Those of you that still hunt, how do you do?

Always wear wool. It is warm and quiet. Hunt into the wind as much as possible. Look 3 times as much as you move. Stop near or behind cover or shadows as much as possible. Keep your gun in your hands, you can’t shoot with it on your shoulder. Hunt where there is fresh deer sign. Move slowly and quietly.
 
I've given up hunting, but still hunting was my favorite - I absolutely hate tree stands and ground blinds.

Clothing is wool. I don't bother with fancy camouflage, scent blockers, etc. I do think a full face covering is very helpful, but I really don't like wearing them. And I prefer very soft shoes, like moccasins.

I like to walk far into the country, mostly to get away from other hunters. I generally will crash around for the first mile, ease up during the second, and move slowly and quietly for the third. Then the hunting starts, which means an agonizingly slow step, then a complete pause while I look at every leaf in the forest. Then another agonizingly slow step, and repeat. I did find that in truly noisy conditions, like a carpet of dry leaves, trying to be silent is hopeless, and the resulting noise is very human. Instead, I tried to sound like a deer: take a step, land on my toes, then crunch down with my heel. Kind of a "two part" step that sounds much more natural in the woods.

If at all possible, I keep the wind in my face. Quartering toward me is about as good, but anything directly from the side or worse is pretty bad, and in that situation I generally will try to make a wide loop around my chosen area and then head in from a different direction.

And yes, I enjoy moving on foot. ;)
 
courtgreene said:
I’ve had SOME success still hunting, as in it happened twice, but am determined to get better at it. As such I, like you, have been trying to learn a lot. One thing I’ve heard that makes sense to me is that you should pick your days/weather conditions. When it’s really windy so that covers your movements through crunchy leaves (I’m in western nc), you still hunt.
Also practice. I was able to sneak close to one last week while just exploring a new area because I was more focused on finding food sources so I was moving crazy slow and even though I wasn’t really hunting I learned a good pace from that. So now I practice moving that speed. Tragically the deer was just on the other side of the ridge from me and when I popped over it took off, but my point is that the encounter showed me something. Move slow, stop often and stay stopped for a long time.
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Go on line and order the book The Still hunter by Van Dyke. Written a hundred years ago but lots of great information and tips. I have taken over 100 deer in my 50 years of deer hunting and probably 30 of those were while still hunting. I took my best buck to date while still hunting. Deer like to travel in cover so that’s where you need to hunt. If you can see 100 yards you are not hunting the right places.If you can see 20-50 yards you are in the right neighborhood. Hunt along streams and pond edges. Good luck.
 
I still hunt mostly during the rut . I kill most of my deer still hunting with a muzzleloader before the firearms season comes in . I still hunt from a tree stand . During firearms season here they mostly hunt with hounds . You don’t see the deer moving much once that starts unless a hound is running them . During the rut and before they start using the hounds , I put out some doe scent near my stand and I use a grunt call . I usually get there just when it is light enough to walk in and stay until I can’t see one . I bring food and water with me and a bottle to pee in . Just 3 more Saturday’s and I will be at it again . I saw a bunch of deer in the field behind my house this evening . I didn’t see anything that I would shoot though at the beginning of the season .
 
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I do not still hunt except on one access trail sometimes and that is only in rifle. Deer pop out of the trail and could be 30 to 150 yards. That is slow and methodical and takes practice to do. Most people do it too fast. I normally tree stand hunt and have about 9 of them on the farm we hunt. I use an ozone generator in the hunting closet to kill my scent on my clothes. I do not think you can "cover" your scent with other scents. it does not work on dogs and deer have better noses.

I would say the biggest keys to success hunting is knowing where to be. Knowing the deer movement and trails where you are hunting. knowing where the bedding areas are and have hunting location when yo can hunt and not have scent blow across the trails to them or into the bedding areas. We got some acorns dropping at one spot this year and saw maybe 14 deer in one morning sit. Three tree stands on an old field where we opened the fence up and food plotted inside. The deer can jump a 4' fence, but will normally use the openings.

I like a grunt call also, but think it works better turns down to a doe bleat. If they are searching and not locked on a trail they will come to investigate. I have had 8 points head directly away from a buck grunt. IMO, that only works on the top dogs that are itching to fight. The other bucks back off and walk away.
 
thank you all for your replies
i appreciate your time. Everyone has their way and I am looking for any tips that I could use to make me more successful.
I am wearing all wool as well (except for my boxer briefs😜) and I also have a pair of natural wool gloves.
i don’t like to wear a pack, but I do wear a waist pack.
my boots are Lacrosse burley’s with the air sole grip. Sometimes I wear my old Lacrosse aero heads. They don’t make the version I have any more….
my rifle is a Tikka T3x compact in .308 Win. 20” barrel and an over all length of one inch more than my model 94.
it is light at about 6.5 lbs. with the 1.75-5 x 32 scope on it. Light and agile.
I lIke to move along pretty quickly until I start seeing sign such as fresh scat, rubs, scrapes and especially tracks.
Digging for ferns, and other shoots, acorns that are crack open, and browse sign as well.
Fresh sign such as recent browsing combined with fresh shiny droppings is a time to slow way down and examine every little thing (something I need to get better at) it is now that I’m going to one step it, until I’m sure that I can move quicker.
As far as walking through the woods, everything makes noise. Even deer. So when I’m into sign or going slow, I vary the cadence of my steps. Usually in odd numbers. One step, three steps, or five steps. Between each set of steps I pause and look.
Fred Asbell talked about the toe to heel step in his book, but I (this greenhorn) don’t believe that’s necessary.
when I’m one stepping I’m approaching with my non dominant shoulder leading the way, so that if something pops up, in front, to my right or left I’m in position to get the muzzle of my rifle on target quickly an easily.
I like still hunting best after a snowstorm, second best is after or during a light rain. I’m pretty good at seeing deer if they are moving but Im not very good at seeing deer that are bedded. I getting to know my limitations, and when to stop and maybe sit a stump and look over an area.
 
Wolfshead said:
thank you all for your replies
i appreciate your time. Everyone has their way and I am looking for any tips that I could use to make me more successful.
I am wearing all wool as well (except for my boxer briefs😜) and I also have a pair of natural wool gloves.
i don’t like to wear a pack, but I do wear a waist pack.
my boots are Lacrosse burley’s with the air sole grip. Sometimes I wear my old Lacrosse aero heads. They don’t make the version I have any more….
my rifle is a Tikka T3x compact in .308 Win. 20” barrel and an over all length of one inch more than my model 94.
it is light at about 6.5 lbs. with the 1.75-5 x 32 scope on it. Light and agile.
I lIke to move along pretty quickly until I start seeing sign such as fresh scat, rubs, scrapes and especially tracks.
Digging for ferns, and other shoots, acorns that are crack open, and browse sign as well.
Fresh sign such as recent browsing combined with fresh shiny droppings is a time to slow way down and examine every little thing (something I need to get better at) it is now that I’m going to one step it, until I’m sure that I can move quicker.
As far as walking through the woods, everything makes noise. Even deer. So when I’m into sign or going slow, I vary the cadence of my steps. Usually in odd numbers. One step, three steps, or five steps. Between each set of steps I pause and look.
Fred Asbell talked about the toe to heel step in his book, but I (this greenhorn) don’t believe that’s necessary.
when I’m one stepping I’m approaching with my non dominant shoulder leading the way, so that if something pops up, in front, to my right or left I’m in position to get the muzzle of my rifle on target quickly an easily.
I like still hunting best after a snowstorm, second best is after or during a light rain. I’m pretty good at seeing deer if they are moving but Im not very good at seeing deer that are bedded. I getting to know my limitations, and when to stop and maybe sit a stump and look over an area.
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Usually if you have trouble seeing bedded deer it means you are looking too high. Scan the ground cover and don’t look for whole animals look for horizontal lines not vertical. Scan downed logs looking for ears. Deer like to bed next to logs where they can scan downhill. Remember to always keep your scope at its lowest setting in case they jump up right at your feet. All it takes is more practice. If you are spooking squirrels and chipmunks your moving too fast.
 
Once I get tired of watching the deer, I’ll surf, until the pigs get there.
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Holler if ya need help with those piggies...with the 3 teen grandsons living with us, freezer meat doesn't last long...;)

When I started hunting back in the early 70s we just dug a hole, brushed it in and chucked a chair of some sorts in. If it had a top over it, it was awesome. Later on, I just got used to slipping through the woods. I really liked it when there was just a slight drizzle or had rained overnight. Most of what we hunt is oak and hickory thickets and those big leaves make a lot of noise.

Nowadays, we just walk down the hill from the house and pick a spot with a view. The yaupon had grown up in the woods and made still hunting impossible. The deer love the cover though so it works. We're usually only after a couple of does anyway, but this year we do have eyes on a couple of older bucks. They were nice last year and even nicer year before.

Like a lot I see here, 40+ years of work has taken it's toll and I don't get around as I once did, but I do still get around. I try to get the grandsons to plan their hunt so that IF they shoot something, it's an easy recovery. We slipped in a little 10acre place we have last year. They got a nice 8pt at the opposite diagonal corner and had to drag it uphill back to the truck. Wouldn't have been bad but for all the greenvine, , and other underbrush they had to pull through. Lesson learned.
 
41 Mag said:
Holler if ya need help with those piggies...with the 3 teen grandsons living with us, freezer meat doesn't last long...;)

When I started hunting back in the early 70s we just dug a hole, brushed it in and chucked a chair of some sorts in. If it had a top over it, it was awesome. Later on, I just got used to slipping through the woods. I really liked it when there was just a slight drizzle or had rained overnight. Most of what we hunt is oak and hickory thickets and those big leaves make a lot of noise.

Nowadays, we just walk down the hill from the house and pick a spot with a view. The yaupon had grown up in the woods and made still hunting impossible. The deer love the cover though so it works. We're usually only after a couple of does anyway, but this year we do have eyes on a couple of older bucks. They were nice last year and even nicer year before.

Like a lot I see here, 40+ years of work has taken it's toll and I don't get around as I once did, but I do still get around. I try to get the grandsons to plan their hunt so that IF they shoot something, it's an easy recovery. We slipped in a little 10acre place we have last year. They got a nice 8pt at the opposite diagonal corner and had to drag it uphill back to the truck. Wouldn't have been bad but for all the greenvine, , and other underbrush they had to pull through. Lesson learned.
Click to expand...
Experience is a cruel teacher but the best at getting lessons to stay with you.
 
I’m heading out tomorrow.
Rifle season opened in the Northern section yesterday. I’m hoping most people will have gotten out yesterday, and today, and they are going back to work tomorrow.
I plan on spending the day wandering around with a purpose, and putting some of these recommendations into practice.
 
I was bow hunting yesterday and realized that my stiff and painful hip keeps me from picking up my foot in a natural manner. In deadfall I sounded like a drunken bull silverback gorilla on a rampage with all the sticks I was breaking and dragging my foot through.

It’s going to take some time to figure this out.

But yes I usually do a lot of still hunting.
 
Lots of good advice, I used to be good at this. Make sure nothing rattles, wear soft fleece or wool clothing that doesn't snag, do not walk at a steady pace. Dry leaves and twigs are going to be there where I hunt. Soft sole shoes are better, Heal or toe slowly. Deer trails often go through thick brush. A Light easy to balance rifle or pistol is best. I like a Winchester 94 in 30-30. I made sure to wash my clothes in baking soda or descenting soap and bath the same way. Careful with cover scents. I used to put my clothes after washing in a plastic bag with dirt, duff and leaves from where I am hunting for a few days. The idea is to not attract attention to yourself. No calls either. Take one step at a time. No sudden moves. I have walked up on feeding deer and sat on a stump in plain sight of them with a few feet. I have also tracked down a buck to within 20 yards. That was 30 or more years ago. I tried it once since and failed. It's fun even if you fail. Good luck.
 
I successfully still hunt for mule deer on public land all the time. But I have huge areas to hunt and am not typically worried about bumping some deer or ruining an area.

That being said, mulies are not nearly as bright as whitetail in my experience hunting both.

I did take one whitetail with my longbow while still hunting. I did some things right but a lot of luck was also involved.
IMG_9878.jpeg
 
I still hunt mostly, out here in the west, or spot and stalk, depending on the animal and the terrain. Thus far this year I've been out 5 days and have not been successful.

Still hunt to me, where I live, means to gradually meander through the terrain, glassing as you go, hopefully until you can spot and stalk something. Or jump one out of a draw.

Antelope hunting is drive around in the pickup until something is spotted, then put a hunt on to get as close as possible on foot. It's possible to get pretty darn close sometimes. The furthest away I've killed an Antelope is probably around 200 yards.
 
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