Still Hunting

[ald55437]

I picked up a TC New Englander, 54 Cal. I plan on using PRB during our muzzleloader season.

Now there is a reason for my moniker. BTW, have you ever seen a buffalo in a tree stand? Therefore, I'm thinking of trying to still hunt(?). But I don't know how to do it.

The closest thing I come to sneak and stalk is crashing thru the alders looking for Mr. Ruff.

Any advice?

 

[KyFlintlock]

The best advice for still hunting that I ever received is MOVE SLOW. A buddy of mine's father told me long ago that when you think you are moving slow enough, you should cut it in 1/2. Look for little movements and soft shapes, horizontal lines, etc.. Stick to the shadows and low lying areas, pretend they are trying to kill YOU!

Good luck and safe shooting
Wess

 

[roundball]

I picked up a TC New Englander, 54 Cal. I plan on using PRB during our muzzleloader season.

Now there is a reason for my moniker. BTW, have you ever seen a buffalo in a tree stand? Therefore, I'm thinking of trying to still hunt(?). But I don't know how to do it.

The closest thing I come to sneak and stalk is crashing thru the alders looking for Mr. Ruff.

Any advice?

Well, for what it's worth, I've hunted deer pretty hard every year for 30+ years, and IMHO, success ratios are astronomically better if you spend time during the spring and summer scouting areas where you'll be hunting...find low places like creeks and ditches, follow them and you'll find natural deer trail crossings.

Locate a couple natural ground stand areas that are back away crossings a good distance (even drag together some logs to improve the locations) and hunt those trail crossings from those ground stands.

I've tried still hunting very dilligently over the years and finally got an unsuspecting Albino Doe with a .30-30 at about 100yds, but the few others I managed to even see were with a snort & white flag crashing off in the distance.

I think still hunting is enjoyable, but I also think it's a very rare individual who can consistently still hunt up on a whitetail and repeatedly fill tags...particularly with a shorter range rifle like a muzzleloader...they usually see/hear you long before you get a chance to see them, and have slipped off without you even knowing they were there.

Note, my experience has been in the thick woods / swamps of the Carolinas where decent visability is 50-75yds...maybe success rates are higher in other places

 

[jaybeach]

Yeah - what roundball said.
A wise man once told me why I had a hard time stillhunting; he said, "They are full-time deer, and we're part-time hunters." :haha: I think that explains it pretty well. Stillhunting only differs from "stalking" in that when you're stalking, you're truly trying to "sneak up" on an animal you have already spotted. Stillhunting involves trying to move through the woods so slowly and quietly that you see deer before they see you. I've tried it - but it takes a LOT of patience, verrrrry slow movements, and much peering at and INTO the brush to spot a deer first. There have been times when I was slowly moving from one place to another, taking frequent pauses to stand for a few minutes and look around - and I happened to see deer moving through or coming my way. But that was mostly chance - no special skill on my part. I'd go with RB's advice - scout, find 1 or more likely ambush points, rough together a bit of cover, and plan on spending your time there. You can always move from one to another if you want by moving slowly. - Good Luckm and have fun!

IM jaybe :thumbsup:

 

[cayugad]

I have shot a few still hunting or stalker as we call it. It is one of the hardest ways to get a deer :imo: . Like already said, if you think you're going slow enough then slow down. Also look low to the ground and as far out ahead of you as you can, looking for strange little things that move.

I personally like hunting from a stand. Like Roundball, I scout an area and note where the deer move to and at what times. I then set up a stand and basically ambush them for a better word.

That's a nice rifle you got and should work real well for you.. My friend hunts with a .50 caliber New Englander but he shoots maxiball out of it. It really flattens deer. His longest shot that I have heard of is a hair over 70 yards and he said it looked like someone was pouring blood from a bucket onto the snow...

Good luck

 

[KyFlintlock]

another thing or two:

Listen for the other animals to tell you stuff. A blue jay is the biggest mouth in the woods, along with chick-a-dees and the occasional squirrel. They can tell you all kinds of stuff if'n you listen....especially if YOU are moving too fast. ::

Also, as mentioned earlier: scouting is also key. If you KNOW that deer bed or use a certain place, then you slow down more and look cause you KNOW there is one lurking around close.

Good luck and I wish it were deer season tomorrow!!

 

[BrownBear]

Over the years I have taken about 99% of my deer still hunting, mostly because I go nuts sitting. The first read I ever found that made sense is still good today if you can locate a copy in a used book store or library. It's Lawrence R. Koller's "Shots at Whitetails" originally written in 1948. In 1970 it was republished by Alfred A Knopf. I have both versions, but the later one has an excellent intro piece by Jack O'Connor. Nothing in it about muzzleloading, but there's a whole lot of deer sense.

 

[Flint50]

When I still hunt, I hunt more with my eyes and ears than my legs. It can take a llloooooonnnnngggg time to cover a short distance.
Look for parts of a deer body.
Sometimes just an ear or antler tip or leg will be visible. Sometimes a flushing bird can alert you to an approaching deer. Keep an eye on the ground so as not to step on branches and twigs that "snap" (sometimes impossible tho...) I try to keep my outline broken up, using brush, trees and shadows if possible.And keep in mind the wind direction. I think wind in your face or quartering is best.Like it was already said, still hunting in a high percentage area will help. I usually use a move-sit-move-sit sequence. Good camo and a scent mask/block never hurts.
and dont forget to enjoy the great outdoors. You can see a lot of critters this way. I once had a gray fox walk within 10 feet! To me the main thing is to have fun, and, hey if I get something, it is the icing on the cake! Hope this helps.

Flint50

 

[Gary]

There's some excellent anecdotes about stalking in the Bedtime Stories thread of THR. In them the Native Americans used their hunting techniques to move to a position where they could shoot or capture their Confederate sharpshooter prey. As mentioned above, it's basically grounded on camouflage, slow movement (movement attracts the eye), studying the land prior to moving so as to make maximum use of natural features of the terrain (folds in the ground, rocks, trees, shrubbery) and plenty of patience.

There's a modern tracker (John Brown?) who describes laying out in the open motionless and having birds eat seeds from his hand. Good lesson.

 

[Finnwolf]

Hey LumBuff,
I'm no expert but I've been doing it for almost 20 years, last 10 with my T/C PA hunter in .50 cal PRB. You've already got some great advice like keep the wind in your face, move slower than slow, move from tree to tree to break up your outline. I would add pick the right conditions - what works in a soft snow oe wet leaves will not work in frozen or dry leaves. The noise level on a still day will be masked when the wind is blowing a little, a good time to mooch around. I tend to sit in the prime times - early AM and later afternoon but I very often move about in between. When there are folks in the woods I sit but when no one's around to move the deer, I walk. This is very important - when I'm on the move, I rely on a good pair of binoculars. Many, many times I've spooked deer but they aren't sure what I am yet so they don't bail, they just get up and slowly move away, stopping and looking back. This is when you get a short range shot at a slowly walking or standing deer. I love it when that happens!
Finnwolf

 

[Stumpkiller]

I use a variation on still-hunting. It's much easier to let a deer walk up on you, as their senses for sound and spotting movement are about 5X better than the best of us. Their sense of smell is 100X better, but when using the wind to your advantage (ALWAYS move into it or at least quartering across it) you can beat that one. I get in an hour before sun-up to a spot I have scouted out sometime prior. I attach the seat shown below (which I carry over my shoulder with my haversack over it) and sit as long as I can. It is usually 10

 

[Slamfire]

In addition to moving slow, put your foot down toe first, followed by your heel, take an odd number of steps. Stop and look all around, then squat and do it again. You can't move too slow. Check your six, them mossy horns will sneak out behind you evey time. :thumbsup:

 

[jim gray]

I always try to keep the wind in my face and stop every few paces to observe absolutely everything. Be alert to every detail of your environmnent and use every sense to locate your quarry.

The hardest part is the concentration required to maintain the level of alertness needed to still hunt successfully. It's a lot like walking point on a combat patrol.

Moving silently in the woods is a difficult art to master and there is no substitute for practice. Get out there as often as you can and always move as quietly as you can before long you will surprise yourself with your progress.

 

Everyones informaiton is great. I've stalked up 3 deer and took them in 39 years of deer hunting. Except for the buck hanging on the wall they are most memorable hunts and I can recall every detail from the time I spotted the deer. It is the most difficult in my opinion and also the most rewarding and exhausting if done correctly.

I pay attention to the weather first. In our hardwood forests here in the Ozarks if it hasn't rained or snowed recently they're like walking through a bowl of corn flakes. I hunt mostly our land and the wind has to be out of the right direction for any chance of success because of the lay of the land. I also like a cloudy or drizzly day. The admonishment to move slow as molasses in January cannot be overstated. Binoculars are almost a must also, at least for me. I particularly like the quote "they're full time deer and we're part time hunters". Sitting on a stand for a while first thing in the morning is great as it allows our minds and bodies to slow down and our senses to sharpen. That's probably the first step one needs to take. Tune in to the woods.

You got the best advice that could be given anywhere. Now all ya gotta do is put it into practice! Good luck!

Vic

 

[chickenlittle]

I can't say as I've had any success still hunting. I'd recommend practicing now. Take your camera and try to get some pictures of deer. I meant to practice last spring and this spring but this is my busy time for work. In a few more weeks, maybe I can spend some time outdoors.

The discipline to remain slow for a long time is a big challenge for me. Patience is a must. The wind ALWAYS seems to shift on me too. Start out into it and 5 minutes later it is blowing from behind you. Try quartering and 5 minutes later its blowing from behind you again. Argh! :curse:

 

[rlehman]

Lots of great information has already been posted. I used to practice on saturday mornings looking for a doe on a particulure hillside. Many times I was able to get within bow range but I never shot her because she was to much fun. Move from tree to tree and "sound like a chipmonk" move in a erradic pattern, men and even deer often move in a pattern and I've heard deer making so much noise moving through leaves, one deer can sound like a heard. IMO chamo is less important then making sure your clothes do not "glow" from the whitners used in laundry soap. I once met an oldtimer who could sneak up on a ghost and never owned chamo.

One thing I was never able to master was how to hunt a standing cornfield. If anyone has mastered this, I would like to know how they do it.

 

[Finnwolf]

Hi Stumpy,
Thanks for sharing your seat pattern. I've got a modern version I bought many years ago for a few bucks at a flea market. It's a lot smaller but it's all steel construction with a seatbelt type of buckle. Always seems to be clanking when I'm carrying it, clicking too loud when I attach it or squeaking when I'm sitting on it. From the looks of yours, I'll bet it weighs half as much as mine. With your permission, I think I'll make me a copy?
Finnwolf

 

[Stumpkiller]

That's what it's here for. I stole it from Dean Torges and modified the attachment system so it doesn't need a bunch of knots. I used 1/2" plywood and nailed a piece of steam hose slit lengthwise in the tree groove.

I use my knee to press it up against the tree, leave the rope just loose enough that when pulled up 8" +/- on the backside or the tree and the seat is leveled out it is tight when your butt is on it. Get it high enough so that your butt is over your knees, so you can stand up easy (and you don't crash if it slips).

 

[Snowshoe]

I hunt in the northern most part of Minnesota in the late Muzzle loader season, If you have fresh snow it works well to move into or across the wind and move from tree to tree.3-6 inches of fresh snow cover your sound well. I also carry a folding chair, find a trail and hunt back 40-50 yards and sit in a shadow behind a fallen tree or something. I have had a lot of success doing this. I seems that the low sun that time of year makes long shadows and deer have a harder time seeing you. I have met deer on thier own trails and last year I got a nice doe 20 yards away that came up behind me. she didn't see me move into shooting position. I could never have done that in the early archery season.
Shoe

 

[drwhip]

Ditto to all that's been said above. For me, the importance of picking apart the brush with binos can't be overstated. I shot my elk this year in her bed at 30 yards and she never knew I was there. I saw her rump patch in the binos and was able to move into position for a shot. When I'm stillhunting, I'll glass everything I can see and when I'm satisfied that there's no critters about, I'll move very slowly 10 to 20 yards and the whole perspective changes. You'll be able to see through different lanes every time you move. Glass, move, etc....also get down on your knees and look. You'll see things different from that perspective. When conditions are noisy I'll do the toe/heel walk so that you get that "crunch, crunch.....pause.....crunch, crunch.....pause kind of cadence going. If you watch a deer or elk walk you'll notice that they move two legs, there's a slight pause, then move two more, so you're imitating what just sounds like another animal in the woods. Rest assured that they will be aware you're there, but they won't be on edge and ready to bolt. I walked up on a small herd of elk this way this year in the noisiest snow conditions imaginable and while they were all looking my way when I saw them, I could have easily shot one of them as they just stood there wondering why that other elk they heard was up and walking on two legs! Anyhows, have fun and if you get one on the ground stillhunting, know you've earned it :thumbsup:
Regards, Bearman