Throughout my couple of years of deer hunting, I've always hunted out of stands and blinds. i hear there are some people who stalk when hunting deer as well. I was thinking about trying somthing like that this year to make it a little more interesting. It seems as if it may be a little more fun to stalk instead of just sitting in a stand and waiting for something to pass by. My question is, what are some of the best techniques to use when stalking? This will be my first time and I don't want to just get out there and start walking around the woods and going about it all wrong. I know that I should be very quiete and where a lot of orange if there are others hunting the area, but what else should I keep in mind??? And what areas are best for stalking? Any pointers are appreciated.
Try looking at a hillside with the sun at your back. I hunt over a little valley where I will hunt one side in the morning and one side at night. The advantage to this is with the sun to your back and shining on the hill you are looking at the deer's coat will somewhat shine and make them stick out a little more. Makes them much easier to spot.
I have stalked DEER many times.
Things to remember
-Keep them up wind
-when you have a shot, TAKE it, you might not get a second chance
-make sure you are the only hunter doing it, you could get mistaken for game
-have fun, its a challenge
I love to stalk, stop & rattle. My absolute favorite way to hunt.
For me, I prefer a good, stout wind. Most "big fellas" are laid up.....so I pick out a point/path, and walk straight into the wind. I move EXTREMELY slow, only taking 2-3 steps before looking around. I am in FULL CAMO with cover-up scent.
Using this procedure, I couldn't get even close to the number of bucks I have walked up on. You usually see the horns first, before the body. On most occasions, when the buck is finally spooked....he jumps up and stares you down, just trying to figure out what you are, and how come you got so close to him.
When stalking, I carry a 30-30 Marlin with a 1x4 Leopold scope (mainly for light gathering). Open sight is plenty OK. Most shots will be within 40 yards, so no need for a Magnum. Plus, the 30-30 caliber holds together when having to shoot through light brush.
Hope this helps. Good luck....this is the ultimate challenge for hunting big mature whitetail!
I have always scouted before the season starts. Looking for the bedding , feeding and water areas. Looking for the main game trails. Just before season starts the rut starts, so I look for the rubs and scraps. Depending on the winds and moon, I decide which way to go and when to go. /if full moon all night, they were eating. Early morning they are resting in their bedding areas, so I wait until mid morning to move. I always wear orange, keep my camo in a bag with scent wafers until time to stalk, and still put on some cover scent depending on the time of year. Hope this helps some. Just the way I have done it. Good luck
BTW, i agree with a good brush gun. I carry a Marlin .444.
Thanks ya'll. Thats the kinda info I was looking for. I've done some scouting and I know where they bed and some of there escape routes. I'm hoping the wind is to my advantage this weekend. This sounds like it's going to be exciting. I'll give ya'll an update after the weekend. Hopefully it's a good one.
The orange is not for you, it is for the other guy, who does not know if you are a "who or a doe."
I had a fully camo'ed stalker walk-up on me at SHNF at about 5PM on opening weekend 5 years ago. It is creepy recalling that for the 2 minutes between the time I heard him and saw him I was getting ready for the time to take aim.
Had he been wearing orange, I would have seen him before I heard him.
So....wear some orange. Only people and birds can see it.
Thanks, Bobby. I agree with everything you said about the 'other' hunter. I saw the guy on opening morning at 8:30 for some reason walking around, but either way, I still say them even before I heard them. Gave me time to wistle and they walked the other way.
It depends on what the surroundings are where you hunt, but most of my experience is in timber. If you think you're moving slow enough, slow down some more. Being downwind from where you are targeting the deer is one thing but movement is another and they'll ususally see you before you see them. No jerky movements and move your eyes instead of your head.
It's fun, try it. Whitetails aren't easy to sneak up on.
I have always scouted before the season starts. Looking for the bedding , feeding and water areas. Looking for the main game trails. Just before season starts the rut starts, so I look for the rubs and scraps.
As Rooster said, you need to move very slowly into the wind. It is best, when you have some wind to cover your noise. When you take those few steps, stop and glass for about 5 minutes or so. If you are covering more than 100 - 150 yards in one hour, you're moving too fast. The objective is to see them before they see you. So when glassing (scanning through the brush), keep an eye out for deer parts (ie: an outline of an ear, a tine, a leg etc.).
On the windy days, it can be very good mid-day looking for bedded bucks. Killing a buck in his bed... AWSOME! Good luck and be safe.
