Still hunting

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fat but funky

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Hi Guys,

The area I hunt tends to be pretty thickly vegetated. Lots of small diameter poplar (like 1 -2 inches), alder, willow, beaked hazelnut. Seems to me that still hunting would be best for this sort of location.

I try still hunting every year, and often see deer - specifically the rear end of deer running away from me.

For those of you who are successful still hunters, what proportion of the deer you see, see you first?

Also, how do you cope with crunchy snow? Seems like every year it snows, then there is slight melt and then it gets cold again - resulting in a crunchy layer of snow that makes a lot of noise.

Thanks

Fat
 
if the snow has any crunch, still hunting is very unproductive. The key to success is moving silently, very slowly when in prime areas, and into the wind. If conditions make that impossible success will be unlikely. I love still hunting and do it whenever conditions allow. But sometimes its better to sit in a treestand, or spot and stalk, or get together with buddies and push bush.
 
I use binoculars for still hunting and it has paid off. The last one I got still hunting was using bino's and just barely noticed a small, black dot, (the nose) well over 100 metres away. Never would have noticed it without the glass. Positioned myself and got the shot off. I also hunt in thick bush. The nice thing about using glass is you can focus it at a distance (say 60 metres) so all the bush between you and 50 metres is out of focus. It's like looking THROUGH the bush. Try it, you'll be impressed at how well they work. It only has to work once for it to be worthwhile. Personally I'd recommend the best binoculars you can afford, you're only looking for a small piece of the deer, not the entire animal.
 
Wind wind wind, still days are stay home days. And sometimes heavy snow is good. They’ve got ears 10x, eyes 5x bigger than yours. So use what you can, work upwind, good set of binocs, scan every few feet. Creep up on hills, just your eyes over. Get rid of your squeaky boots, moccasins are the best for snow. Take a bubble pad, sit down just inside the brush line on any clearings/shooting lanes until you are freezing, then slowly rise with your rifle ready, deer don’t have long memories if you aren’t moving...
Most of my somewhat successful shots have been after being still, and freezing my a$$ off for what seems like hours, glass everything.
Good idea in deer beds is to blow a day walking in the snow, see where the flags fly. Go back the next day or later in your tracks and creep those spots slowly.
Patience is my problem, too much of a hurry usually!
 
One step, look all around, wait, look again, wait. Two steps, look all around, wait, look again, wait. One step, look all around, wait, look again, wait, wait, wait, look again. One step, look all around, wait, look again, wait. Two steps, look all around, wait, look again, wait.

Again and again and again. If you cover 200 yards in a hour you’re going way too fast.

Ted
 
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Why not? said:
One step, look all around, wait, look again, wait. Two steps, look all around, wait, look again, wait. One step, look all around, wait, look again, wait, wait, wait, look again. One step, look all around, wait, look again, wait. Two steps, look all around, wait, look again, wait.

Again and again and again. If you cover 200 yards in a hour you’re going way too fast.

Ted
Click to expand...

I actually have better luck with 7-8 steps....pause for as long as you've walked. Get a good Brush gun, you can't shoot through Bush...but you can carry a SBR that carries well. And shoot it lots offhand...its got to feel smooth using it. Smooth is slow...but smooth is fast if you get it right.
I'm in WT country and doing real good this year. Not shooting lots...but that is by choice
 
Im lucky if I get 3/10 I see before they see me, but I’m not very practiced. I’ve learned a hell of a lot about the area and the deer in it by still hunting though, and in line with what yonderin suggests, will be building some blinds in the off-season for next year.
 
I have had good luck with all the adove.. creep slow.. eyes Up.
Good glass.. helps.. learn to focus into the bush for.movment.

But most important is smell..
Odours on your boots,, will let a big buck pattern you, happened to me this year.. mask your trails.. dont walk down the middle of the game trail.

Hunting cloths are treated the same manner..
If they cant smell you,,and there not sure what that noise is due to darkness , or having the sun at your back.. they won't spook.. they walk off and get curious
By far the funniest way to hunt. But difficult...
As you learn better techniques , and utilize the winds as they shift threw the morning and evening you will be successful..

As far as deeper snow,, I always try to use the same foot prints, as my past hunts.. it's a little bit quieter but not by much...
Maybe you should sit and wait when its white out and creep in the leaves when it warm , hope it helps
My 0.02
 
Anyone have any success still hunting on an ATV trail, gravel road or logging road? Seems to me this could reduce noise a lot if the wind was favourable?
 
anyone try coloured glasses?

this year I was using a set of orange tinted shooting glasses to keep the branches out of my eyes while on the quad.

They seemed to make the brown of the deer stand out against the brown and grey trees. Oh and fantastic for spotting blood drops in the grass and snow.

Problem is you need to keep them clean and not fog up.
 
I still hunted along the south Saskatchewan river years ago with good success. I often thought of it as stand hunting on the move. 3 or 4 steps then look around for a while. Then repeat. I’d stand more than move and each step is very carefully taken. In the thicker cottonwood forests along the river those 3 or 4 steps gave you a completely new perspective.

It’s important to do your homework as you are not covering very much ground. Similar idea to stand hunting. And nope when I think of still hunting, crunchy snow is a no go. Was surprised how close I got sometimes, or how close they would get when walking by me. Good camo or something to break up your outline is a must. Think like a bow hunter. It was some of the most rewarding hunting when I connected.
 
Knowing the deer movement and having the right wind seems to have been the key to a lot of the deer I got. The last area I focused on the deer moved south in the morning and north in the latter part of the day. By getting the right wind and being in being in place ahead of the deer really helped seeing them before they saw me. As was said walk little stand still a lot. Be sure you are not outlined and stop in cover. When you spot your animal freeze and wait for you opportunity to bring the gun up and shoot.

On a side note I seemed to have a lot more success not being busted when I switched to ASAT camp. Might be a coincidence or maybe there was something to it.
 
The thick timber is great for still hunting. Move painfully slowly and quietly. I bumped quite a few deer before I've gotten shots off. However, the last deer I killed saw me first and froze. I slowly raised my bow and shot. She only moved when I released the arrow. I think it's unusual, but it can happen with a little luck.
 
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