop.)

When we used to drive them, if we had enough shooters, would have one stay-as in stay in one place off to the side-behind the drive. Sometimes caught them looping back around after the drive went thru.

Maybe not if the distance was more than 50 yards. In addition, there are times when we apply the tactic in deer drives.

Happens in some country. Hunt long enough you'll kill them all kinds of ways.

But my biggest(both mule deer and whitetail) have been "holy shidt" encounters with not much time to do anything other than half-assed size them up and shoot.....especially the mule deer which are supposed to be dumb and stand around in the open while you snipe them.

But IME the big ones don't do that. Friends and I have killed very few really big mule deer at long range.

Yes, you could get out far enough.

Only thing is, when trying to tag team or drive them i prefer to know pretty much where everyone is and orange is your friend.

Although we killed piles when we used to have big drives-18 in two weeks was a high mark-it eventually became uncomfortable. Then some started to use walkie phones to let others know a Deer was on the move and I said no more for the big drives.

Addition: Then you had those who would shoot a Buck and then couldn't for some reason hunt. Make that drive the next day. Funny that they could if that hadn't tagged 😂

This is too politically correct for me. I play with my guns all year long so I can go hunting to kill something.

If you go hunting, what is the objective of the hunt? Let me help you. To kill something. Other wise you would call it hiking or walking or something else. If you just want to go to the woods you can do that all year long. Instead of a firearm you might carry a camera or nothing. You could go to your stand and take a nap.

That's exactly how my son got his bear this year.
We were about 50-60 yards apart, working a steep, laurel choked, side hill. He was above me and shot it at 10 yards!

[img:left][/img]

Had a roast last night and it was delicious!

We all get the objective. You saying you can't enjoy a good hunt if you don't kill something?
Saying you can't enjoy it if a Buck wins the game today?

One of my most memorable trips was when a friend had a Maine Moose tag and called a Bull in and shot it while I stood alongside with the binos. Exciting and worth the drive and time spent.

But we have been thru this before with you and don't expect any surprises.

Nice!!!!

Let me help you.
Is killing a deer thats eating out of a bird feeder in your back yard "hunting"? I mean, you could easily use one of the guns you fiddle-phuqqed with all year long to do it. And it'd be "killing something"

Maybe a DRT bang flop all day long if you did your part.

Kevin, congrats to your son on that bear. If you posted this up previously I missed it. What did he shoot it with?

I still hunt when I can. It's best suited for larger tracts of land and certain weather conditions. A little moisture helps, light rain or snow. One hates to be creeping along on corn flake leaves. Even on small pieces of property I have filled tags on my feet just as often as sitting on my arse. A slow pace while paying attention to the terrain is all that is needed. You learn as you go on what to do and what not to do. Keep in mind the basics such as wind direction, terrain and cover and you'll get it.

Kevin,

Nice bear and congrats to your son.

Mart

Great picture.

Thanks, everyone! I would have posted sooner, but I've been having issues with photobucket.



The mighty 7mm-08 with a 145 Grandslam.

Rem 700 LVSF / TI stock / 2.5X8

Why? Are you into "scratch and sniffs"?

Actually, I do my best to not smell at all. my wife has asthma to the point it can kill her. we'd spend way too much time at the hospital as it is.
No scent soaps, deodorants, shampoos, cosmetics, aftershave, nothing. Any odors that we can avoid, we do. Winters are the worst, with closed environments, and other people's stinks. She has other problems as well, but that, and a heart condition are the worst.

No. I'm not the one talking about "hot doe on a drag," am I.

If one can detect animals that are overtaking him in the woods, he's doing it right. Most move way to often and fast.

This has been good.
On binos the pair I like the best are 8x42 Nikons because they focus easily. 7x would be better yet but I got a screaming deal on the 8x's. You'll be refocusing them every time you raise them to your eyes, and the whole time they're up. Eye relief and focus are more important than the magnification.

On clothes, comfortable and quiet, I hunt thick cover but twigs dragging on clothes can be heard very well from a ways off. Earthy colors, and soft work best. Fleece if it's dry out, wool as it gets colder, I still haven't found rain pants I like.

I have found an area that's almost too thick, but some early season trail cleaning made it hunt-able. It's a smaller area of chaos in a well hunted public land. I've only seen one pair of tracks through it in the last few years that weren't mine. Best time to hunt is during or right after a rain when everythings dripping. Dry leaves are too noisy, and the dripping hides noise.

I like to hunt like this alone usually but have been doing it with my boys for years. We do follow each other, same path. At times one trails back, other times we stay together. Either way it's way more fun than sitting still most of the time.

All in all, sometimes an area is best hunted from a stand though.

When I lived back east deer hunting was crowded, on relatively small pieces of ground. Everyone had their stand, and sat there. Occasionally, small pushes would occur but for the most part it was sitting. The only still hunting that went on was in the middle of the week if you had the place to yourself. Rarely practiced is rarely successful! I was touched several years ago when my father apologized to me about for "never really teaching you to deer hunt, we never taught any of you kids. It's just all tree stands these days."

But now I can say still hunting is alive and well in Southeast Alaska. Around here a fellow can hunt about as far and long as his legs and patience will carry him. There are no fields, no food plots; for the better part of the season, if you want a deer, you go find one. I hunt a mix of big timber and brushy stuff. It's a real thrill to ease up on a deer that has no idea you're there, or have one wander by oblivious to your presence. It's an even bigger thrill when it happens with a brown bear instead of a deer.

I've found the following to be very helpful with still hunting:

1. Slow down to the pace of God's creation. This is a real mental challenge for most, me especially. I try to act there's a deer within 50 or 100 yards of me at all times and evaluate how I'm moving and watching by that standard.

2. I make a conscious effort to look near and far and really pick the scene in front of my apart bit by bit looking for pieces of deer and little bits of movement. Binos are a plus. I know I've failed at this when one runs from about 20 yards out which in retrospect had to have been watching me for 10 minutes at least.

3. Be ready to shoot at a moment's notice. For me this means being intentional about placing my feet and standing as to shoot at a moment's notice. How I'm holding the gun is important as well. It's either in my hands or in the Kifaru gun bearer so I can use the binos. The gun bearer is fast. It basically makes your rifle like a holstered handgun. I've jumped deer up and shot them from it.

4. Don't waste time in barren country. If I'm not seeing sign or "feeling it", I dump some layers and take off for greener pastures, then slow waayyy down when I get there.

5. For shooting, get a rifle you can shoot well, fast, both for the initial shot and followups. Fit and balance are important. I use both scopes and peep sights. Forget high velocity stuff! They ruin meat and lack penetration.

I really started as a still hunter here in AK with a .375 H&H, due to bears. As you can imagine, a 300gr Partition will through-hole a deer from any angle. I came to realize this is a very handy thing. I generally avoid raking shots on does since it can get messy, but it's a nice capability to have with you're really hungry or a big buck up and takes off. One time I had a guy come unwound when I spoke of raking a big buck from behind. Then he admitted taking shots at deer directly facing him, but looked puzzled when I asked what difference does it make if you bust a ham or guts with the bullet coming or going? Then, I'm biased since I used medium bores at moderate velocity bullets that aren't especially destructive.

The latest buck I killed worked like this: I hunted along a stream for awhile. The water noise was a nice cover. I passed on two does and a little buck before getting into a flooded mess of an area which had no deer sign whatsoever, but plenty of brown bear sign. Power walking for about 30 minutes took care of that problem. Looking ahead there were six or eight very fresh looking rubs and I realized it was time to slow down. The next 75 yards took me about forty minutes to travel. I ended up at the edge of a muskeg, a wonderful muskeg with edges brushy enough to appeal as edge cover but open enough to afford me a decent view of things. "Slow down!" I say to myself. Seventeen lifetimes later (or so it seems, but maybe 45 minutes) I'm about fifty yards further along and still really watching that edge. A peripheral movement on the right soon manifests as the rear end of a deer popping up as a big buck stands out of his bed. Huh? He was bedded in the sun out in the open behind a little spruce tree. Made sense in retrospect since it was the first nice day after a run of horrible weather. Anyway, it's time to shoot and he's taking off, straight away. I see his antlers are quite a bit past his ears, and his got a third point on at least one side. "Shoot him now!" At about 35 yards he starts to turn for the cover as the crosshairs settle on his fanny. Adjusting for his slight turn as the trigger press finishes, the shot breaks and he crumples. The 286gr Nosler from the 9.3x62 entered just forward of his hip and blew out the front of his chest. As the last of a big puff of hair drifts down, my nose catches that pungent smell of fall, rutty buck. Here he is, as he fell:

[img:left]http://[/img]

Nicely done.

pabucktail,

Great still hunting summary. And nice buck. Good job.

Mart

Anyone use Hecs clothing? If so does it seem to make any difference?

Nice!!

"No. I'm not the one talking about "hot doe on a drag," am I.
_________________________

A wise man is frequently humbled. " smokepole

I'm going to assume, you are unfamiliar with a dragline. (Though why you find it amusing is beyond me).
I have a few of these, for diffrent scents, depending upon the intended use.
http://m.gandermountain.com/modperl...rs-Specialties-Retract-Drag&i=400969
Soemtimes doe in heat, sometimes apple or acorn. I've tried a few, and found a few suprises as well.
These work well, do not transfer scent to you, and self store.
I've been experimenting with draw scents for some time, and with some interest from other hunters. One of them donated the game camera (damaged) that i use to check results.
Shaman may recall this project. I started it on deeranddeerhunting.com

Very cool. I like the rifle!

Thanks guys. This rifle is now my favorite. JES worked his magic on it and then I put it in a winlite stock. It fits me just right and is a killer.

Another uber retarded post. Congrats.

I used to love reading about Larry Benoit when I was a kid!

Afterward I'd dream of tracking a buck in the big, snow covered woods of Vermont.

Sweet buck pabucktail! I like the midbore choice a lot for where your at.

Great post and spot on.

I tracked a buck for over 6 hours the last day of rifle season. I was on a fast walk a good portion of the time as he wasn't that close. In that time, he ran into one pocket of does. If you stillhunted at "God's pace" you'd never even be in the game.

"Gods Pace" can be a real waste of time if there's nothing nearby.....and that's common in big woods. You're farting around trying to move like a snail and he's two miles away.


In those places I abandoned this still hunting business altogether unless I knew there was a buck very close by.

Spot on Bob. Having spent many of the last 10-15 season hunting in the bigger woods of N.Main and N.NH, Unless you know you're into the deer, there's no point in going slow. There's an awful lot of places deer can be and if you're not there, you best be moving.

Like JDK said, frequently when tracking deer my pace is at a walk or faster until I either bump them or can tell by the tracks they aren't far ahead. When that's the case, it's time to slow down. Otherwise I'm wasting time.

I don't think that concept applies to elk hunting. Too many times when I'm crusing,I jump or run head long into elk,where one would never think there is one. Unless I am standing in a wide open meadow or trees so sparse I can see 500yards, I act like there could be elk right around the bend,over the next little knoll or bedded in the next little thicket of timber.

This past ML season,I was bird dogging for my hunting partner ,but moving slow, I glimpsed a few elk butts, I gave a cow call and in about6 0 seconds,I had a cow down. In about 15 minutes,the elk I pushed out walked past my buddy. Unfortunately he missed the shot

Conversely, I have spent a few days each of the last few seasons in an area where there are high deer densities. Hunting the way I do here would be counterproductive as you'd be bumping deer constantly. In my case, it takes me a day or so to calm down and poke rather than "walk". Totally different deer hunt but it is all good.

I think it applies to elk hunting 100%..

Saddlesore.I think you forget you are experienced, and are likely starting in an area that has a very high chance at holding elk. again your experience takes you there,be it habitat,time of year, sign or just familiarity with the area.

Joe blow wondering "still hunting" elk at random in the forest? lol, I hope he packed a lunch.

Cover ground till you have a reason to slow down.

Or run out of ground to cover, which is pretty much the east. I've melted through a lotta little pockets that get completely ignored and found my share of whitetails. Can't tell you how many little cat naps I've taken only to wake up when the birds stop chirping.

Barbecue hunt......low and slow.

Of course. I was referring to big country.

This is exactly what I'm trying to get at. If you're where they aren't, there's no point in creeping along.

And again, like JDK just said, the game changes depending on the location. I hunt very differently near home in Concord NH then I do in northern NH or northern ME. In big woods with sparse deer populations, I can cover a lot of ground in a day. Down around home, sometimes I may only move a couple miles a day creeping around where I know the deer are and some days I only move from the house or truck to my stand spot and that is all.

First time I ever saw big county I thought "holy schit, it just keeps going?"

You guys probably get a hoot outta easties...

At my age all my movements are still hunting, except when hiking uphill w/ a pack when it becomes slo-mo still hunting. I do see a lot more good stuff when moving slow and quiet. My 8x20 binos help me see before being seen.


mike r

I was talking to an older gentleman today and he still hunts later in the season in PENN when most hunters have called it quits for the season. He told me very few guys still hunt, most take there gun for a walk in the woods and never tag anything.

I'm not talking about elk hunting...Im talking about hunting whitetail bucks in big woods in the northeast.

Maybe I should have made that more clear.

No problem here

I have been trying to "Indian up" on a whitetail for 40 years. I have killed pigs, turkeys, rabbits, you name it with my bow on foot. I've have killed a dozen or so out of tripods, but not a deer on foot.

I heard a shot about 11:30 this morning....mountaintop in Connecticut. My buddy had walked up on a doe that was herself meandering around. He was still hunting despite poor conditions of dry, crunchy,frozen leaves ,windy, cold....not conditions considered good for still hunting .

She never saw him.

Yep, same here.

I read a study a while back that that found out blue is a color that can deer can see. I quit hunting in bluejeans and watch to see that I have no blue outerwear.

I really took up still hunting- or slip-hunting as I like to call it- in the early 80s for moose. Of course I had done it mountain hunting for sheep, goats, caribou, etc.

Unit 15A on the Kenai Peninsula was by then filthy with moose after the '69 burn, which left "islands" of timber from a few trees to much larger acreages in a mosaic pattern across the burn area. Prior to that, the several times I had moose hunted was spot and stalk, or stand hunting.

The first season in 15A I spent over 2 weeks from dawn to dark on stands overlooking various real good spots. Saw cows a couple hundred times, and 3 bulls, one of which my partner shot at dawn on opening day. On the last day I had to hunt, I packed my camp 3 miles out to the road, but learned I still had several hours left (my watch had died in the rain 2 days before, and my extremely pregnant wife had to pick me up in our only vehicle). The 4 day rain storm was just ending, and clearing was coming in from the west. No one had been down the oilfield access (no vehicle traffic allowed) since before the storm according to the guy camped at the gate, so I still hunted the road and off-edges 3.5 miles back to it's end, then started back. Within 300 yards I found fresh tracks crossing the road, stepped to the edge, and promptly had a 40 inch bull down 50 yards away, down in the hollow below.

I got to thinking, why watch one unproductive place for all day, when I could hunt multiple potential bedding areas (those "islands" of timber). Hunt where they are, not where they aren't Such a concept! The bulls were obviously not using the edge areas and open feeding areas much during daylight, but I knew they were bedding in those timber stands, and not in the low second growth of the burned parts. So that's what i did - travel fast between timber pockets, then still-hunt real slow through the bedding areas. At that time any bull was legal, so when I found antlers, I had meat on the ground, meat being the objective.

For the next 15 yearsI never spent more than 2 weekends hunting before I had my moose - by then the second growth was big enough the bedding areas were less concentrated, and the regulations had changed to spike/fork, or 3 brow tines on at least one side, or 50" or larger. My success ratio took a big dive at that time! But for those 15 years or so, I was in hog-heaven! In an area with a 20% success ratio, I ran 100%, but then, I hunted a mile to 5 miles off- road, which 95% of the others didn't.

I had to go back to stand hunting, and calling, with a much reduced success ratio, tho I got to see a lot of sub-legal bulls in the course of doing so.

Still hunting is a lot more fun, except when you have a bull coming into your call. Or a cow for that matter. Sitting on the ground while calling, I learned a lot more about moose bellies than is really necessary.....

Oh well- here we go again.... Animals that are "color-blind" are not, really. Apparently they see many shades of grey, some shades of yellow, and some blues- tho not as we see them.

The color blue is pretty far downtime list on what will get you.

Motion, noise, scent are the top 3. Take care of those and you are largely golden.

Fourth is Ultra-violet ( a form of blue, sort of) - it is readily seen. That's what those reflective eyes are for - seeing in dim light in the ultra-violet range. Regular detergent and new clothing has "brighteners in it - i.e., UV enhancers. You can't see it except that it makes the colors seem sharper and - well- brighter. But it really stands out to nocturnal animals eyes in low light! It glows to their eyes. In bright daylight, it probably doesn't matter. Not that I've found anyway.