I hunted a pasture that was root-plowed into strips. You could use the brush strips for cover, then ease out and check the open strips. We walked right up on a couple of bucks feeding on a nice sunny afternoon. Should have taken the big 8 but of course it was too early in the year...I posted video of him last year.
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Originally Posted by gager2002 I have always scouted before the season starts. Looking for the bedding , feeding and water areas. Looking for the main game trails. Just before season starts the rut starts, so I look for the rubs and scraps.
Same here also.
But when I stalk I do it in mid day when most hunters are back at camp eating etc. I use a sent rag(doe pee) tied to my boot and drag it. I've had bucks come crashing through the wood towards me. So be ready if doing this and keep your ears sharp. As Trouthunter stated move very slow. watch and listen. And be ready at all times. when it happens its quick. I've had them come running through draws from something else that scared them and it happens fast when they're on the go. Its more fun to me then sitting and waiting to. In the east texas woods or the canyons out west, I love it. I'll be in Mississippi chasing Cow/deer next week doing the same thing. Have fun!
Waterspout, that sounds pretty awesome. I was thinking about doing it mid day too. I think I'm going to get in my stand in the morning, and then in mid day, do some stalking. Hopefully I can run up on some deer myself. I'll be in SouthEast Texas in Hardin county.
the cool thing is most guys around me sleep after eating in the morning. No one is running four wheeler. The deer calm down . When you leave camp walk the whole time. If you kill something go back and get your ride to retrieve your game. once you leave the camp I walk little trails roads etc. once your aw2ay from camp load that pee on a trailer rag tied off and get ready for some fun. The deer will move more it seems when they hear everyone go to camp and talk loud and cook. they smell them at camp and run around laughing. LOL
I love to get out of the stand and walk. We have a very tight buck/doe ratio at our lease, the bucks take over the feeders. I may see 7-8 bucks and no does on a typical hunt. When stalking I want either a wind in my face or quartering. A side wind is not too bad either. If I can get it, I like it when the ground is wet, either from a rain or heavy dew. You definately want wind, to help knock out your sound of traveling. Rooster is right. Go slow. If you think you are going too slow, slow down. Stop and look. I cannot stress that enough. Try to stay close to brush when you are walking, and stop next to a bush or tree. Great way to hunt deer. Also, use a rest. Take a shooting stick, use a tree limb (remember stopping next to a bush or tree?) sit down, whatever, but never shoot offhand if you can get a rest. Good luck.
BB
Waterspout, that sounds pretty awesome. I was thinking about doing it mid day too. I think I'm going to get in my stand in the morning, and then in mid day, do some stalking. Hopefully I can run up on some deer myself. I'll be in SouthEast Texas in Hardin county.
I have stalked in Harden for 15 yrs. most of my Deer have been taken on stalks north of Devers in that dang swampy forest from He11 ..LOL North of the store way past the tracks. Its fun walking all those logging roads watching all kinds of game. be careful and know your area well. we've look for half the night plus for lost people in those woods. they are some of the thickest there are so watch and mark your trail if you aren't familiar with the area. seriously!
The lease that I'm on in that county is about 4000 acres and I don't think it is as for as where you were. I'm about 5 miles North of Kountze on the left side of 69. But, you are right about it being swampy. When it rains, it gets pretty bad in there sometimes. And you can get lost if you don't know where you're going.
I like to stalk trails early in the morning and late in the evening. I hunt heavy brush so 3 1/2 in 00 buck 12 gauge is a must...Very exciting. I highly recommend it
Stalking is a very rewarding and succesful way to hunt. Be patient. Go sloooooow. Even stop and rest (in the shadows, against a tree, etc.). Try not to walk with a rhythm. Be one with surroundings. Watch birds, squirrels, etc, to see if your presence is known. If you are alarming game slowdown somemore. Shotgun is very good weapon. Have fun and good luck.
I think what you are calling stalking is actually still hunting. Walking very slowly and stopping frequently to scan the area. When I think of stalking I think of someone seeing an animal and carefully working their way much closer to them so they can take a shot. I hate sitting in a blind so I typically "hunt" our place by walking around and checking the feeders and areas I know they congregate. This is just my view and I'm not trying to question how someone does something.
I think you're right PoBoy. If you look at the real meaning of the word "Stalking" you're right. But, I think it's all hunting, just different forms. And it can all be rewarding as well. I just would like to try something different. Maybe before that animal is sighted in order to stalk it, I may be just walking and scanninng the area. Once I see the animal, and then it's being stalked. You can look at it different ways. But, it's all exciting to me...
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