Still hunting tactics.

[DroptineKrazy]

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.

 

[BTaylor]

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


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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.

 

[OspreyZB]

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


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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.

 

[Weldabeast]

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

 

[jerry_d]

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

that sounds cool -- can you share a google map of that? That would be a great instructional resource. thx!

 

[OspreyZB]

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.

 

[Weldabeast]

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...

 

[Jtaylor]

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.

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 think the best thing to do is play the wind, hunt where fresh sign is, take mental notes while you're hunting and actual physical notes when you get back home. I like to include: date, weather (including wind), numbers, approx. age of deer seen, what you did right and what possibly happened when/if the deer busted you. You're bound to forget what worked and what didn't by next season until you find your own ground hunting style so I write it down.
Most importantly, I like to have fun while doing it. It's definitely not a boring wait and see what shows up style of hunting. You're the predator actively hunting the prey.

 

[jerry_d]

thx 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!

 

[Recurveaholic]

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

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!

 

[Weldabeast]

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!

That was actually my first time in there...cyber scout

 

[Weldabeast]

thx 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 walked as quickly as possible... emphasis more on speed than sound...I slowed down when I rounded the corner and was working the downwind edge

 

[boyne bowhunter]

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.

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".

EDIT: I should be sure to clarify my remarks by saying guys who can get it done on the ground earn that much more respect from me because I struggle so much with it.

 

[Bigterp]

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


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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.

 

[raisins]

Great discussion so far. One thing I'll add is a tip to move through thicker stuff without getting hung up or making a lot of noise:

Get some really good hand pruners and a belt holster for them. And oil them up so they don't squeak. Don't get the ratchet ones that are noisy. A good pair of high carbon Coronas will glide through anything smaller than a finger.

EDIT: You don't always have to cut. They also work well for grabbing thorny stuff like tongs and peeling it out of the way or removing stuff you just cut.

 

[n6dlh]

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

Any spot and stalk is an accomplishment, add to that a traditional archery and its a winner!

I have taken 1 in a traditiinal muzzle loader using a possibles bag, powder horn, patched round ball with blue jeans and a hoody. Taken from the ground. It was a really special moment. Next year I am planning on Long bow or Recurve doe for sure. I am also going to try to take one with a flint lock.

Just have to respect anything taken is a traditional manner.

 

[brydan]

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.

I'm glad you said that. I haven't done that much still hunting but I sorta just moved at a pace that felt right for the conditions and seemed to see deer semi-regularly that way. If I mentioned still hunting at camp the other guys would say it should take an hour to go 40 yrds or something like that. I would just nod my head in agreement since none of them were still hunting anyway there wasn't much point in discussing it but my thought was if I'm only going to change position by a bow shot every hour, what does that actually accomplish? Why not just sit in a ground blind to begin with and greatly reduce the chance of being seen? To me the point of being on the ground moving, is to cover more area than one can in a stand. In order to do that it can't be a single snails pace all day.

 

[Plebe]

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?


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Buck bedding or doe bedding?

Does typically bed in multiples, meaning more eyes. Also, often with eyes facing downwind (or in semi-circle or even a circle). Crosswind approaches might be something to consider.

Big bucks often find beds in areas that are tough to sneak into or have winds that swirl. They typically bed solo, and seem much choosier because of it.

When targeting buck bedding, it can actually help to avoid doe bedding in transit, during early season hunts anyway.

To me, however, it is advantageous to try this style of hunting when bucks are with and/or searching for does as they may be distracted. So doe bedding can be a premium destination to still hunt then.

Otherwise, stalking close to suspected buck bedding and setting up may be more productive than trying to get him in his bed.

In your scenario, you might consider how to approach from an unexpected route. Deer get pretty good at knowing how most people travel an area, and it sounds like you‘ve a lot of hunter competition.

Speed? I don’t think one gear covers you.

Sometimes fast doesn’t give a buck time to figure out what’s going on. Particularly if it’s windy. He may hear you and jump, but never see or smell you, which may result in his returning to bed after circling or watching his backtrack a while.

Sometimes slow, because you may avoid detection altogether, or may be able to detect him before he does you (which is ideal). On crunchy leaves, you might hear a buck before he hears you if you are creeping and he is marching to a destination.

If you’re targeting destinations, you‘ve little to lose by making speed until you start closing the distance. Stick to the plan unless you see a good reason to change up.

Like all hunting, there are exceptions to every rule.

I don’t give anyone any more credit for succeeding this way, but it’s probably the most personally fulfilling way to take a deer and its among the best ways to hone hunting skills.

 

[five]

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.

More info on your rifle. I'm looking for a lightweight inexpensive one.

 

[gcr0003]

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?


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What part of bama are you in?