Walking quietly
 

ok please do not laugh at my question. :)

I have 2 stands set up in my woods now. To get to either of these stands I have to walk through the woods and over about 3 acres of DRY crunchy leaves. It never fails 7 out of 10 times I jump deer on the way to my stand in the dark...to never see them again..

Does anyone have any tips to quiet the walking over such dry crunchy leaves...They are very loud at 4:30am when there is no wind and the woods are dead quiet..I take one step and it's CRRRRRRRUUUUCNNHHH!!!....I always hear deer running away when I enter...

I dont have the option of walking along a stream or a cleared path...
I have to walk over there damn noisey leaves...any tips on being quieter?

I've tried walking very very slowly, I've tried tip toing (yes, I tip toed in my boots to my stand before) haha

I've tried everything to be quieter, but these leaves give me away everytime!!!!
Should I go in earlier? I already get to my stand at 4:30 or so give or take a few mins..

I'm just getting frustrated about making too much noise!!!

have the same problem why cant deer be deaf
 

RE: Walking quietly
 

Try approaching from a different direction maybe? It also wouldnt help to rake the leaves out of your way say during mid-day, just a little path big enough for you to walk on quietly. (probably the most unrealistic thing to do but never know). Also you could try to get to your stand like you are still hunting, will take longer but could be productive for you.

RE: Walking quietly
 

I know this is gonna sound crazy and I know it's alot of work but if your seriously jumping that many deer then it might be worth it. Rake you off a path from the entrance all the way to your stand. I do it every year before the season starts and then about once a week I take a broom to my stand with me and on my way out of the woods for the day I sweep off my path to keep it clean.

RE: Walking quietly
 

Well, About approaching for a diff direction..the leaves are all around..so any direction I can think of, I have the same problem, unless I tresspass on the neighboors soybean field and then cut across..I'm not sure he'll like that though lol

thanks outdoorsman...like I'm still hunting? do you mean, take a few steps, stop and wait for a few mins, and repeat? I've done that as well..although maybe I should wait a little longer...I only stop for about 45 secs or so..then step again...
thank you..I guess that is relaly my only option, either that or swing through the trees like tarzan on the way to my stand lol..

thanks man :)

RE: Walking quietly
 

Jeremy, that doesn't sound crazy to me at all...at this point I'm willing to do anything!

thank you :)

RE: Walking quietly
 

Still hunting, yes, take a step or two and stop, but the steps must be of great caution to try and not snap twigs and crunch leaves really loud. Its time-consuming I know.

RE: Walking quietly
 

Try a leaf blower. I know a first thought thats crazy, but if most of the leave's have already fallen you can go in one afternoon when deer are bedded up. Blow you a path that is large enough for an ATV to go thru, that way if any wind comes thru chances are it will not fill the main walking area up. I do this every year and its one of the best things I could do to help my hunting season. If you don't have a blower, borrow one or rent one for $30 a day. Best investment you'll make.

The working man.

RE: Walking quietly
 

You may be set up in the wrong place for a morning hunt if the deer are already there when you get there. Clearing a path will help but if they are already there I still think you will end up with the same results.

RE: Walking quietly
 

thanks for your help guys..I appreciate it! I am going out in the morning. I will approach VERY slowly tomorrow morning, and then after the morning hunt come back and rake a path to both stands for the saturday hunt.

Thanks guys!

-Scott

RE: Walking quietly
 

it beats the still hunting idea... i've done this many many times before and its annoying having to take that long just to get to your stand.... i say take an afternoon... rake you a path and then just maintain that path throughout the season.... atleast you get to your stand in a timely and quiet manner.

RE: Walking quietly
 

as you guys can tell I am new to hunting..only a few seasons under my belt now...but I saw my biggest buck to date this year on my property a 9 point..which was 85 yards away from me (I was using a shotgun) so too far of a shot..didnt even try..

this is another silly question, but jeremy will a path suddenly appearing in the woods not spook a deer? say, if they cross the path..will the realize "hey this wasnt like this before, somethings up"

RE: Walking quietly
 

ummm yes and no. If he's passing the deer when entering then his stand might be set up far enough past them to catch them when they wake up and move... or he might have his stand perfectly between their path from the bedding area to the feeding area.... hard to say. I have a spot where I hunt where I walk right by their bedding area but my stand is set up to catch them on the bedding to feeding path.

RE: Walking quietly
 

I do it every year and it's never scared the deer off. If anything I've seen deer tracks in my path where they started using it. Deer like thick cover but when moving from place to place they take the easiest path.

RE: Walking quietly
 

yes my property is very small.. they feed in the neighboors soybean fields and my woods is full of oaks with dropped a ton of acorns this year..and they bed on the other side of me off my property in a pine thicket..its a thicket of young pines about 8-10 feet tall..cant even walk through there its so thick..but you can clearly see the trails they have made going in and out...and there are clear spots all scattered throughout this pine thicket...so I think my woods is a crossing area..and also feeding area when they are eating the acrons....there are rubs all through out it...

and a rubline the goes from the soybean field through my peoperty to the pine thicket..or vice versa...I am not sure which way the buck was walking when he made the line..

RE: Walking quietly
 

so in the monrings I set up in the stand that is closest to the bedding area trying to catch them comming back..this is where I saw the 9 point..and in the evenings I try to cath the comming out to feed in the beans/acorns

RE: Walking quietly
 

One thing I have noticed with my trail cams is that on a rub line most of the rubs are all facing one particular direction... the buck is walking facing the rub marks so he can check them and freshen them on his way to where he is going.

RE: Walking quietly
 

ok great thanks Jeremy..I appreciate your help

RE: Walking quietly
 

hmmm interesting..so facing the rub is generally the direction the deer is traveling when he made it? very nice to know!
Will they genereally use these rublined trails over and over again? I ask because I have trails through my woods with no rubs, and some with rubs...some rubs are scattered about..and then that one trail that , the trail itself doesnt LOOK healvily used..but the rubs on the rubline next to this trail are new..I havent touched the wood on the trees, but it is still moist, and the "shavings" are still on the gound at the base of the trees, ontop of the leaves.. also on some of the saplings on this rubline, the little branches that are broken the leaves are still green and a bit moist..so the rubs are new, but whats weird is the trail itself appears not to be used that heavy...

the trails that do look to be used very heavily, have no rubs near them...so maybe those are doe trails?

RE: Walking quietly
 

The biggest difference between a rubline trail and a regular deer trail is that the rubline trail is primarily only used by one deer... the buck. General deer trails are used by many deer... mainly herds of does so the regular deer trails will always look more heavily used than a rubline trail just because of the number of deer that use them.

RE: Walking quietly
 

ok, good to know...I'm learning. I've learned more this year, than the past several years combined..also got my first turkey this year on thanksgiving morning :) which was a total fluke, but was a nice bird...

thanks for all your help man...I appreciate it.

Good luck to you on your future hunts :)

-Scott

RE: Walking quietly
 

I would clean the path and slow down. Deer walk a few steps then pause when they are being cautious. Imitate them, but definitely clean the path. I made a path from the logging road down to my stand. I had to clear a lot of brush and sticks to make it a quiet path. I also made sure it had some turns so that you can't see all the way down it. Now the deer use it too! I often see fresh tracks on it.

RE: Walking quietly
 

very nice, thank you Renaissance...I will def be doing this tomorrow afternoon!

BTW, here is the link to my turkey pics (my first turkey taken on thanksgiving morning)
http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=3213225

Thanks for all ya'lls help..I will be clearing a path and maintain it until january 3rd (end of the season)
next season I will know better, and do this before the season starts..

I appreciate the help guys

RE: Walking quietly
 

what is the general consensus on hunting the rubline trail I mentioned earlier? post rut when they get back to normal patterns of feeding/bedding...will the bucks still frequently use the rublined trail to travel back and forth, or will they change it up??I've read hunting rublines is not productive at all?

RE: Walking quietly
 

Scott you might laugh at this, but I've gotten very close to deer using this method. Wait till first light, and carry a walking stick with you. I'm sure you've heard squirrells hopping in the crunchy leaves??? Become the squirrell Scott. For each step you take, crunch the leaves quickly two or three timeswith the walking stick, and pause. Still hunt your way to you stand like this, keeping an eye out for deer. Deer will ignore a squirrell hopping around this way, but put a two step human rythym to it and you'll be busted. Just remember Scott---BECOME THE SQUIRRELL, lol

RE: Walking quietly
 

why not try hunting the edge of the woods on the field - or wait until a snow or rain so you can walk across more quietly - or i've seen tips on making a short soft grunt for every step on each forward step while doing the stop and go-3 to 6 steps and stop for a couple minutes. i heard that can help/work sometimes-but i've never tried it! goodluck to ya.