So UV "kill" your clothing, including blue jeans , and camo!! - and the problem is mostly solved. Any color will "glow" to a cervids (and other nocturnal animal's) eyes in low light if not UV killed- blue probably more than others. I've proved it to myself many times over when moose hunting. Got nailed one time in mostly dark conditions. The ONLY thing not UV killed was a brand new that afternoon camo day-pack. I was fully clothed in camo as well. Every cow moose gave me the stare-down stink-eye as soon as they ( 3 out of a dozen or so in the group) got to an angle where they could spot the pack. They were passing all around me within 20-40 yards. Only those that got an angle on the pack did so, and scent/movement /noise were not factors.

That's mainly why I have camo - it is dedicated UV and scent "killed" clothing not used for anything else. For my convenience - not because it is a secret color to keep me unseen by big game animals. Although it does blend you into the background somewhat so does a bush, tree, or rock fore or aft. Camo - all colors in fact- is far more important in turkey or waterfowl hunting than in big game hunting as birds and fish have full color vision nearly identical to ours, and far better acuity. At least birds do.

We refer to it as "nothing but miles and miles of miles and miles".

What BobinNH said. The 10X42 are likely better used in more open country, or stand hunting. In heavy cover/shorter range situations a 6,7,8X is better. But the 10X42 will work if you have nothing else.

Second best for readiness to shoot to already having gun in your hands ( but then what about using the binoculars?) is one that is something similar to Cabela's "Safari" sling, which is what I use. Being right handed, the sling runs across my left shoulder, cross body, to the rifle at my right side. I can let go of the rifle to glass without putting the rifle down. It stays right there on my hip or slightly above, within ready reach while I glass with both hands or otherwise use the right hand, which is normally controlling the rifle, tho the weight is on the sling and left shoulder. I've seen this type and variations of sling also referred to as a combat or modified combat style.

Not as fast as one already in both hands, but not too slow either, and it takes minimal movement to bring it to firing position. It can be rigged to carry the rifle across one's back, front, or over the shoulder, as well as used as a shooting sling. I'm not generally in favor of compromises, but this is a pretty damned good one for my uses.

I haven't quite figured out anything as convenient for that walking/shooting staff I usually have in my left hand... which is a great aid in keeping ones balance while moving very slowly over difficult ground. I often use it as a binocular steady rest as well.

Here is a question that will surely raise a heated discussion.

When still hunting and slowly working thru thick timber where a shot would be quick,do you have a round in the chamber?

Absolutely, yes.

Originally Posted By saddlesore
Here is a question that will surely raise a heated discussion.
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I don't think it will raise much of a discussion .
I guess if someone is still hunting in open terrain they would be ok carrying an empty chamber , but in any type of thick cover --no way .
I don't buy into the empty chamber safety stuff at all . When I'm hunting my gun is on safety and pointed in a safe direction when I walk away from the truck.

Absolutely. When you are still-hunting you need to be ready at any instant, whether for elk or deer. I hunt with my rifle in my hands.



Besides, when dancing with griz, I want a chance to shoot!

On the rare occasion where the deadfall is dreadful enough to warrant unloading, I am not looking for game at that juncture, and will reload on the other side of the hazardous maze.

Definitely have a round chambered. Practice muzzle control until it is instinctive, finger stays out of the trigger guard until positive target ID and fore and background confirmed clear and sights are on the target.


mike r

One of the very few times I carry a round in the chamber.

Yes.

The reason I posted this,in the past this generated a lot of negative comments.Those that do were called a lot of things. None very favorable.
I personally carry a live round in the chamber.

Now back to the OP's discussion

Most often, but not always. I've been experimenting with carrying with an empty chamber and haveing the bolt raised, safety on with one in the chamber.

Coming to the conclusion that you will be able to get away with either as long as you are very familiar with your rifle. Not always, but most of the time. You may lose some close quick encounters, but for the majority I'm sure I can pull it off.

There is definitely merit to an empty chamber when it comes to safety.

Seriously considering selling some of the extras and buying a Blaser R8 rifle, which cocks on pushing the safety to the fire position. The system is a very safe one with one in the chamber.

Addition: If any others get close to me the bolt is raised and the chamber goes empty. Same thing sitting in a blind.

I hunt largely alone so I hunt hot. Muzzle discipline and finger off the trigger at all times until it's time to shoot.

Makes no sense to me to still hunt with an empty chamber.

Guys who hunt in brown bear country with an empty chamber may find themselves working the bolt for the rest of their life.

You can do that thanks only to [bleep] republicans.

Strange. The once famous Dick Idol once said he expected the next WR to come from still hunting.

Ive never seen a whitetail buck ignore its nose. It can hear you coming and wait to see you move before running, or see you move and wait a moment to identify you before running or hide/sneaking away. Whether it is trying to mount a doe or whatever, when it smells you the jig is up and it is on you, though it may stay still and hope you pass on.

Oh, for f'k sake....

You never know what a Deer is going to do. I've come up on them and they took off hard and never looked back. Some just slowly disappeared into the thick. Some moved off a bit and stopped in the open. Some just stood and looked at me. Some you catch standing/walking around or feeding and they haven't a clue.

Moving 50 yards in a half hour for me is a recipe for not having much fun unless I know they are there. Most days are not perfect for it, so I expect to make some noise.

Trying to stare a hole thru every piece of cover is another recipe for going nuts unless standing still. Most times I pick them up out the peripheral rather than the hard focus central vision.

According to many here, I'm doing it wrong. However, any other way isn't fun, so I'll keep going on the same.

I prefer to move cross wind when still hunting. Even when sitting on deer crossings its easy to see whitetail bucks generally move with the wind at their back, unless spooked, when they prefer to move quickly and thus into the wind. Guess which direction-from whence they came, which is then against the wind.

