- Location
- Saskatchewan
Is it really effective compared to a stand? I have only been successful still hunting moose and elk. does anyone have any tips or tricks? 
Thank you so much!!!
Thank you so much!!!
Still Huntinh Whitetail
- Thread starter Wiseguym70
- Start date
number one is wind. Even if you park you truck on the wrong side of the woods you are hooped. In agricultural areas or even in sparsely populated area many say deer get used to human scent. They do and that is why scent control is even more important. Move for five minutes and watch for 15 or more. Stop in a spot that offers cover and conceals your outline.
I always still hunt into and out of my stand areas. It is funny how you sit in your stand for hours and see nothing but then get a deer on the walk back to your truck. Still hunting is not the most productive but imho is a lot more enjoyable.
I always still hunt into and out of my stand areas. It is funny how you sit in your stand for hours and see nothing but then get a deer on the walk back to your truck. Still hunting is not the most productive but imho is a lot more enjoyable.
As for tips... You'll find your own rhythm. I use 10 & 10. Ten careful, quiet steps, then a slow count to ten while holding very still. At each repetition, I'll stop and hold my head in one of 3 positions (left,right, forward) and carefully look for deer. When it's miserable, deer bed where it's miserable to walk through. Look for thick evergreen clumps. Don't be afraid to go on all fours - sometimes you can see clear through underneath the evergreens and avoid plowing through them if it's clear that nor deer could be within. If I make an unusual amount of noise (trip and fall), I'll quickly follow up with a rattle and grunt in an attempt to trick Bambi (not sure if that's ever worked lol). Don't forget to watch behind you. Some deer are curious and will "stalk" you as you mosie along. Don't rush - if you hear something, hold still for 10 minutes or until you're satisfied it was just another friggen red squirrel. Travel with the wind in your face. Practice shooting standing, raising the rifle and shooting as fast as possible. Practicing on moving targets is fun too. Have a friend roll an old tire filled with a circle of cardboard, quartering away from you (ideally down a little hill).
And so on and so forth. It's less successful, but still my most favorite way to hunt. Brings out my inner caveman. ;-)
And so on and so forth. It's less successful, but still my most favorite way to hunt. Brings out my inner caveman. ;-)
Have been still hunting/stalking whitetail with a recurve since I started hunting. I have definitely seen more big bucks than my tree-hugging buddies, but my success rate is considerably lower.
There are lots of tricks to fool the little guys into shooting range, but these don't necessarily work for the big guys.
Calling while you walk can help close the distance (sometimes openly walking, is more effective than 'trying' to sneak slowly). Just a little grunt or soft bleat once in a while, can really get you that extra few feet you need to get the drop on them.
Especially if you own the property, the first early snowfall of the year should be spent running every inch of your bush. Map every single mark/track/bed you find. Over a few years you will start to really see the patterns.
Speaking of patterns, we tend to follow the same paths and routes, and the deer are very aware of this.
9am-11am. For whatever reason, this chunk of time has produced my best bucks, especially in the early season.
Only ever had one Pope and Young "near" experience, which I still consider my perfect hunt. Did everything right, had him about 12 yards below the low rock ridge I was on, put a satellite titan into his shoulder blade and the broadhead curved back on itself like the letter 'U'....
So ya, traditional archery on the ground = stinks!
There are lots of tricks to fool the little guys into shooting range, but these don't necessarily work for the big guys.
Calling while you walk can help close the distance (sometimes openly walking, is more effective than 'trying' to sneak slowly). Just a little grunt or soft bleat once in a while, can really get you that extra few feet you need to get the drop on them.
Especially if you own the property, the first early snowfall of the year should be spent running every inch of your bush. Map every single mark/track/bed you find. Over a few years you will start to really see the patterns.
Speaking of patterns, we tend to follow the same paths and routes, and the deer are very aware of this.
9am-11am. For whatever reason, this chunk of time has produced my best bucks, especially in the early season.
Only ever had one Pope and Young "near" experience, which I still consider my perfect hunt. Did everything right, had him about 12 yards below the low rock ridge I was on, put a satellite titan into his shoulder blade and the broadhead curved back on itself like the letter 'U'....
So ya, traditional archery on the ground = stinks!
I do quite a bit of still-hunting and see a lot of deer, the trick is spot them before they spot you. Walking corn field edges can be very productive. The last hour of light and the first two hours of the morning seem to be the best (for me anyway). It's a great way to learn about your quarry and the lay of the land you plan on hunting. Keeping the wind in mind is a must, you need to move slow and look as far ahead as you can for any movement or sign of a deer (leg-back-ear twitching etc...)
As I said, spotting them before they spot you is a must. You will definitely see more deer but honestly, if I sat in a tree stand for the same amount of time I spend still hunting I would shoot more deer but it just isn't as exciting...
Best of luck
As I said, spotting them before they spot you is a must. You will definitely see more deer but honestly, if I sat in a tree stand for the same amount of time I spend still hunting I would shoot more deer but it just isn't as exciting...
Best of luck
Timing is everything, early in the morning and the last couple of hours before the end of Legal Light. Very slow and carefully will get your deer, of course you've got to know their routine, which is the key to spotting them first. Where I hunt, around alfalfa fields, much better than a stand, since I can cover more country. Of course, our fields are WAY bigger than southern Ontario.
Grizz
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fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
Two of the biggest bucks I've shot (a 212 NT and a 175 Typ) were shot while still hunting but by far I've shot more deer just sitting and watching than moving & watching.
I hunt Ab. parkland/hay fields and my preference for still hunting differs from Grizz's. I will watch field edges and open fields morning & evening and still hunt the bush surrounding known feeding areas during mid day. The open field hunting probably has a 20 to 1 more successful rate than still hunting for me
I hunt Ab. parkland/hay fields and my preference for still hunting differs from Grizz's. I will watch field edges and open fields morning & evening and still hunt the bush surrounding known feeding areas during mid day. The open field hunting probably has a 20 to 1 more successful rate than still hunting for me
I love stand hunting but I have shot more bucks slowly walking into the woods and grabbing a seat in the hardwoods. Know your hunting area and set up in the middle of an area the deer travel through. In my case on swamp edges between travel paths and known bedding areas. My best overall advice is to put synthetic doe in heat on both of my feet when entering and re apply as I go. Any bucks who cut your trail on the way in will come right to you. Be quiet and listen. A dominant buck will come in like the king smashing and grunting if he's not already with a hot doe. A sub dominate buck will walk in with head down on the scent. I use doe bleats and the odd grunt every 30 min. Nothing compares to sitting in a small folding chair, On the ground, and hearing him come right at you. Ground and pound!
I started out with this method and became pretty good at it. I do most of my hunting from stands now (slightly higher success rate) but still go out and walk every once in a while. You see more land and other interesting things when you're moving.
Of the 49 deer I've shot 12 have been from a stand. 11 from the same stand all early season with a bow except 2 were with a muzzleloader first season of Nov. 37 deer killed from the ground. Know your area know your prey
All of my "stands" are on the ground. When I say I'm hunting from a stand, I mean standing in one place, as opposed to slowly wandering.
When I still hunt for whitetails, I'm constantly watching my back trial. Smart old bucks will watch you pass by and then sneak put the back door.Is it really effective compared to a stand? I have only been successful still hunting moose and elk. does anyone have any tips or tricks?
Thank you so much!!!
build a fire and stand in the smoke for as long as you can and let your clothing and hair and skin absorb it before setting off on your hunt. You could even add a touch of camo by making lines on your face with the charred wood coals. This has worked for me for many years. My freezer is always full after the hunting season.
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Waking in the morning to a fresh snow, leads me to a day of stalking. Following fresh tracks until I find the deer that made them. It's challenging, trying to spot the deer, before you are seen/heard, but the snow helps quiet your feet. Quite often by the time it's light enough to stalk, the deer are bedded, so the moment you are spotted can be explosive.
By stand I meant tree stand. I get bored sitting in a tree so I slowly stalk thru the bush. It's worked for me
But, does your wife let you in the house when you come home?
Grizz
yes indeed she did, with meat over my shoulder, the door was always opened for me and I was greeted with smiles and hugs and kisses! Sadly, I lost her to cancer last Aug. It was her relatives on the Rez that taught me the standing in smoke thing!
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Even in the last three years when there "hasn't been any deer in Manitoba"? There are a lot of "hunters" that are surprised when I tell them that I never come home empty from hunting season. It's called hunting guys, not "shooting". Sometimes deer don't just run in front of you.
