Home › Forums › Campfire Forum › I need some advice on stalking and getting close to game
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I’ve been carrying a stickbow for about 6 years now and have a terrible time getting close to whitetails and elk. I’ve used treestands and blinds, but would like to hunt from the ground more. I’m thinking about a ghillie suit, but it seems like whenever an animal gets close they can hear what I’m thinking. I seem to get “busted” drawing my bow or shifting directions as an animal approaches. I have missed some shots (about 20 yds) and need to get even closer if I can (10-15 yds). Trad Bowh Mag articles make it sound so easy…
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Hi,
I hope you get some good answers as I could use the information myself. My first year bowhunting I had two shots at deer on the ground. I blew both of them, exactly the same, about 18 inches to the left. My technique on getting close was to act like I wasn’t hunting, only I wasn’t acting, and just walk up on deer that must have been either just waking up or thinking who is this harmless stumblebum? If I could have made my shots work they were in good range. dwcphoto
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I’m not a pro by any means…. I’ve only shot 1 deer OTG with archery equipment. And it wasn’t trad equipment….
If I were to target whitetails OTG, these are a few things I’d pay attention to.
The wind. Absolutely critical if you ask me. Keep the wind in your face at all times.
If I wanted to stalk, I’d only do it in a light rain, or shortly after it had stopped raining. Trying to approach whitetails in very dry conditions here in the southeastern woods is well… challenging to say the least! Lol!
I would do most of my OTG hunting on funnels leading to, from, or right on top of food sources. I’d either construct a natural blind well in advance of my hunt date or make sure my background completely eliminates my outline.
And back to the wind.. play the wind right all the time!
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Get in some thick stuff the critters are using the best and most quiet way you can. Assuming the overall sign is what you want, scope out some potential shooting lanes. Even 1 or 2 3′ openings will do because they won’ t move fast in that stuff. Use that little folding saw you always carry to cut out the stray sapling or two, but only if you have to and cover up any ” shiners”, the little stumplets with a little dirt, mud or other debris. Find some natural depression, combine it with natural cover, enhanced with just a very few pruning cuts for bow clearance and/or just a little enhancement to the cover if needed. Watch the wind and get in there early and be prepared to sit all day. Have a few spots like that and you’ ll ” bushwack” one eventually. If the cover is right you’ ll be able to draw before they step in the lane. Best I can offer since my one pecker finger on this phone is wearing out! Such a huge, fun subject a person could go on and on…
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Those high wind days are good for stalking , too. One must train theirself to take 12 inch steps ,,,even less sometimes . Always target the bigger trees .Make it a point of destination to always stop by a big tree to break up your outline . You must work toward them as your next stopping point . At the same time watching and scanning the whole area and as far as you can see clearly .SLOWLY.
Be aware of saddles and gulleys . All game will go to them , even under pressure ,,,generally . The slightest depression in the landscape is an attraction to all prey species for escape and general travel . Predators follow this same path to aquire a meal . Think about it ,,,,a lot !
Predators favor high spots for bedding . Prey favor lower spots , hillsides and beside low ridges that create the lee side of wind currents . They always bed with their butt toward the wind . This enables them to SMELL any approaching danger from upwind . Their eyes and ears cover the downwind side . It’s generally best to approach a bedding area with a cross wind in your favor.
Time is critical . If you are pressed for time ,,,like you must be somewhere at a certain time ,,,,don’t ruin your chance by trying to step up the pace and rush things .
BIG GLASSES. Use them from every stopping point in your stalk . And , be advised , on overcast days with a snow on the ground , things begin to look either black or white . Slow dow ,,,use the binocs ,,,check each and every shape .
Best of huntin’ to ya
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I’ve never hunted whities but love to hunt elk. They tend to ignore noise more than deer so you can get away with a little. But you have to beat the nose or its game over, period.
I have a ghillie bowhunters hat/hood, whatever you call it, and wear an asat 3d jacket, used to wear the asat 3d hood. If you hunt hot weather it is very cool, I’ve been known to hunt with the suit on over a pair of shorts. Any way, I had a cow elk one time stick her face right into mine so close I could have slapped her on the nose with my hand. Have had birds land on my shoulders and chipmunks crawl into my lap. They work.
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dwrobleski wrote: I’m thinking about a ghillie suit,
I suppose it depends on how dense your vegetation is, but if it’s thick, a ghillie will make you louder. And they’re HOT man. I suppose you’ll be hunting in winter so that won’t matter. A ‘head and shoulders’ is a good compromise, like the name says, it leaves most of your torso and all of your legs free, but still does a good job of changing your shape, particularly in long grass or if you’re crouching.
I’ve never hunted deer but my experience is that unless you’re covering a lot of open ground, as long as you move slowly, wind direction and snapping sticks/crunching leaves will give you away more often.
Anyway, plenty more experienced guys than me here. Hopefully someone can help. I intend to buy that book suggested above. No need to reinvent wheels 😛
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Have Faith!! Since watching a mountain lion can be rare and difficult, watch a cat do it, and believe you can do it like the cat.
Sounds like a simplistic piece of advice, but to me, it really is the bottom line. Everything else is an infinite number of details.
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Alex,
I’ve been watching my cat stalk a laser pointer for years. Still, North Korea’s last nuclear test made less noise than me in the woods trying to be “stealthy” 😕 . I have been hunting from a stand for a while, so now I just try to get to my stand without letting every animal in the county know I am there. I figure I will just build on that. I would like to read some suggestions though.
There is one situation in particular I find impossible. Once the leaves fall (the farm I have permission to hunt has many black walnuts, and those leaves seem to fall early), I just cannot seem to make my way through the sea of dry dead crunchy things. Meanwhile, I have sean deer walk through them without a sound. Is there a secret? Footwear, technique, levitation, what?
Be well.
Alex
❓
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When I walk thru the woods I am always walking on my toes and I walk slowly but do not necessarily stop. I can feel what is underneath my toes alot more than my heels and I wrap my foot around whatever it is underneath my foot weather it be a leaf or a stick. When I do stop it is always next to a tree big rock stick pile etc. I would also recommend taking smaller steps and LOOK where you are stepping find the areas of bare earth to step on.
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There are a couple of books that can help with some of this “The StillHunter” by Theodore Van Dyke He does a good job of dissecting pieces of land and how deer and elk mostly move on them. Again though wind is important to have in your face and read the terrain and stop where to break up your outline for how to move and how fast “Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking” in there he talks about moving as slow as a fox, and with the same footstep as a fox so to not be heard by the game as you come.
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Would love to say “Sneak from tree to tree” but it seems the between is more so than the trees! 😀
An old self bow hunter told me “just play like you ain’t there and go as slow as you can then put’er into granny and slow down”.
In this case, pick another spot methinks.:lol:
Ralph!
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This is probably obvious, but footwear can make a huge difference. Go with something that has a soft and flexible sole, not the usual heavy, stiff boots that most people have convinced themselves they need for hunting.
And then work on technique. If you can find a copy of Tom Brown’s “Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking” he has a good chapter in there about foot technique and moving silently. I learned a lot from practicing the tips in that book. Learn to not walk like a modern day human, but like a cat, or a fox. Learn how to “feel” what is ahead of you with your feet, before you transfer your weight. Cultivate a continual awareness of what is in front of you and in your path as you move, without having to always look down – it can be done.
Practice moving silently whenever you go for a hike, all year-round. Pick out different ground types, and strategize how you will move across that particular piece of ground as quietly as possible. As I have learned to become more aware of my movement and foot technique, I am continually amazed at how much noise most people make when they are hiking in the woods. And how much game is spooked by noisy hikers and hunters.
Next time you are in the woods, spend a whole 10 minutes moving 100 feet. Then, double the amount of time and do it again.
And accept that stalking may not always be the best approach, given terrain and conditions. Sometimes, particularly early season when things can be very dry and noisy, you may be better off setting up and staying still and hoping the game will come to you.
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In regards to walking as quiet as possible. I try to do a few things in the woods.
If I’m in sneak mode, I always but my toes down first then slowly let the rest of my foot follow suit. Also you can turn your foot to the side a bit and let the side of your foot make ground contact first, then slowly roll your foot down flat. I always look for moss, dirt, wet logs on the ground, or anything that is more quiet than leaves to step in.
If you have creeks in your hunting area, walking in a creek slowly, while staying below ground level, is a great way to ease into a hunting area undetected.
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One of the most valuable principles for me is to remember that you cannot walk and look at the same time. Walking while looking leads to moving at too fast of a pace and stepping too heavily. I do not allow myself to walk and look at the same time; I take three slow steps, stop, wait, look, and then repeat. I may take an extra step or two if it puts me in a shadow or next to a large tree.
It has taken me as long as half an hour to cover 50-60 feet, but that pace has gotten me to within 12 yards of a six point buck this year. I was about 12 yards away from it, needed to take another step to get a clear shot, and then the wind shifted! 😯
Just for kicks this fall (we do not have a fall turkey archery season here in Arkansas), I put the sneak on a group of jakes that I spotted. I got to within long bow range of them as they scratched for acorns and chatted among themselves. After getting to watch them a bit, I stayed in some thick stuff and let me move on away from me; I didn’t want them to ever know that I was there.
To me walking quietly in the woods is as much of a state of mind as it is physical technique.
I once snuck up on Dave Petersen in the woods while we were hunting together, my highest acheivement to date! 😀
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Wexbow
No, he was in fine condition, at least on that day..I was able to sneak up on him because he was leaned up on a juke box, tapping his foot, and talking to a waitress. 😯 Just kidding…
With all due respect, Dave is as quiet in the woods as anyone that I have ever hunted with. He has an article in TBM from years ago that is about walking quietly in the woods. It is excellent.
Asbell’s book on stalking and ground hunting is solid as well.
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JodyS wrote: Wexbow
No, he was in fine condition, at least on that day..I was able to sneak up on him because he was leaned up on a juke box, tapping his foot, and talking to a waitress. 😯 Just kidding…
With all due respect, Dave is as quiet in the woods as anyone that I have ever hunted with. He has an article in TBM from years ago that is about walking quietly in the woods. It is excellent.
Asbell’s book on stalking and ground hunting is solid as well.
With regards to the above mentioned article in TBM, any chance of posting it here…? Thanks!!
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The article, The Practice of Silence, was published in the Oct/Nov 09 issue. It is still available in print, so it’s not available in digital format. 🙁
I also understand that the article will be revised and expanded in Dave’s upcoming book, The Good Hunt. I will post more info on that when it is available.
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TBMADMIN wrote: The article, The Practice of Silence, was published in the Oct/Nov 09 issue. It is still available in print, so it’s not available in digital format. 🙁
I also understand that the article will be revised and expanded in Dave’s upcoming book, The Good Hunt. I will post more info on that when it is available.
Thank you!
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I think it’s imperative to practice moving silently. Too often we wait til a few weeks before the season. Smithhammer mentioned foxwalking which is a great technique. Get a few kids together if you can and make a game out of it. One kid sits with a blindfold on and a tennis ball on the ground next to him. Everyone else is standing in a circle about 30 or 40 feet across. One at a time the kids in the circle move as quietly as possible to try to get the ball. The blindfolded kid points in the direction of sounds he might hear. If he points at the stalker, the stalker is out. It’s a great way to learn how to move silently. Mix up the terrain to make it interesting.
Practice practice practice and if you forget the wind you can forget filling a tag.
I use a ghillie also. Here in CA it’s damn hot so I just use the jacket and boonie. I’ve been using a shemagh with good results when callin in coyotes.
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I would add plan each leg of the stalk even if its a few meters look closely at the ground to chose the best route so as to avoid briars, thorns or dry vegetation if possible, also be aware of birds and know their alarm calls, look up don’t move if there are corvids that might spot your movement.
If you have a good view point always watch birds crows, magpies etc. you may see where they are feeding on a carcass or remains of someones field dressed animal and will often see other hunters before you do
Also before you move use binoculars to look into the dark areas of vegetation where an animal might be lay up.
If you get that sixth sense telling you to stay put, stay put, if only for a few minutes and look again before you move always better to look and plan twice rather than bump something.
Enough said about ghillies, if vegetation is thin I use some well weathered skrim netting I use it to make hides add background or just over my shoulders when I’m sat quite.
Mark.
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When you think of moving slowly you are moving too fast. Think grapevine slow. Plan your hunt for an area of deer concentration such as funnels leading between feeding and bedding areas then become part of the habitat. If you must move do so only to improve your position. You will never beat a whitetail’s nose so mind the wind. rustling leaves are a part of nature’s ambience but cracking sticks are not. Avoid lifting your feet completly off the ground by sort of sliding your toes forward to gently clear a path for your foot. Blending into the background is far more important than screening your foreground.
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When I was a kid I practiced a version of “foxwalking” that has paid dividends in later years. I knew an area where foxes hung out. I would go there after school, slide quietly into the woods and wait. Sometimes I was rewarded with the appearance of a fox. Then it was game on: Follow the fox without it being aware of me.
The same thing can be done for any game species you care to mention, and it is as close to hunting as you can get in the off season. If you want to hunt deer/turkeys/elk/moose, etc., go “hunt” them in all seasons. You’ll eventually teach yourself how to be quiet and limit your motion. Each time you spook an animal, you’ll probably know why. Pay close attention to your scent, the wind, your movements, your noise and your outline against a background. Then next time you won’t make the same mistake.
Personally, I think the biggest challenge is to find a bear and follow it. I’ve never succeeded for any length of time, but it’s a real kick when the opportunity presents itself. But I advise against doing that in Alaska …
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I do the “two-step”, never taking more then two steps at a time, looking all around at each pause, arrow nocked, off hands thumb hooked in my pocket to keep movement down… SLOW down, critters dont wear watches and if it takes you an hour to move 100yards through good game country, your probably going to fast… Good camo,(asat is goood, but a mix of paterns seems to work best for me, darker top, browner pants for fall woods).. and footwear is key when I’m trying to get through live oaks were it sounds like walking on cornflakes, I made these for this years hunts, I’ll prob wear out the soles quickly, but I’ll be adding some carpet to them, the illegals crossing our borders everyday use the same thing to hide their foot-prints(beats dropping your boots and going in socks for a final stalk, here in Az the rocks, cactus will surely slow you down, and NOT finding your boots after a blown stalkis NOT a pleasent walk back to the truck…)
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I chase Whitetails exclusively on the ground. Here’s a few tricks I use that help me at leaast get close…
First, pick your days sensibly. Some days are sneakers. Some days are sitters. Plain and simple.
Second, don’t sit in one area for too long. Especially low terrain. Your scent will build up. A few hours is usually all I will give a spot unles there’s decent air movement.
I do use a ghille jacket when I’m sitting. Never when stalking. I cut the sleeves off to allow less chance of tangles but it is still very effective. When I’m stalking, its in the pack.
I stalk in gym shoes and carry a pair of pack boot liners in my pack in case I choose to sit. The liners are very warm even by themselves and if it gets too cold I can easily drop a disposable hand warmer into them.
I also carefully plan my stalks on my GPS and maps. I don’t want to inadvertently wander into a bedding area or get turned around and be more concerned with being lost.
Those are the main things, I guess? Hope they help and best of luck!
Dave.
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– Stay downwind (keep some unwaxed floss on the tip of your bow)
– Never look them in the eye.
– Do not move unless they are looking away or behind a tree to draw.
– Be calm…they sense tension.
– If you know where they are headed, head them off and let them come to you.
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Well boiled down so far…
1) wind
2) sound. Stalk in or after rain when you can.
3) sight. Use cover, face paint, etc.
4) some good luck, karma, mojo… Whatever you call it.
5) keep practicing. Most still hunts/stalks with stic bows don’t kill game, but practice can help.
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