They use their eyes to search for dangers ahead. Their nose protects their rear from coyotes or cats. Just like mule deer bed below a ridge with the wind at their backs to protect from cats, or bears, or coyotes,or dumbasses, while their eyes scan the unscented view ahead.

Still hunting success generally depends on your moving slow enough to see deer before they see you, which generally means moving slower than the deer. In open country binoculars can spot deer bedded under cedars and such. The thicker the vegetation the weaker the binocs need to be.

Its better to watch really thick bedding cover than still hunting it. Bears and cats cant normally bag a deer in such. Try it if you wish, but the odds of success are astronomically against you.

Trying to sneak within bow range of a deer is a 1/6-8 proposition. If the deer is bedded its less.

In east Texas timber, central Texas hill country, mesquite/oak mott/cactus brush country of south Texas, rocky ridges of juniper with mesquite draw/valley Pecos River canyon country and rolling plains of mesquite/cactus/juniper of west/central Texas and tall timbered/oak brush and buck brush Sacramento Mts of NM i have still hunted for deer for many years.

I have binocs but rarely use them in thick timber, preferring to be really still, unless i am in fairly open country or looking across wide draws or canyons.


In timber, and hunting only for bucks on the move or does with bucks, I travel slower than they. They move more than me.

I have come upon whitetails and mule deer while moving slow, to within 15 ft before seeing them at times as they move so slow and blend in so.
Once an open bush in front of me started shaking gently. I had been looking 40-60 yds ahead, as far as i could see in the Montana timber for a buck. Some how a doe was now pulling leaves in front of me from the opposite side of a small open sapling that i was touching the near limb tips of.
Stalking for whitetails in timber is a very difficult challenge and normally requires you to just see deer coming and drawing as their head goes behind a tree or they turn their head away.

For all practicle purposes, im not going to see a bedded shooter ahead of me in thick timber, therefore binocs are of little use and probably result in me spooking more deer by the mvt required in raising and lowering them. If i see deer moving through timber ahead i use them to see what ive got and to hopefully pick up other deer near it that are blending in and still are unseen.

For still hunting in timberland i wear wool or an old set of camo stretch fleece by Remington. I hold my arrowed bow with biscuit rest low on my left side or rifle with fingers between the scope and action with split rings on the right. I wear a felt hat with flat brim or tobaggan and a face mask and camo or brown gloves.

I move slow, turn my head slow, etc. I dont have a binoc coming up or any excess movement. I dont want a ball cap bill rotating and have had many deer and one antelope buck stand up and look at me while wearing a togue and i could see them thinking "wtf", sometimes too long.

I wear 16 inch LLBEANS normally when still hunting, though i have some leather slippers which i bought a sheep skin for and cut out and glued wool side down for using to get up on previously spotted and stalked animals.

I once got within 15 yds of a black bear with those and drilled him with an arrow.

I have no idea how most people nowdays could ever become good still hunters. Growing up walking on flat surfaces is a killer for the stealth and skill required.

One has to learn to pick the knee up while walking and only partially extend the lower leg resulting in shorter steps, such that No 1, The knee is slightly bent when the leading foot contacts the ground resulting in a cushion effect from the knee flexing rather than being stiff, locked, and straight when hitting the ground. When ones body weight is totally moving forward a stiff leading step is required to keep from landing on ones face, and there is no stealth. Of course, the stiff contact with most ground lends a great warning "thunk" with each step to the ears of most game.

No2. When walking flat surfaces efficiency, ones heel passes within 1/4 inch of a known and constant flat surface. There is no way to travel quietly with ones heel constantly hitting and rolling even small stones and twigs while travelling in this manner.

The knee has to come up enough for the foot to come forward OVER most slightly elevated obstructions in order to move forward without kicking rocks.

I finally came to realize one day while trying to sneak up on mallards on the Pecos my lawyer could not be quiet while sneaking up to the bank on the river bend above them as all he could do towards my constant, repetitious, whispers to be quite, was to go slow.


He had no concept of having to balance on the back foot and pick the leading foot a couple inches higher and over chitt or to take an extra short step before getting to a small branch and then stepping over it with the next step.

Then i remembered dealing with others before while TRYING to supposedly sneak still hunting deer in shallow valleys and the rocky ridges near Sonora Tx.
We are sneaking in on a deer and the hunters freaking boots are catching and rolling rocks as his foot moves forward. Though
we are moving slow, he has no concept of keeping weight on the back foot with the knee slightly bent and picking the leading foot higher over rocks while moving forward and rolling forward onto the leading foot with the leading knee slightly bent and flexing slightly as the heel comes down to prevent a thud as the heel hits down on gravel, twigs or hard ground.

Remember, a deer looking through the woods can see you moving and coming towards him a whole lot farther than you will be able to see him due to the way he blends in. Sneaking in on a deer feeding on acorns under an oak or laying in its hidden bed is almost impossible.

I will admit, maybe if i had learned to move even slower and had used binocs to see way ahead and through near brush the way a deer can do, i may have learned a different technique.

Good fortune on the still hunting. In timber, its the greatest hunting challenge and pure hunting thrill where no dangerous game is involved.

A point about mule deer. They do bed high on ridges over the crest from where they feed OR under the crest of ridges they will move down feeding on. Rising thermals tell them whats below when they are going to wait for the evening thermals to start moving down. When it does they get up and feed down with it. They look ahead and smell behind.

If they bed over the crest in dark timber the rising thermals tell them whats over the ridge behind them as the breeze going over the ridge forms a vacuum that rolls smells down over them. When rising thermals falter in the evening they get up and cross over the ridge while gusts are still kicking back and forth before it cools enough to consistantly go down hill. In this situation for elk or deer i try waiting off to the side or a ways down the canyon from where i want to ambush them and when the breeze stops kicking back uphill i try to haul it over to where they will be headed down.

In the morning they will be feeding up with the falling thermals in their face. Trying to waylay them with a bow is a low return proposition. Side hilling and approaching from the side is about ones only chance with a bow then.
There are times when they bed below a crest in more open country and can be sneaked down on from above or if you have a buddy and can get around and to the side and above the deer and your pal moves toward it, the deer will get up and head up and hopefully give one a shot. Be very careful to not sling an arrow toward your pal if the deer comes side hilling up toward you though.


Well, thats about my take on things. I wish i knew all the successful tricks others use. So many times, if i had just had the ability or skill to see game as well as the Indians....

God bless, jag.

What a great description of how to ooze through the terrain jaguartx. Setting your feet is really important. I like the idea of the sheepskin sole. Better than taking off boots to sneak in ragg wool sock feet. Bowhunting does make a person a better sneak hunter doesn't it? It made me pretty fanatic about quiet gear, and that is because I get close enough that little noises do make a big difference.

Though, sometimes despite your best efforts you get odd surprises. I was once closing the distance on mountain mule deer, not quite within my instinctive shooting range. I was slowly sneaking up a little drainage below an old filled in beaver dam so I could not be seen by the deer in the beaver meadow. Then I got into the marsh marigolds with only about 5 yards to go. Because of the shiny, waxy finish on those leaves, my ragg socks suddenly produced tiny squeeeak, squeeak, sounds whenever I stepped on the plants When I peered over the rim of the old dam, several deer were peering fixedly back at me. Jig was up! Wet feet to no avail. Ha! Frustrating but pretty funny all the same.

On that buck above, I spotted his antler tips approaching me through heavy brush just after I stopped to inspect a log that might be a good place to pause. I had been oozing (yes someone else above used the term "ooze" too) slowly over the landscape for about 3 hours headed to this spot. He was maybe 65 yards out. I do use binocs a lot, but it is most often the flicker of movement that my predator eyes pick up that alerts me. As I shifted position, my knee brace ticked a tiny twig that I could not feel through the wool-covered metal. Snick, a tiny sound. That buck stopped on a dime and bored holes into my position while I played tree stump. But he decided it was really nothing, and finally came clear of the brush. This was on heavily hunted public land, but there was virtually no sign anyone else was still-hunting where I was.

Like others, I plow ahead where there is no chance there is a lingering deer (or bedded elk), but when I think there may be I skulk or ooze depending on the terrain or cover. There is much to see when you are melting into the forest. And much to learn.

For sure, and a hundred more things that can go wrong with a bow than a gun.

Good luck. Any buck or bull with a bow is a trophy.

mart,

A lot of great replies in this thread. Thanks for getting it started!
For me, I've just never been the type who can sit still in a stand long enough to even bother. Especially as a kid I was always wanting to know what was over that ridge, where are the the deer right now etc.

In the early 80's I started hunting in the north woods of Vermont and Maine and it didn't take long for me to start seeing game on foot on a regular basis. After that, I was hooked on still hunting and started learning as much as I could not only about deer/bears, but the terrain and how animals use it.

During the off season I'm always looking at all sorts of maps, google earth, etc as a way of helping me pinpoint where I want to spend my time still hunting. Off season scouting helps sort that out as well.

I often use a combination of sitting and still hunting if I know I am in good deer country. Back to terrain, when I get to a saddle, for example, I might sit for a time before moving along. it all depends. I just like my chances better while on foot and that's what works for me.

CLB,

Sounds like we have similar backgrounds. I grew up in the north woods of New York on the northern edge of the Adirondacks.

I always ran a trapline on foot back then and I just loved pushing a little farther back every trip. Had to see what the next ridge held or the next bend in the stream showed me.

I'm still the same today. Always checking out another ridge or draw or the next stretch of river.

I love to still hunt but will use other methods as the situation dictates. I'm not one to spend time in a stand though. I suppose I should stand hunt but it's tough for me to take that inactivity for long.

Everywhere I've lived I have always amassed a large collection of USGS maps and pore over them regularly. It's like reading the bible. You may have read the same passage many times but suddenly something jumps out at you that you never saw before.

mart,

Interesting. Though I didn't know anyone who trapped I was interested as a young person. I had to learn to deer hunt myself, but I did it in the same country where you hung out. Northern edge of the Adirondacks. I used to hike the trailless areas of the Adirondacks and skulk around in the north woods myself. Maybe it was a place that made a person want to still-hunt. I took fledgling skills to Vermont while in school there, then better developed skills out to the western mountains. I am not patient enough and too fidgety for a long time on a stand. Tried it in TX, very difficult.

Ditto on USGS quads, but now even more so scouting with GoogleEarth. It used to be so painful to try to get the airphoto maps from USGS so you could study the cover and terrain on fuzzy maps from high elevation passes. Today's resolution can be breathtaking.

Today I use various techniques depending upon terrain and quarry. For pronghorn there can be a lot of crawling and belly slithering due to short to nonexistent cover (knee and elbow pads needed...and tweezers for cactus spines). The same may apply to alpine tundra on mountain mule deer or bighorn sheep. I still love a forest still-hunt for whitetails as much as ever, but it also works for elk. Spot and stalk is also a form of still-hunting, and can be used on elk or deer or sheep or goats (or moose if I ever get a tag). Tracking as the Benoits did was also something I started in the Adirondacks when Larry was becoming a living legend. I was never good at guessing the sex of the whitetail tracks (no mentor), but it is easier on elk, and tracking fresh tracks does take you to where the critters are. All forms of still-hunting are rewarding.

When I took it up, it was defined as "hunting by stealth, silently, without the use of hounds", therefore still as in quiet - no hounds baying or chase dogs barking. Old English usage that was vernacular in the Adirondacks and in the writings of the old guys from back in the heyday of the Adirondack hunting camps. It was learn as you go for me.

