SouthernBuckFever

I'm just wondering if any of you guys try tostillhunt deer when you hunt....and I'm not talking about in open fields, I'm talking about in the woods. I've had tons of success doing this and I'm only 19, I've killed every single big buck doing this, including the one on my display. Of course I wouldn't do this if I wasn't 100% sure where other people are hunting at(only 2 other hunters). If the deer are moving slow or you just get one of those feelings that you aren't going to see deer then I urge you to try this, only if you know where the other hunters are and its on private property(BLAZE ORANGE). Heres some numbers....the last 3 years I've killed 4 great bucks(8, two 9s, and a 10 pointer) whilestillhunting and 4 does. You'd be suprised what you might jump up or walk up on, just gotta go slow and be patient. I use treestands a lot but I'm not afriad to leave them and go stillhunt, so tell me if you have tried this or had success.

crokit

Well, kid a couple of things:

I think you've got stalking confused with still hunting. Huge difference. Stalking most generally is spotting your target and closing the gap. Stillhunting is slipping through the woods in search of deer, in simplest terms, and, my favorite way to hunt.

I make the distinction only because your original title of the thread was " stalking deer ", and your statement refered to stalking, not stillhunting. I see you changed it.

Second, the tone of the thread seems more suited for the first thread on the deer hunting page, the bragging thread.

SouthernBuckFever

Fixed

crokit

partially [:@]

DeerandbearhoG

Never been much of a stalker, no matter how slow I go, or how much I glass, they always bust me 1st[:@]The only deer Ive killed on the ground were from being in the right place at the right time, but hey Id rather be lucky than good any day

I think spot and stalk works much better out west, where I hunt its just too thick to sneak up on anything.

Centaur 1

You evidently have a skill that most of us could only hope for, must have been born a ninja. Still hunting is a method that takes skill and patience. When done properly you do a lot more standing than moving. Anyone who can walk through the woods in the fall, when the ground is covered with dry leaves and twigs, and consistently kill deer is good. I'm sure that all of us have done it, more than likelyon a windy day when the ground was wet, but to be able to consistently kill deer this way is an art. A club that I belonged to years ago had two guys that did nothing but still hunt, one got his buck every year and the other guy was on a 37 year dry spell since his last deer.

Teach Deer

Some success (mostly small bucks and does), but I prefer my tree stand. I killed a button buck (thought it was a doe) with a Winchester 94 in .30-30 (open sights) that had been passed down to me years ago by my father at the end of the season last year after stalking it around the farm.

I killed a nice 7-point on opening weekend with my 7mm Remington Magnum, and was in the mood to experiment both with the rifle and style of hunting.

tyleryeags

i still hunt all the time thats the way i was taught to hunt and sometimes i might hunt out of a tree stand

CamoCop

different terminology for different parts of the country. "still hunting" here in Florida refers to being still in one spot hunting as in a treestand or blind. stalking is nearly impossible here due to all the thick cover.

crokit

As I have stated prior, the majority of my deer hunting in NY is done in the Adirondacks High Peaks region, in a 20,000+ acre primitive area { no motors,electric engines, etc. What you bring in, you bring out }. The chances of being lucky enough encountering a mature buck that has been jumped by another hunter is slim to none. The ONLY method of hunting I use there is still hunting, { you could sit in a stand for a week and not see a deer, let alone a mature buck } and the most important factor in this style of hunting, IMHO, is being able to see the buck before it sees you. There are several CRITICAL factors that need to be followed to accomplish that, IMHO, with wind and pace dominating.

When I leave my tent before daylight, I have already chosen the section of woods the night before that I am going to hunt. Generally, it is within a mile of my camp.{ I'm already well over 5 miles in }. I get to my chosen area before daylight and sit until I've given the spot a chance to produce, then I begin my hunt. The wind is biggest factor determining which direction I head from there. As stated, I travel at quite a slow pace, 100yds. or so an hour. I walk in the shadows of the trunks of trees, whenever present, rather than open sunny areas. If you must cross open areas, don't waste time, do it quickly. I don't necessarily hunt with camoflage, but stay away from solid colors. I try to move only when the wind blows and creates stirring among leaves, etc. This is sometimes painstakingly slow, but it's quiet. When the woods are like cornflakes, it's amazing how quiet you can be using this method coupled with small steps, literally allowing the heel of one foot coming down, brushing the INSIDE of the big toe of the other foot: baby steps. Mix up your pace, don't put out a pattern of steps/noise { think move like a deer, a wary deer }. Use of noise from babbling waters obviously is another method. Your biggest challenge is beating the eyes,nose, ears of not just the buck your after, but the does he utilizes as his safety net.

Stopping often is key. Where I hunt, every 10-20 yds of travel seems to open completely different vistas. When you choose to stop, do it where it makes sense, and sit long enough to give the spot a chance to produce. This could be 5 minutes, it could be an hour. It's an acquired gut feeling frankly, that often determines duration.

Key on other animals in the forest and their noises, particularly birds { not just bluejays } and red squirrels. They bust more mature buck than you and I ever will. My experience has been they become more excited, as if the forest literally erupts, when big buck show up, and I believe it's the antlers. Just a theory, but works for me.

Frankly, I literally could talk about stillhunting all day. I'll not bore you further, but if these few ideas are followed, you'll at least be on your way to seeing that buck before it sees you. Bottom line, no matter how good you think you are in the woods, a mature buck is better, and it all comes down to being in the right place at the right time. The more time you spend at it, the better the chance is of that happening.