Stalking advice
12-07-2006, 09:01 AM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Virginia
Posts: 753
Stalking advice
I am planningmy first realstalking hunt on Saturday and would appreciate some advice. What do you do with your bow/arrows while you are stalking? I assume a bow sling would be useful, but it seems like, once you think you are getting close, it would make some noise/create a fair amount of movement to stop, pull an arrow out of your quiver and nock it. Do youstalk with a nocked arrow?
Thanks for any advice.
Thanks for any advice.
12-07-2006, 09:08 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Southwest Ohio
Posts: 2,849
RE: Stalking advice
Well, first of all, hope that Saturday is fairly windy. That gives you a lot of advantages... HA let me rephrase that... that takes away a some of their advantages. The excess movement of underbrush, etc will help hide your movement and the sounds it makes. I stalk with a slung bow, no arrow nocked. I usually only nock once I am either close enough for a shot or the approach I am going to take allows it. It is hard to slither along the ground with an arrow on the string for instance. Don't expect to sneak all the way up. Sometimes all you can do is get relatively close and hope they wonder by, which if you don't spook them, it is amazing how often that will happen. Good luck and enjoy. I feel like there is nothing more exciting than a spot and stalk hunt.
12-07-2006, 09:13 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Eastern Shore MD
Posts: 2,487
RE: Stalking advice
Stalk w/ arrow nocked. Move very slow, and keep low to the ground. Keep the wind in your favor.
The biggest thing w/ stalking is patientence, let them come to you once you get close enough.
The biggest thing w/ stalking is patientence, let them come to you once you get close enough.
12-07-2006, 09:23 AM
#5
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Roanoke, Va
Posts: 3,562
RE: Stalking advice
I went with my dad this past weekend in the mountains on doe day. I had my rifle and decided tostalk since it had rained a couple days prior (leaves were still dry though). I began walking up a hill (you can only be so quiet walking up a hill in thousands of leaves) and spotted a deer looking at me about 55 yards away. I put my scope on its head to see what it was and noticed the other one right beside it.
Well, they put their heads back down and continued eating. I knew they must have seen me. So I began walking towards while they were walking away. Anyway, they let me do this for about4 minutes and I gained about 15 yards on them making the total distance about 40 yards which I consider bow range.
I didn't shoot because I had plenty of meat and wanted to fill my last buck tag. I also thought that was the coolest thing. They were alert the whole time but still allowed me to get within range. They never ran off.
The reason I told this story is b/c anything can happen in the deer woods. Sometimes it seems so hard but other times its a piece of cake. Always expect the unexpected.
Good luck!
Well, they put their heads back down and continued eating. I knew they must have seen me. So I began walking towards while they were walking away. Anyway, they let me do this for about4 minutes and I gained about 15 yards on them making the total distance about 40 yards which I consider bow range.
I didn't shoot because I had plenty of meat and wanted to fill my last buck tag. I also thought that was the coolest thing. They were alert the whole time but still allowed me to get within range. They never ran off.
The reason I told this story is b/c anything can happen in the deer woods. Sometimes it seems so hard but other times its a piece of cake. Always expect the unexpected.
Good luck!
12-07-2006, 09:49 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,394
RE: Stalking advice
Wind, wind, wind, can't say it enough.
Know where you're going, and how you plan to get there, unnoticed,before you start.
You may have to wait for frost to melt before you start walking, since the leaves will be really noisy. If so, I like to start in a high traffic area, since they may come by before you start walking.
With a bow, you'll probably want to be on the side of a hill looking down to where you plan on shooting if possible.
Plan how long you think it will take to get where you are going and consider the position of the sun. Try not to walk directly toward the sun, since you won't be able to see very well, but don't compromise playing the wind to not walk toward the sun.
Only you can decide whether to nock and arrow or not. Having one ready, will make it harder to be quiet and the broad head will want to grab onto everything, but not having one will obviously make taking a surprise shot much harder, meaning at a deer that you are surprised to see.
No matter what, wear you quietest clothes. If the ground is dry, you may even consider taking off your boots when you get in close. You'd be amazed at how quiet you can be in wool socks.
Wear orange on your head, or you may not have it for long.
Use binoculars.
A thread hanging from your bow will update you on wind conditions constantly.
Pause next to trees to break up your outline.
Pause for a while, or until you've scanned the whole area after you break a stick or make any other large animal sounds in the woods. All eyes are watching your specific area at this moment.
