Still vs stand hunting

[NMSbowhunter]

A recent discussion in the Weather Data Analysis thread got me thinking about something. I didn't want to further clutter up that thread so I thought I would just post what I was thinking about and see what people think.

So, what I was considering was this. Say I have a stand tree and I can shoot 25 yards in any direction. That means I can theoretically cover 1963.5 square yards of area and potentially kill a deer if it comes within that 25 yard radius or 50 yard diameter circle surrounding my stand. Lets say I sit on stand for 4 hours.

If I still hunt a 1 mile hardwoods river bottom in the same 4 hour period, I have effectively still had that same theoretical 50 yard diameter circle at any given point on that 1760 yard long hunt, so I will have hunted 3,455,760 square yards (1Mile=1760 yards, multiplied by the 1963.5 square yard area I can cover at any given moment.)

As a fixed position hunter I will have covered that 1963.5 square yard area for 4 hours. As a still hunter I will have briefly covered all 3,455,760 square yards in 4 hours.

A deer may not enter my 1963.5 square yard "world" at all in those 4 hours. A deer could enter at any point on that 1760 yard stretch whether I am presently in that 50 yard area or not. There are definite downsides to each.

Thoughts?

 

[gcr0003]

Do nothing but still hunt all this season and report back. That’s the only way we will know if it’s better for deer killing.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

This is going to sound counterintuitive but I personally don't have enough patience to be effective at still hunting. I'm way better off sitting stationary for hours in a tree (or a ground setup) in a productive location. What do I mean by that? How can it take more patience to still hunt than to sit stationary for hours hoping something will walk by?

Well, first off I know the first step to success in deer hunting is detecting the deer before the deer detects you. That means if you're still hunting you need to move at a literal snails pace, make no noise and watch everything around you for as far as you can see in all directions. I just don't have the patience to effectively move that slow and methodically. I always want to see what's just over the next rise or around the next tree. Instead of waiting minutes observing my surroundings between movements it turns into seconds, or the one step I should be taking turns into two or three.

When I'm on stand in a stationary location its far easier to monitor changes in my surroundings and know if deer are making their way toward me because I become familiar with the view of the area. Also, any infrequent movements on my part are very slow and short in duration (i.e. brushing a bug off my face or transitioning from a sit to a lean), gear is set up to be silent in all instances (no twigs to break under foot, no scrapes against bark, no unnoticed brush rubbing a pant leg). Even with these advantages I still get busted occasionally but its not as frequent as when I'm moving along the forest floor.

 

[GCTerpfan]

A recent discussion in the Weather Data Analysis thread got me thinking about something. I didn't want to further clutter up that thread so I thought I would just post what I was thinking about and see what people think.

So, what I was considering was this. Say I have a stand tree and I can shoot 25 yards in any direction. That means I can theoretically cover 1963.5 square yards of area and potentially kill a deer if it comes within that 25 yard radius or 50 yard diameter circle surrounding my stand. Lets say I sit on stand for 4 hours.

If I still hunt a 1 mile hardwoods river bottom in the same 4 hour period, I have effectively still had that same theoretical 50 yard diameter circle at any given point on that 1760 yard long hunt, so I will have hunted 3,455,760 square yards (1Mile=1760 yards, multiplied by the 1963.5 square yard area I can cover at any given moment.)

As a fixed position hunter I will have covered that 1963.5 square yard area for 4 hours. As a still hunter I will have briefly covered all 3,455,760 square yards in 4 hours.

A deer may not enter my 1963.5 square yard "world" at all in those 4 hours. A deer could enter at any point on that 1760 yard stretch whether I am presently in that 50 yard area or not. There are definite downsides to each.

Thoughts?

The missing pieces of information is how much of the area you still hunt through contains deer and the percentage of deer you can get within 25 yards of while still hunting. When I was young I spent a decent amount of time still hunting with a rifle. Getting within 75 yds of a deer (the typical distance I could shoot in the terrain/vegetation I was hunting) was often enough of a challenge. I am curious about your results if you try it though.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

The missing pieces of information is how much of the area you still hunt through contains deer and the percentage of deer you can get within 25 yards of while still hunting. When I was young I spent a decent amount of time still hunting with a rifle. Getting within 75 yds of a deer (the typical distance I could shoot in the terrain/vegetation I was hunting) was often enough of a challenge. I am curious about your results if you try it though.

I have done a decent amount of still hunting on one piece of land in particular. It is a big open lowland that intermittently floods. In areas with sloughs and blown down trees, this makes ideal areas to slowly slip through and still hunt. I've had quite a bit of luck doing this, both for pigs and deer. The key is learning how fast to walk, and that varies. Often I will bump a deer out of a blowdown. The key is to immediately stop. Since they are now moving and I am stationary, I think it makes it harder to pinpoint my location. Generally they hear me and bound out. As soon as they are out of eyesight, I drop down and give a few turkey calls and scratch the leaves. If they didn't tear the woods down leaving blowing then I go over to where they were as fast as I can and set up. They will usually come back. It might be as much as 4 hours, but I have had they return in as little as 5 minutes. In that terrain, and using that tactic I have had deer within easy bow range many times. I think it is a good tactic in the rut also. The deer will likely be moving much more and faster than I will be moving. I passed on a 120ish buck last season still hunting with a rifle at 15 or so yards. I passed him becasue I has seen a 130 plus two days prior in that same area while still hunting with a bow. On that occasion the bigger buck and a doe were at 60 yards.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

This is going to sound counterintuitive but I personally don't have enough patience to be effective at still hunting. I'm way better off sitting stationary for hours in a tree (or a ground setup) in a productive location. What do I mean by that? How can it take more patience to still hunt than to sit stationary for hours hoping something will walk by?

Well, first off I know the first step to success in deer hunting is detecting the deer before the deer detects you. That means if you're still hunting you need to move at a literal snails pace, make no noise and watch everything around you for as far as you can see in all directions. I just don't have the patience to effectively move that slow and methodically. I always want to see what's just over the next rise or around the next tree. Instead of waiting minutes observing my surroundings between movements it turns into seconds, or the one step I should be taking turns into two or three.

When I'm on stand in a stationary location its far easier to monitor changes in my surroundings and know if deer are making their way toward me because I become familiar with the view of the area. Also, any infrequent movements on my part are very slow and short in duration (i.e. brushing a bug off my face or transitioning from a sit to a lean), gear is set up to be silent in all instances (no twigs to break under foot, no scrapes against bark, no unnoticed brush rubbing a pant leg). Even with these advantages I still get busted occasionally but its not as frequent as when I'm moving along the forest floor.

That makes perfect sense. Knowing your own preferences and playing to your strengths is a the way to go.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Do nothing but still hunt all this season and report back. That’s the only way we will know if it’s better for deer killing.

At this point in my deer hunting I like to do a little of both, but have the option for either at any time. My standard hunting kit is a 2TC kit that fits in my backpack. Also in the backpack is a small Torges tree seat. A lot of what I do is hunt feed trees. I might have a good idea where a hot feed tree might be a mile or two back, but I don't know going in which one of maybe 100 trees in a little draw might be hot. My plan is to still hunt in at a medium pace, find the hot tree and climb over it and kill a deer. However, I might bump a deer out of a blowdown 1/3 of the way back and switch into turkey call and ground set up right there. I might also get back there and the hot tree is 4 feet in diameter and there are no trees bigger than my wrist within shooting distance of it but there is a blowdown I can sit in. So, a lot of the time I will switch back and forth between still hunts, climbing to hunt, and setting up on the ground.

In areas I have never been in before I prefer to go into the hunt planning to still hunt out the area and then come back later with a climbing kit if I find a great spot on that first trip.

 

[raisins]

If it were easier to do, then still hunting would be super effective. It's just very hard to sneak up on a whitetail that you aren't spot and stalking, especially in areas where your visibility is low, so you can't use one of our strengths (better eyesight and use of binoculars) against them as effectively. The larger area you cover still hunting is not going to all be as good as the 25 yard circle that you pick, which hopefully is prime time. So, you might want to apply a weighting function to slightly cancel out junk areas within your still hunt path. I find stalking more effective than still hunting because you use your eyes and then your brain against the deer. I've had some stalks that were ridiculously easy as in drop into ravine, walk dense cover slowly, wait until they walk to edge of field. At that point, you're outsmarting an animal that's not nearly as smart as a golden retriever.

 

[raisins]

This is going to sound counterintuitive but I personally don't have enough patience to be effective at still hunting. I'm way better off sitting stationary for hours in a tree (or a ground setup) in a productive location. What do I mean by that? How can it take more patience to still hunt than to sit stationary for hours hoping something will walk by?

Well, first off I know the first step to success in deer hunting is detecting the deer before the deer detects you. That means if you're still hunting you need to move at a literal snails pace, make no noise and watch everything around you for as far as you can see in all directions. I just don't have the patience to effectively move that slow and methodically. I always want to see what's just over the next rise or around the next tree. Instead of waiting minutes observing my surroundings between movements it turns into seconds, or the one step I should be taking turns into two or three.

When I'm on stand in a stationary location its far easier to monitor changes in my surroundings and know if deer are making their way toward me because I become familiar with the view of the area. Also, any infrequent movements on my part are very slow and short in duration (i.e. brushing a bug off my face or transitioning from a sit to a lean), gear is set up to be silent in all instances (no twigs to break under foot, no scrapes against bark, no unnoticed brush rubbing a pant leg). Even with these advantages I still get busted occasionally but its not as frequent as when I'm moving along the forest floor.

Absolutely same boat here. When still hunting, you have to "out deer the deer" meaning have the kind of patience a deer has when they know their lives depend upon it.....moving slowly, always scanning with senses, super vigilant.....the way you might be if in the woods and you know a mad man is hunting you.

When still hunting, you have to move super slow and carefully while also being hyperfocused and not letting your mind wander....for hours. It's much easier for me to get on stand and stay still but zone in and out (maintaining enough of a toe hold on my surroundings to hear or see approaching deer) and think about what the clouds look like or watch a squirrel or whatever.

 

[Cbigbear]

I suck at sill hunting so instead I do a combination of still and stand. I pick a route & move through taking “stand” a few to many times. Sometimes moving a couple hundred yards & others moving a 1/4 mile. My pace & sit time varies with sign or sightings. I use a small chair & ghillle jacket. This method has been effective on the biggest 2 bucks I have missed!!! On both these ground level shots I had a deflection. Killed plenty does & 2 yr olds without deflection.

 

[Still Kicking]

I have killed several deer still hunting but, for me it takes far more patience and far fewer freezer packages. Now that I'm old, it is much easier to allow them to come to me rather than chasing them.

 

[GeoFish]

When I was younger I did alot of still hunting. You have to have the right place with the right weather conditions.
During or after a rain and having hiking, farm access roads or horse trails make still hunting effective.
Thick woods with dry conditions is not the time or the place.
I always carry a small stool on my back. This makes it easy to stop, slow down and sit.
I have still hunted within 10 yards of deer that were laying down. They can be like rabbits. When they think you do not see them they hold tight. Do not make direct eye contact. I have walked past them and when they thought they were safe I would turn and let a arrow fly.

 

[OSUTodd]

I think I enjoy still hunting more than hunting from a stand, but I'm WAY less effective doing it. And usually my still-hunts end up turning into walks in the woods.
But I have had some success still hunting. The second buck I killed, also my first with the ML, was still hunting. I managed to see him first, and snuck within 50 yards for a shot with Dad's open sighted .54 cal.

 

[Lowg08]

I applaud the men that can still hunt successfully. I was told take a step wait 5-10 minutes. You’re moving slow enough when you don’t spook the squirrels or birds. Well I gave it an effort. 1st time was a disaster. More annoyed than anything. Second time was better but still to fast. Well multiple more times in the season. I put it together. Slipped in on a doe. Couldn’t gauge distance right for the area I was not familiar with and clipped a limb when I shot. Missed the deer lost an arrow. Thought I was 25 yards more like 35. All that said. The guys who can have my respect. I’ll just stick to a tree. I don’t have the patience for it. It’s a super cool method but I have seen more deer from a stand than slipping through the woods. Like I say about everything it’s like your drawers it’s up to you.

 

[Topdog]

I’m going to give my best attempt at explaining how to still hunt, to a bunch of “sitters” , slang up here for people who hunt farm country from stands and such, and I think most of you will understand exactly what I mean by the time I’m finished, and for those who don’t know me, I almost exclusively hunt from the ground, and with a rifle most of the time, still hunting and tracking on snow, in the big woods, I would guess over 95% of the bucks I’ve killed have been off the ground, and probably half of those were in bow range, under 50 yards, that’s not to say I would have hit all those 50 yard and under bucks with my bow, or anyone would have for that matter, but that gives you an idea of the odds of something like that happening or occurring. I’ll keep this real simple, your speed is everything when still hunting or tracking, and after reading the comments above, I think most would agree that have tried or attempted it, it’s all about your speed, and I’m going to explain how…. to know… and when to adjust your speed, everyone reading this has marched, walked, or crept into a prepped tree before, you climb up and get settled in, what does the woods sound like, nothing, there is dead silence, every single living organism within hearing distance of that tree you just walked into is listening to your next move, they’re waiting to find out what you’re up to next, it’s really that simple. You get settled in, adjust your tether, grab a snack, whatever, what happens next…. the woods come alive again, birds chirp, squirrels start ripping around…. things… settle back down, and you become silent, blending in with the surroundings, everything that was once listening has now deemed you’re no longer a threat and life goes on as usual, you’ve have been absorbed into the daily life of the environment for the duration of your hunt up that tree.
Well, when I still hunt, that is exactly what I’m listening for when deciding how fast I can push things, there’s no set time allotment between steps that I take, I don’t look at my watch, nothing like that, I let my surroundings tell me my next move, when birds start landing inches from my shoulder, squirrels chasing each other around my feet, I’ve done my job. Weather conditions, wind, planes flying overhead, all these things can impact how fast I move, but the bottom line, you let mother nature tell you the speed, somedays I can clip right along, others not so much, I never have a predetermined plan on how fast I can move, the only plan I have everyday is where I actually start this methodical approach, and keeping the wind at my face, if it switches, the wind, and I’m committed to some nasty hole of a swamp already with big rubs staring me in the face, and fresh tracks all over in the leaves, it is what it is, I just keep doing my thing, nothing changes on my end, inch by inch I’m covering every single piece of that ground until it’s dark, or I’ve decided it’s no longer a viable option, it’s devoid of what I’m after. Mistakes happen, if I break a stick, something I didn’t expect, I simply wait until the woods tells me when I’m good to move again, it’s really that simple, sometimes it mite take just a minute or 2, other times.. well I’m not sure, and I don’t care, I have no predetermined destination that I must reach, I just don’t care, the buck I’m after could be 20 yards in front of me bedded down, or 2 miles on a ridge chasing doe, I see no value in rushing through good ground, in hopes that something else mite be better, still hunting is just as much a state of mind, and mental, as it is technique, it’s about impossible to teach, and I’ve never killed a buck with someone else by my side doing it, I honestly don’t even know if that would be possible, probably not. My approach to tracking on snow is not a lot different, but for sure more exciting, because now I have irrefutable proof the buck I’m after is indeed in front of me. I’ve heard every story, tactic, and theory about tracking on snow known to man over the years, I’m in no way doubting any of those folks, but I know what works for me, and it’s exactly as I’ve described above. I have no delusions as to how difficult this would be with a bow, my advice to anyone would be to tame your expectations, and remember nothing happens fast, I often go days without seeing a single deer, but I don’t care, all I need is about 15-30 seconds of seeing the right deer, and my season is over and a complete success, zero to hero, we all want the same thing. Every season when I first start off into the woods, it generally takes me a couple of days to get my head back in the game, my focus where it needs to be, last year it was over a week, but eventually it happens, and when it does, I know it, and you will too. Most of my best friends that have hunted with me, do so only a few times and they’re ready to rush off back to a stand with more “action”, I don’t blame them, but when you finally walk up to a buck with Coke can size bases, in the middle of no where, that you just shot at 30 yards, in the middle of the day, it does something to your brain, and seeing 10 deer a day no longer seems important!

 

[woodsdog2]

This is going to sound counterintuitive but I personally don't have enough patience to be effective at still hunting. I'm way better off sitting stationary for hours in a tree (or a ground setup) in a productive location. What do I mean by that? How can it take more patience to still hunt than to sit stationary for hours hoping something will walk by?

Well, first off I know the first step to success in deer hunting is detecting the deer before the deer detects you. That means if you're still hunting you need to move at a literal snails pace, make no noise and watch everything around you for as far as you can see in all directions. I just don't have the patience to effectively move that slow and methodically. I always want to see what's just over the next rise or around the next tree. Instead of waiting minutes observing my surroundings between movements it turns into seconds, or the one step I should be taking turns into two or three.

When I'm on stand in a stationary location its far easier to monitor changes in my surroundings and know if deer are making their way toward me because I become familiar with the view of the area. Also, any infrequent movements on my part are very slow and short in duration (i.e. brushing a bug off my face or transitioning from a sit to a lean), gear is set up to be silent in all instances (no twigs to break under foot, no scrapes against bark, no unnoticed brush rubbing a pant leg). Even with these advantages I still get busted occasionally but its not as frequent as when I'm moving along the forest floor.

Mic Drop!

 

[woodsdog2]

I’ve told this story before on here. This was how I started bow hunting many years ago. On my grandmothers farm every late sept they had an enduro run go through and they would chew up old logging roads and trail all throughout her farm and other surrounding farms. Come late October early November (We used to not be able to bow hunt until October 15th) you had almost perfectly quiet trail to still hunt on and that’s what I did. I didn’t have money for stands and such. It was some of the most exciting hunting ever. Before I could ever see the deer I could smell them. I had bucks yards from me. Try drawing on a whitetail 6 yards away from you upwind wondering what you are…. It was both exhilarating and and frustrating at the same time. When an early cold font with snowfall began…… the movement was crazy. I would continue to make loops around after interacting with deer and would often run into them again, utilizing their tendency to circle downwind of danger to my advantage. Didn’t connect much but man was it fun hunting. Gun would have been much more effective but the dynamic of the hunt changed by the time firearms season rolled in.

 

[GeoFish]

I’m going to give my best attempt at explaining how to still hunt, to a bunch of “sitters” , slang up here for people who hunt farm country from stands and such, and I think most of you will understand exactly what I mean by the time I’m finished, and for those who don’t know me, I almost exclusively hunt from the ground, and with a rifle most of the time, still hunting and tracking on snow, in the big woods, I would guess over 95% of the bucks I’ve killed have been off the ground, and probably half of those were in bow range, under 50 yards, that’s not to say I would have hit all those 50 yard and under bucks with my bow, or anyone would have for that matter, but that gives you an idea of the odds of something like that happening or occurring. I’ll keep this real simple, your speed is everything when still hunting or tracking, and after reading the comments above, I think most would agree that have tried or attempted it, it’s all about your speed, and I’m going to explain how…. to know… and when to adjust your speed, everyone reading this has marched, walked, or crept into a prepped tree before, you climb up and get settled in, what does the woods sound like, nothing, there is dead silence, every single living organism within hearing distance of that tree you just walked into is listening to your next move, they’re waiting to find out what you’re up to next, it’s really that simple. You get settled in, adjust your tether, grab a snack, whatever, what happens next…. the woods come alive again, birds chirp, squirrels start ripping around…. things… settle back down, and you become silent, blending in with the surroundings, everything that was once listening has now deemed you’re no longer a threat and life goes on as usual, you’ve have been absorbed into the daily life of the environment for the duration of your hunt up that tree.
Well, when I still hunt, that is exactly what I’m listening for when deciding how fast I can push things, there’s no set time allotment between steps that I take, I don’t look at my watch, nothing like that, I let my surroundings tell me my next move, when birds start landing inches from my shoulder, squirrels chasing each other around my feet, I’ve done my job. Weather conditions, wind, planes flying overhead, all these things can impact how fast I move, but the bottom line, you let mother nature tell you the speed, somedays I can clip right along, others not so much, I never have a predetermined plan on how fast I can move, the only plan I have everyday is where I actually start this methodical approach, and keeping the wind at my face, if it switches, the wind, and I’m committed to some nasty hole of a swamp already with big rubs staring me in the face, and fresh tracks all over in the leaves, it is what it is, I just keep doing my thing, nothing changes on my end, inch by inch I’m covering every single piece of that ground until it’s dark, or I’ve decided it’s no longer a viable option, it’s devoid of what I’m after. Mistakes happen, if I break a stick, something I didn’t expect, I simply wait until the woods tells me when I’m good to move again, it’s really that simple, sometimes it mite take just a minute or 2, other times.. well I’m not sure, and I don’t care, I have no predetermined destination that I must reach, I just don’t care, the buck I’m after could be 20 yards in front of me bedded down, or 2 miles on a ridge chasing doe, I see no value in rushing through good ground, in hopes that something else mite be better, still hunting is just as much a state of mind, and mental, as it is technique, it’s about impossible to teach, and I’ve never killed a buck with someone else by my side doing it, I honestly don’t even know if that would be possible, probably not. My approach to tracking on snow is not a lot different, but for sure more exciting, because now I have irrefutable proof the buck I’m after is indeed in front of me. I’ve heard every story, tactic, and theory about tracking on snow known to man over the years, I’m in no way doubting any of those folks, but I know what works for me, and it’s exactly as I’ve described above. I have no delusions as to how difficult this would be with a bow, my advice to anyone would be to tame your expectations, and remember nothing happens fast, I often go days without seeing a single deer, but I don’t care, all I need is about 15-30 seconds of seeing the right deer, and my season is over and a complete success, zero to hero, we all want the same thing. Every season when I first start off into the woods, it generally takes me a couple of days to get my head back in the game, my focus where it needs to be, last year it was over a week, but eventually it happens, and when it does, I know it, and you will too. Most of my best friends that have hunted with me, do so only a few times and they’re ready to rush off back to a stand with more “action”, I don’t blame them, but when you finally walk up to a buck with Coke can size bases, in the middle of no where, that you just shot at 30 yards, in the middle of the day, it does something to your brain, and seeing 10 deer a day no longer seems important!

That was a great write up, you nailed it.
Not sure why you are on saddlehunter. You should start stillhunter.com

 

[BTaylor]

Several folks kinda touched on it but I think to be effective at still hunting, you first need to have an intimate knowledge of the property. Then you can plots routes based on the day's conditions that keeps you mostly in "productive" areas. There is a lot of negative ground in any block of woods and it doesnt matter if you move like a ghost, hunting negative ground is going to be almost entirely unproductive. If you know the ground, you can move fast through negative terrain and then slow down to ghost through the good stuff.

 

[Center Punch]

I’m going to give my best attempt at explaining how to still hunt, to a bunch of “sitters” , slang up here for people who hunt farm country from stands and such, and I think most of you will understand exactly what I mean by the time I’m finished, and for those who don’t know me, I almost exclusively hunt from the ground, and with a rifle most of the time, still hunting and tracking on snow, in the big woods, I would guess over 95% of the bucks I’ve killed have been off the ground, and probably half of those were in bow range, under 50 yards, that’s not to say I would have hit all those 50 yard and under bucks with my bow, or anyone would have for that matter, but that gives you an idea of the odds of something like that happening or occurring. I’ll keep this real simple, your speed is everything when still hunting or tracking, and after reading the comments above, I think most would agree that have tried or attempted it, it’s all about your speed, and I’m going to explain how…. to know… and when to adjust your speed, everyone reading this has marched, walked, or crept into a prepped tree before, you climb up and get settled in, what does the woods sound like, nothing, there is dead silence, every single living organism within hearing distance of that tree you just walked into is listening to your next move, they’re waiting to find out what you’re up to next, it’s really that simple. You get settled in, adjust your tether, grab a snack, whatever, what happens next…. the woods come alive again, birds chirp, squirrels start ripping around…. things… settle back down, and you become silent, blending in with the surroundings, everything that was once listening has now deemed you’re no longer a threat and life goes on as usual, you’ve have been absorbed into the daily life of the environment for the duration of your hunt up that tree.
Well, when I still hunt, that is exactly what I’m listening for when deciding how fast I can push things, there’s no set time allotment between steps that I take, I don’t look at my watch, nothing like that, I let my surroundings tell me my next move, when birds start landing inches from my shoulder, squirrels chasing each other around my feet, I’ve done my job. Weather conditions, wind, planes flying overhead, all these things can impact how fast I move, but the bottom line, you let mother nature tell you the speed, somedays I can clip right along, others not so much, I never have a predetermined plan on how fast I can move, the only plan I have everyday is where I actually start this methodical approach, and keeping the wind at my face, if it switches, the wind, and I’m committed to some nasty hole of a swamp already with big rubs staring me in the face, and fresh tracks all over in the leaves, it is what it is, I just keep doing my thing, nothing changes on my end, inch by inch I’m covering every single piece of that ground until it’s dark, or I’ve decided it’s no longer a viable option, it’s devoid of what I’m after. Mistakes happen, if I break a stick, something I didn’t expect, I simply wait until the woods tells me when I’m good to move again, it’s really that simple, sometimes it mite take just a minute or 2, other times.. well I’m not sure, and I don’t care, I have no predetermined destination that I must reach, I just don’t care, the buck I’m after could be 20 yards in front of me bedded down, or 2 miles on a ridge chasing doe, I see no value in rushing through good ground, in hopes that something else mite be better, still hunting is just as much a state of mind, and mental, as it is technique, it’s about impossible to teach, and I’ve never killed a buck with someone else by my side doing it, I honestly don’t even know if that would be possible, probably not. My approach to tracking on snow is not a lot different, but for sure more exciting, because now I have irrefutable proof the buck I’m after is indeed in front of me. I’ve heard every story, tactic, and theory about tracking on snow known to man over the years, I’m in no way doubting any of those folks, but I know what works for me, and it’s exactly as I’ve described above. I have no delusions as to how difficult this would be with a bow, my advice to anyone would be to tame your expectations, and remember nothing happens fast, I often go days without seeing a single deer, but I don’t care, all I need is about 15-30 seconds of seeing the right deer, and my season is over and a complete success, zero to hero, we all want the same thing. Every season when I first start off into the woods, it generally takes me a couple of days to get my head back in the game, my focus where it needs to be, last year it was over a week, but eventually it happens, and when it does, I know it, and you will too. Most of my best friends that have hunted with me, do so only a few times and they’re ready to rush off back to a stand with more “action”, I don’t blame them, but when you finally walk up to a buck with Coke can size bases, in the middle of no where, that you just shot at 30 yards, in the middle of the day, it does something to your brain, and seeing 10 deer a day no longer seems important!

wow. how good is this...
[cheers!]