Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Hunting old school. Tracking/Sill hunting/stalking

I have never done it that wat for deer but, I do it that way each summer for G-hogs. I use a 22 mag rifle and pistol. I love to stalk them my max distance for a shot is 100 yards. I can often get much closer. I have killed one g-hog at 3yards with a Ruger single six. Getting closer makes me work for my shots and it is exciting. I think stalking them makes me a better hunter and the results are way more rewarding. The investment in effort is well worth the reward!

I have also run into several Southerners who call still-hunting "stalking."

I haven't still hunted in several years. When there was a light rain I loved doing it.

This is great fun and a real challenge. I do the same with a .22 mag in either a rifle or single six. "Woodchucks" aren't easy to sneak up on!

I love still hunting for deer and try to do it whenever conditions are right. Tracking just isn't practical here and stand hunting is really a must for archery.

That is funny!

Similarly, I had an older friend named Warren who had the ability to book numerous guided hunts all over the west. We (our little band of hardcore hunting geeks) used to tease him about the last thing a particular bull, buck etc heard was the sound of his power window going down. His response was that it stopped them in their tracks every time lol.

He always tagged out earlier than everyone else.

Warren cooked a lot.

Warren. Cool guy & miss him.

That’s pretty funny.

Yep. Agreed.

I don’t see myself hunting any other way until I’m too old and feeble that I can’t physically do it anymore. At that point I’ll likely off load my guns and buy bird feeders so I can sit in front of the picture window and watch them from the lazy boy like an invalid.

Lord I hope that day doesn’t arrive for any of us but if it does, you’ll find me feeding my pot off that bird feeder with my old Sheridan .20 till the reaper calls my name.

Same here, albeit without stands.

Deer density in the Adirondacks is so low the chance a buck wanders past a stand is skin to winning the lottery.

Yeah. I wouldn’t wanna take that bet on when a buck wanders past.

I don’t have anything against those who stand hunt but it just isn’t for me. What does get me is those that think that they own the area because they put up a stand and dropped a bag of apples on the ground. Then they think that all trackers do is scare everything out of the area and only connect with a deer by sheer luck. I’ve literally back tracked my tracks before to find deer browsing on grass in my boot tracks. So much for scent control. Best part is that there is no such thing as a nocturnal track. If the buck I’m tracking is sleeping all day and not moving until night that means I’m gaining on him.

Ain't that the truth....

Best part is when I hear everyone bitching about deer going “nocturnal” after opening day I just smile and say “there’s no such thing as a nocturnal track.” And when I get a decent buck I could care less if anyone knows where I got it. I hunt all over and It’s simply dictated by where I cut a good track. I could be tracking a good buck thirty miles away from where I was the day before. I go where there’s snow and few or no wolves.

Off topic but do any of you belong to or know anything about BHA Backwoods Hunting and Angling. Heard about it on a podcast.

Reminds me of the stories my dad would tell about when my grandfather would be laid off from the mine back in the late 40’s and early 50’s. My dad and uncle would take the family car and put it on the railroad tracks, adjust the idle just right and would sit on the hood and knock over a deer or two to feed the family. My dad ran the Savage 99, 250-3000 and my uncle had a Lafever 16 ga side by side with slugs.

If you're a commie, they would be perfect for you.

Do share. All I heard was that they were for “public access” and working for getting more accessibility. I’m sure there’s more to it. I did see the thread on corner crossing and some things about BHA after I posted this. Are there any trustworthy organizations for hunters doing anything for public access and public lands that aren’t a bunch of shisters? The closer I get to freedom/retirement the more I’m looking into public access and public lands across the country. Just looking for solid information on who’s on the up and up and who to avoid. Hunting, fishing and public lands and access are what mean the most to me and always have. Sifting through the bullshit is always a pain.

I used to still hunt a lot when I was younger. I liked to do it on rainy days and windy afternoons. I did it in thick woods and have shot deer at less than 20 yards walking. It requires patience to do it well. You have to hunt hard with your eyes seeing everything before you move and moving slowly enough and moving the right way. So you spot them before they see you.

90% of the time when I try to hunt from a stand, I fall asleep or get bored and start fidgeting. I still-hunted exclusively for close to 30 years but now I'm learning to enjoy spot-and-stalk.


Okie John