If you know that a deer has busted you, but hasn't started running away, you may consider simply turning and walking away from the deer, as if you were just going that way anyway. When you know they can no longer see you, take up the stalk again, or better yet cut them off where you think they were headed.
Cover your face with camo or your glove if a deer looks at you, or at least close one eye.
Convenience your self that every single step counts!
Take breaks at major crossings, while paying attention to the wind.
Tell someone where you will be and when you plan on returning.
Carry a pack with enough supplies to spend at least one night, and have a first aid kit.
If you have to make noise, try to mimic a squirrel, turkey or other animal. Bring other animal calls along.Turkey, squirrel or whatever calls you are comfortable using. They can help set the deer at ease.
If this is your first time, go on a day when it is legal to shoot a doe. This increases your odds, and I've found that many people don't understand how hard this really is, so they will become discouraged and not continue. If you can improve your odds at getting a deer this way, I'm pretty sure it will become your favorite way to hunt.
Wet leave also increases your odds for being unnoticed.
Rubber boots allow you to walk in a stream in otherwise impassable places. Chest waders will allow you to walk right up a creek. I'm amazed at how many good, active crossings there are on creeks. Problem with this is, a bow and arrow will be next to impossible to get a shot since you are so low on the terrain when you're in water. If using a bow, I would only use the water as a way to get to a remote location and then get back on the land to continue the stalk.
Are you stalking a specific deer? Or just trying it out and planning to take whatever is available to you?
Know where you're going, and how you plan to get there, unnoticed,before you start.
You may have to wait for frost to melt before you start walking, since the leaves will be really noisy. If so, I like to start in a high traffic area, since they may come by before you start walking.
With a bow, you'll probably want to be on the side of a hill looking down to where you plan on shooting if possible.
Plan how long you think it will take to get where you are going and consider the position of the sun. Try not to walk directly toward the sun, since you won't be able to see very well, but don't compromise playing the wind to not walk toward the sun.
Only you can decide whether to nock and arrow or not. Having one ready, will make it harder to be quiet and the broad head will want to grab onto everything, but not having one will obviously make taking a surprise shot much harder, meaning at a deer that you are surprised to see.
No matter what, wear you quietest clothes. If the ground is dry, you may even consider taking off your boots when you get in close. You'd be amazed at how quiet you can be in wool socks.
Wear orange on your head, or you may not have it for long.
Use binoculars.
A thread hanging from your bow will update you on wind conditions constantly.
Pause next to trees to break up your outline.
Pause for a while, or until you've scanned the whole area after you break a stick or make any other large animal sounds in the woods. All eyes are watching your specific area at this moment.
If you know that a deer has busted you, but hasn't started running away, you may consider simply turning and walking away from the deer, as if you were just going that way anyway. When you know they can no longer see you, take up the stalk again, or better yet cut them off where you think they were headed.
Cover your face with camo or your glove if a deer looks at you, or at least close one eye.
Convenience your self that every single step counts!
Take breaks at major crossings, while paying attention to the wind.
Tell someone where you will be and when you plan on returning.
Carry a pack with enough supplies to spend at least one night, and have a first aid kit.
If you have to make noise, try to mimic a squirrel, turkey or other animal. Bring other animal calls along.Turkey, squirrel or whatever calls you are comfortable using. They can help set the deer at ease.
If this is your first time, go on a day when it is legal to shoot a doe. This increases your odds, and I've found that many people don't understand how hard this really is, so they will become discouraged and not continue. If you can improve your odds at getting a deer this way, I'm pretty sure it will become your favorite way to hunt.
Wet leave also increases your odds for being unnoticed.
Rubber boots allow you to walk in a stream in otherwise impassable places. Chest waders will allow you to walk right up a creek. I'm amazed at how many good, active crossings there are on creeks. Problem with this is, a bow and arrow will be next to impossible to get a shot since you are so low on the terrain when you're in water. If using a bow, I would only use the water as a way to get to a remote location and then get back on the land to continue the stalk.
Are you stalking a specific deer? Or just trying it out and planning to take whatever is available to you?
12-07-2006, 10:05 AM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 3,763
RE: Stalking advice
Arrow knocked, good wind, and it doesnt hurt to have damp ground so you dont make noise walking.
Heres a video of Shawn (RossHunter334) and I stalkin a doe earlier this season. The wind was in our face and there was a slight drissle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er2h4lWEwP8
Heres a video of Shawn (RossHunter334) and I stalkin a doe earlier this season. The wind was in our face and there was a slight drissle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er2h4lWEwP8