I thought you could only kill animals while sitting in a Redneck blind, over a Techomante food plot while carrying a TC Pro Hunter, Nikon scope, and wearing Scent Blocker clothing??

Only if you paint your face in some warrior looking crap and are watching a buck that you've seen on a trail cam and named him "Big Tine"

Oh yeah, and sucking down a Monster Energy drink.

Booyah

Good thread...I call it "sneak hunting" and have shot my best bucks, both Whitetails and Mule deer under 40ft in the standing timber. If its early season I will put several pairs of worn out wool socks on my feet (no boots I keep them in my pack) so silent sneaking.
There is always one in the pipe, safety on of course, I always hunt alone.
I learned how to sneak hunt on my own and not too many hunters do it I dont think, I hunt in the rain/snow/heat and will spend all daylight hours hunting, its getting harder to stay out all day as I age but I have more patience now.

I tape my swivels so they are silent, use no cover scent, nose into the wind, and I always hunt the same ridges as I have for 40 years now.
That I figure gives me an edge knowing where to look and the wind is generally always going the same direction so I dont waste my time. No Whitetail for me this year but tagged out on Mule deer.

I'm looking forward to some pointers in this thread for sure.

Pointers? But on some f'n boots, lol. I'm sorry, but I had to.

Hahahahahaha....ha...huh?

It depends on the terrain.

I don't recall ever seeing a tree stand or deer blind when hunting mule deer in the western high desert or mountain areas.

If there is a lot of hunter activity on public land, even in the west it can be a good plan to find a place to sit waiting in ambush, and let the other guys stir things up.

Numerous times on crowded public land hunts, I've seen deer sniffing a still hunters trail, walking behind about five minutes and watching and listening in the direction of the hunter.

Had to chuckle at this. I tape zipper pulls so they can't clatter. Removed a plastic clip in an otherwise quiet new fleece orange vest - with my pocket knife - seconds after a tiny plastic "tick" cost me a shot. The vest ties with strings now. I use a bumper of electrical tape to pad and silence the muffled rattle of my magazine floor plate against the bottom of the magazine frame. I carry it with my hand there and the little rattle drives me nuts. I don't worry about the swivels, except to oil them, because my sling is in my pocket most of the time. Sometimes I have to stop and rearrange my partly full canteen so it doesn't go "glurk" at every step. Keep my shirt tail over my pack buckle so it won't clank. Little sounds, but they don't belong. Unnatural sounds.

Funny, though, I did have a curious buck walk into me once. I was holding still, but eating a sandwich in a plastic sandwich bag. The faint crinkle/rustle of the plastic apparently made the buck curious. I saw his antler tips coming and swapped the sandwich for my rifle. He walked practically right up to me. He never did learn the answer about that sound.

I don't mess with cover scent either, I try to use the wind to my advantage, or at least not to my disadvantage.

Patience is a key component, for sure.

Yep. Had a forky follow my trail to me once after i climbed a shallow ridge in the woods that overlooked a creek bottom.

I once saw a doe with two fall fawns feeding on acorns under my oak bust a bobcat that had been in a low crouch sneaking up on them. I didnt see it until the doe spotted it and jumped between it and the fawns while facing it head low for battle. It headed on off through the S Texas brush and oak motts. She followed while blowing at him for 300 yards.

They were back again that evening and he came in at them from an area of high grass. My arrow hit it in the neck. Heck of a trophy for a 16 year old. I still have its open mouth rug mount.

BTDT Jag, well except for the plastic bag trick.

I was about 18 one year when i went through a bit of thick stuff in the south Texas brush country to get to a nice sized mesquite i could climb. I made considerable racket doing it and the about blew my mind when i looked down to see a nice buck looking to see what the racket was about. I hadnt even rattled the horns yet.

40 years ago uncle was sneak hunting the Davey Crockett NF in east Texas and kept hearing an odd clicking sound. He followed it to the point he could see a deer pawing at a big coke bottle that had corn in it.

I still do it sometimes. The biggest reason for it being less common than it used to be is that many hunters not in Alaska just don't have the space for it.

Haven't read the entire thread but space is a big thing . I hunt mainly western Va and eastern Wva . Still have some big tracts of land by eastern standards. I like still hunting for something different . This past season I took deer by stand hunting , still hunting , drives and running dogs . The 8 pt from Wv killed still hunting was the most memorable.

The best advice I ever got about hunting came from the local Gunsmith. He said "If you want to learn how to hunt put down your rifle and pick up a bow."

But I'll add, When you pick up your rifle hunt as if it was a bow.

Still hunting is alive and well. Is the only way I hunt, wet/dry/calm or breezy.

i do but its tough where i hunt. it seems that the wind switches direction every 30 seconds. but if you can walk into a prevailing wind on wet leaves or snow, it is a fun way to hunt. i remember a dink i walked up on one time. it was bedded behind a log looking into the wind and i came up behind it about 50 yards back. i stood with my gun resting on a big tree for probably 10 minutes before i could get a shot. it never even got up.

Same here.

I love bow hunting. Think i found my next crossbow....
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dTTmjG1v...sed_before_guns_were_invented_640_12.jpg

One thing for thems what sits in stands/blinds to consider.

Still hunting is how predators do it. They make a decent living from all appearances, stalking, watching, nose to the wind and moving slowly.

They don't sit on their butts waiting for something to walk nearby so they can jump on it.

Allow me to defend hunting from a blind or treestand for y'all. I don't mean to change any minds here. However, I think it is important to understand why it is a good choice in our circumstances.

First off, let me explain that our camp is located on 200 acres in SW Bracken County, KY. It's a bigger than average plot. 40 acres are in pasture and the rest is either cedar thickets or Oak/Hickory savanah. Along the N/S axis it is about a mile long, and it is about a 3/4 mile walk from the house to the property lines on the east, west, and south. We have about 15 resident deer on the property at any given time. Probably one of them is a mature buck. This year, we scored 3 mature bucks on Opening Weekend. This was a good year-- one of our best. I have no more than 4 hunters on the property during season, and we all hunt from raised stands or ground blinds. SW Bracken County can sound like a war zone on The Opener. I count as many as 3 shot strings per minute over the first 4 hours of rifle season.

The first problem we face is safety. We need to make sure we're not going to shoot each other and we don't want to shoot or be shot by our neighbors. Therefore, it is a good idea to stay away from the property lines and hunt in the interior of the property. Second, we all coordinate our hunting so that we all know where each other are. We also use walkie-talkies to inform the others as we are leaving our assigned areas. The problem would get far more complicated if we were all stillhunting. So far we have had no close calls in over fifteen seasons. I'm not worried about a mistaken-for-game-incident, but it is still a good idea to know where your buddies are.

The other problem is pressure on the deer. Whitetails tend to follow the paths that offer the greatest amount of slack. They flow to the property that gives them the best habitat, best food, the least trouble and the least crowding. I try to offer them just that. I don't do a whole lot with food plots. I rely mostly less demonstrable habitat improvements. However, the deer find I have good place to offer them. I probably have have the hunter density of the surrounding plots and I don't do any ATV joyriding. The payoff is that we can see twice the number of deer out in the fields as normal after the Rifle Opener. All the deer come over to our place to get away from the Orange Army. My neighbor, who spends gobs of money on supplemental feeding admits that he's basically feeding my deer. They all bed on my place and come over to his to feast after dark. If I started putting hunters out to stillhunt, that would probably all change. As it is now, all those ATV's and stillhunters on neighboring plots are acting as beaters, gently herding deer onto our property. That may be as many as 3,000 hunters within earshot.

Treestands give you the best chance of getting a shot on a deer with a downward angle going into the dirt behind them. We all shoot from either a stand or a blind where we're firing down at the animals. We aren't making a lot of noise on the way in. We travel regular paths, so there's no blundering around in the dark. The deer are fairly used to our comings and goings. I spend all fall out and about scouting, so in a way I get my stillhunting desires out of my system before season starts. When I go out, I'm there to get a job done.

Lastly, my hunting buddy is 75 and recently had quadruple bypass surgery. His stillhunting days are over. I'm 58 and built like human landform. Geologists probably ponder the perturbations I make on their seismographs when I'm hiking. My sons are similarly blessed with gargantuan dimensions. We are not lithe creatures. Size 14 boots fall heavily in any forest.

As much as I love stillhunting, I have to agree, differing conditions require differing techniques. Especially under the conditions you describe. Safety is a big consideration, so is calmer deer.

Shaman knows what he is doing. He isn't known as a Cervid Serial Killer for nothing. I wonder where WoodsWalker ended up? Last i heard from him, his account at ddh.com had been hacked, and he disappeared. He was quite adept at still hunting.

An old man I know goes out hunting a few times a year. He's got a bad back, has had his hip replaced, is going to have a knee done. Because of all this, he can't climb into a tree stand anymore. Sitting on the ground causes him pain and he has trouble getting up because of stiffness. But everytime, he looks around at the fall woods, smells the leaves in the air, and says "Well, I'm still hunting"

Thanks guys!

I've got Woodswalker's email address. I ought to see if he'll come over for a visit. JPH was another. He said he'd tried the 'Campfire and didn't like it. Oh well. Sigh.

To me, the time to stillhunt is when you don't know the property and don't know where the deer are going to be. Now if you asked me this same question twenty years ago, I'd have said something completely different. However, there's only so many places the deer will be on a given day, and only so many places a hunter can exploit them. After a few seasons, you should be able to pick up on that. It's like fishing your favourite lake. Sure you can fan cast every inch of shoreline, but the fish will have preferences for the places they want to be. You end up learning them.

All this changes when you get thrown into new circumstances. If I were to hunt a brand new spot, I'd probably do pretty much what I did back in 2001 when we got our 200 acres. Pre-season, I would analyse the topos and the photos, and then conduct speed scouting to get as much intel on the deer as I could. When season came in, I would do a combination of armed scouting and still hunting and then gradually work into what Dr Ken Norberg called "portable stump" hunting.

Nordberg's Portable Stump

Portable stumps are a crossover between stillhunting and set blinds. I carry the makings for a quick blind setup with me. When things look right, I throw up the burlap blind between two trees and sit on the "stump." In my case, I've substituted a 5 gallon bucket with a lid for Nordberg's wooden stool. I especially like the portable stump method as a way to begin and end my hunting day. I'll go somewhere well before first light and set up the blind and sit there for the first hour or so of legal hunting and then stillhunt over to a place I want to explore, leave the stump, do some scouting, wash, rinse, repeat, until I finally set up the portable stump and hunt the last two hours of legal hunting overlooking a likely spot.

When Angus, now 18, started hunting on his own a few seasons ago, I gave him his own portable stump and set him off to discover the farm on his own. In a couple of seasons, he had the place figured out to his own satisfaction and started placing permanent stands in new spots. He's been filling his tags ever since.

The Shamanic Portable Stump

Back in 2001, I had a bunch of black 5 gallon buckets, so I took them out and left them at promising spots. A good part of my first two seasons were spent still hunting between the buckets. When I finally got around to setting up blinds, I was already fairly certain of a payoff. I filled both tags out of the first treestand I set.

The second stand never did pay off. However, I knew the spot was good. While stillhunting in that general area, I found the remnants of 3 treestands further up the hill. Some had rotted to where it was just nails sticking out of the tree. I relocated the stand 100 yards up the hill and this became our #1 producing stand on the farm.