in a recent perfect Whitetail scope thread...there are many....the question of moving around and staying in one place was brought up. If one has the ground to move, I see little reason not to do so. I think the TV hunters have influenced what many do, in that it is difficult to get good film when the hunter is moving. Some have difficulty in moving. And some think Deer stay holed up for most of the day...Perhaps highly pressured Deer do, but I don't find it to be true here in the Pa hills. However, many think you can't be moving around and be successful, which I find to be in error.
What you can see moving around...There would be hundreds more pics if I took the time to take them.
I used to do a lot of slip hunting when I was younger. I saw lots of deer. Killed just as many on the ground as in a tree stand. some nice Bucks too. If you know how, when, and where to move, and what to look for, Slip/still hunting is a lot of fun.
My favorite kind of hunting although in my area the vegetation is about as thick as in your fourth from the top picture. I'm just not much of a sitter!
Last edited by Joe; 01/02/22.
Shew me thy ways, O LORD: teach me thy paths. "there are few better cartridges on Earth than the 7 x 57mm Mauser" "the .30 Springfield is light, accurate, penetrating, and has surprising stopping power"
The advice i got about still hunting was: Get goin as slow as you can go--then go half that fast.
Both statements are very true. I used to love to still hunt after a rain or even during a slight drizzle. The ground becomes a lot more quiet. Put the wind in your face, move slowly, stop and watch for a few minutes, move slowly to your next close spot with cover and repeat. Now a days I hunt on hunting leases that do not want anybody walking around. Got to sit in a stand or ground blind. I do miss still hunting when the conditions are right.
I just go for a walk in the woods and try to see what is going on. Sometimes just moving along, sometimes slow. Have seen many Deer move out ahead of me and surely there were many more that I didn’t.
However, I’m no longer surprised when I catch them while breaking all the supposed rules. Mostly it’s a time thing. Spend enough time in a good area and we cross paths. However, usually have found a spot to watch by 3:30PM. Have a few that have a reason to be there.
Bouncing them out of their bed, or catching them in it, or when they get up to see what is going on and finishing the deal, is what I consider a great day. Big, small, Buck or Doe.
Two walking along parallel to each other and maybe 50 yards apart, can often be successful or at least you see enough to make it worthwhile.
Most of the time if I start out early, sun just rising , I sit tight the first hour or two then start my "walk". I may take 3 or more "sits" during my "walk" depending on the sign and weather conditions. Usually feel like I'm missing out if I sit still all day. I absolutely dread sitting in a box stand over feeders and shooting lanes all day.
I’ve seen some of my biggest Bucks, and many Deer, while walking around Grouse hunting with a Bird Dog…. Not worrying all the much about the wind or being extra quiet. If it works there, I mostly do the same on the move. Do slow down considerably when getting into what looks like a bedding area.
When I was living in Eastern Kansas and Western Missouri in used to hunt a lot of the public hunting in Eastern Kansas with my longbow. So naturally I did a ton of still hunting. Usually spent most of the day at it, most of the time I didn't move but about 40 yards in an hours time. Every step opened up an all new field of view. Beat the hell out of sitting in a tree stand hoping a deer would make it's way by the stand. Had some great hunts that will never be forgotten
Just because you're offended doesn't mean your right.
It's my favorite way to hunt. It's not the best all the time, and I can't do it as much as I'd like, but it can work. A couple from still hunting I have pics of: