One of the great things about still hunting is you can do it effectively anytime of the day. Might be a smidge easier when they are up on there feet though.
There is no right or wrong answer here. If you can spot them early and stay within eye sight of them until they bed, you can work on 'em big time then. Where I do the majority of my hunting that is not an option. It is entirely too thick and skillet flat. Just have to get out there with 'em and find a uneak deer and then uneak up on him.I mean is this something you start at first light or do you normally wait until mid morning? Or is just an afternoon thing. ‘My plan for tomorrow was set up on a hillside and glass for a couple hours in hopes of spotting one and if nothing shows start making my way through the timber
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That sounds like a good plan to me. I'm not much help here because I hunt every afternoon, but usually only one morning a week due to my work schedule, so 90% of my kills are afternoon.I mean is this something you start at first light or do you normally wait until mid morning? Or is just an afternoon thing. ‘My plan for tomorrow was set up on a hillside and glass for a couple hours in hopes of spotting one and if nothing shows start making my way through the timber
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
that sounds cool -- can you share a google map of that? That would be a great instructional resource. thx!I agree with @OspreyZB ... My last deer, I went to the upwind side of a clear cut I thought was holding deers following logging roads I could move real fast and quiet...I walked the upwind side door a minute allowing the scent to head into the thick stuff and then I booked it on the road to the downwind side and caught them coming out of the clear cut... Speed was what got me into the situation were I super sneak into range for the shot
Yup that's an extremely deadly tactic. The ole one man deer drive. And here I am thinking I was the only one crazy enough to try that lol.I agree with @OspreyZB ... My last deer, I went to the upwind side of a clear cut I thought was holding deers following logging roads I could move real fast and quiet...I walked the upwind side door a minute allowing the scent to head into the thick stuff and then I booked it on the road to the downwind side and caught them coming out of the clear cut... Speed was what got me into the situation were I super sneak into range for the shot
Good advice. I too have ran after deer to cut them off. It's all situational and you won't get better at it unless you just go out and do it. Ya can't be afraid to bump or scare deer because it'll happen. We're supposed to be the apex predator.I kill the majority of my deer from the ground with a bow while still hunting or stalking. I always hear guys say "when you think you're going too slow, slow down". I kind of disagree with this. I tend to move as fast as I think I can get away with. This is obviously easier said than done and takes a TON of trial and error to figure out. Its taken me bumping literally thousands of deer and attempting stalks on hundreds just to get kinda good at it. You have to learn when to move slow, when to be still, and when to move FAST. This is a critical part that I don't hear talked about much. The buck in my avatar is a good example. I spotted him moving through a bedding area about 75 yards away. He dropped into a small ravine and as soon as he was out of sight I sprinted 50 yards to cut him off. Not 10 seconds after I got in position he popped back up out of the ravine 30 yards from me... Night night. This is just one example. I find myself fast walking, running, speed crawling etc. during stalks all the time. I would venture to say I spend a lot more time sitting still, or moving fairly quickly from cover to cover once I know the coast is clear than I do actually moving slowly. Like @Recurveaholic said, it's absolutely critical to see the deer before they see you. Binoculars are mandatory for this kind of hunting. When attempting a stalk, if you lose sight of the deer, DO NOT lose confidence and let your gaurd down. He likely didn't go far. I can't tell you how many times I've lost sight of one on a stalk, got impatient and let my guard down only to bump the buck from right where I KNEW he was. Also when you do bump the buck you're stalking (and you will) don't give up. Most guys think if you bump him it's game over. When I bump one it's game on. I've had good luck catching back up with them the same day after a light bump. Again they usually don't go far. That seems to be a common theme with a lot of the older bucks on the pressured public I hunt. They don't go far.
This is a very good tactic to use if you have the right place to put this into play thats alot of what determines how you still hunt is where you are still hunting! You have to know the area and make a plan for that specific spot so every still hunt is different, or at least in my experience they are!Walked in from the south (orange is old logging road) turned right and circled 3/4 the way around the yellow clear cut and backtrack to the red kill site...
View attachment 41472
That was actually my first time in there...cyber scoutThis is a very good tactic to use if you have the right place to put this into play thats alot of what determines how you still hunt is where you are still hunting! You have to know the area and make a plan for that specific spot so every still hunt is different, or at least in my experience they are!
I walked as quickly as possible... emphasis more on speed than sound...I slowed down when I rounded the corner and was working the downwind edgethx for sharing -- one final question -- after you dropped your scent -- how fast did you get back to the kill site -- how quiet were you trying to be? I assume you were on the logging trail and could move fairly fast.
thx again!
I get asked all the time how I can have the patience to sit for hours in a tree while hunting. The answer is easy. I hunt from a tree because I don't have the patience to effectively hunt from the ground. Being in the tree keeps me still while hunting on the ground I can't control the need to "know what is over the next rise".Do you have the mental and emotional capacity to take an hour to only move 100 yards? 50?
ive found the two most important details of the successful stalks ive had were moving slow(not the laymen’s version. I mean really really slow), and learning how to stop in a position you can make a shot without much movement. Stopping because you cracked a stick and out in the open is usually less effective than taking one more step to get in a shadow or next to a tree.
that’s all I got. Slow down.
Congrats on a nice buck, those guys deserve a nut punch. Kill what you want!! If you’re proud of it I’m happy for you. Most of those folks are full of it too btw.That’s the one I took. Almost everyone that saw it has made the comment “next year he would have been a good deer” they are probably right but I didn’t feel like finding out lol
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Any spot and stalk is an accomplishment, add to that a traditional archery and its a winner!My goal this year was to shoot one the first day. Stalked to within 15 yds and shot a doe w/longbow. Not real impressive to everyone else but I was thrilled. A good read is G.Fred Asbells Book: STALKING AND STILL HUNTING
I kill the majority of my deer from the ground with a bow while still hunting or stalking. I always hear guys say "when you think you're going too slow, slow down". I kind of disagree with this. I tend to move as fast as I think I can get away with. This is obviously easier said than done and takes a TON of trial and error to figure out.
The public I hunt here in Alabama gets slammed every year. This year we had an early opener and the pressure was put on quick. With rifle season in it’s calmed down some but there’s still a good bit of hunters every weekend. I’ve got a good idea of where I believe the deer are bedding and hanging out during most of the day. I’m wondering if anyone on here ever try’s to still hunt and stalk to a bedding area and if so what do you do? Obviously I know approach from down wind and move slow but how do you get in close enough to make a shot with your bow?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
More info on your rifle. I'm looking for a lightweight inexpensive one.I wear all fleece or wool, no sling on my rifle which is a super lightweight that I cradle in my arm all day, low power scope.
What part of bama are you in?The public I hunt here in Alabama gets slammed every year. This year we had an early opener and the pressure was put on quick. With rifle season in it’s calmed down some but there’s still a good bit of hunters every weekend. I’ve got a good idea of where I believe the deer are bedding and hanging out during most of the day. I’m wondering if anyone on here ever try’s to still hunt and stalk to a bedding area and if so what do you do? Obviously I know approach from down wind and move slow but how do you get in close enough to make a shot with your bow?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk