Whitetail stalk hunt
 

Any tips on stalk hunting white tails? I've always sat on a blond or stand and toke my game. Never stalked them down. Where I live it's really leafy and small sticks in the woods. They can hear from a mile away. What tips do you guys give?

wait for a windy day and right after a rain. stalk into the wind.

i LOVE still hunting/stalking deer. My favorite thing to do. Its the only thing i do with a gun, and about half of my bow hunting i still hunt. Rainy days are the best, a little wind helps. The rain really makes it quiet. If your walking more than 3 yards in about 3 minutes your going to fast, for bowhunting. For gun i will go about 10 yards in about 2. Just because i have much more range with a rifle. After you get good you can regularly get under 30 yards from a deer in good conditions. Use any obstruction you can between you and the deer to get close.

Thanks for the tips! I'll try it out.

Here's a tip, don't be discouraged when deer see you before you see them. You really have to learn how to spot deer that are not moving. Once you get a knack for it things are easier. I know I'm moving at the right pace when squirrels don't pay any attention to me. The thicker the woods, the slower you need to move. Every step opens up new views. Still-hunting is far more entertaining than stand hunting, and both methods will pay off.

Pretty cool when you see something 30 yds away that looks like a bedded buck, and it turns out that's what it really is.

Nice! So how should I start the track? Look for fresh droppings. Heavy trails. Them just walk into the wind and try to follow the trails?

I hunt small wood lots quite a bit. It isn't generally that hard to predict where deer will be. Getting to the woods undetected can be hard though.

Hunt into the wind or across the wind, but don't discount the possibility that a deer will jump up downwind or behind you.

Heavily used trails are good to have, but you may not want to follow them too much. If you can move downwind of a trail but stay within sight of it that may be a better bet.

And always scan things like thickets, downed tree-tops, logs and stumps for the shape of a deer's ear, antlers, a horizontal line of it's back, a leg, or anything else that doesn't seem to quite blend in. Once you see one deer, remember there are probably more around. Look carefully before you make your next move.

In still-hunting, once you see a deer you want to shoot, the first shot you think you can make is usually the best one.

Listen to UncNorb, he's tellin you right! As he said, and it's a crucial part that makes ALOT of sense when you think about it but the majority of things in the woods are vertical. So what you are looking for is horizontal lines. Many times those "horizontal lines" are in fact a deers back as it's standing still looking at something. Also look for movement, a flicker of a tail or ear. As was said, move s l o w and when you think you're moving slow enough, SLOW DOWN SOME MORE! Use your binoculars to checkout EVERYTHING you see.

A steady breeze helps in dry conditions as it can mask your steps in the leaves. But obviously rain, snow makes it far easier (if you are hunting in snow then consider a single bed sheet with a few streaks of dirt/black on it to wear like a pancho to help break up your outline). I also prefer to stop in the shade against a tree instead of broad daylight. Your binocs, your scope, your gun can make a glint or outright blinding shine at 100yds that you have no clue about. Also, being in the shade can help conceal your movement as well because the light and color contrast effect is lessoned in shadows. Deer are quite able to see a mans outline standing by itself, but if you are leaning against a tree or in a clump of saplings/brush they likely won't give you but 1-2 glances and if you aren't moving they'll think nothing of you.

Walking wise, I prefer soft rubber bottom boots (classic LL Bean hunting shoe, duck shoes etc...) for stalking. You shouldn't be walking or taking a normal stride when stalking & slip hunting. Instead, step NO further than your heel in front of the foot you are standing on. Then as you do take steps DON'T step in the regular "heel-toe" pattern. Instead, step with the ball of your foot/toes down on the ground first then s l o w l y "roll" your foot down slowly. This method allows you to feel sticks under your feet and you can then move your feet around without crunching those sticks. Also a faint "cruuuuuuunch" of your foot slowly & quietly mashing down into the leaves is a much less disturbing noise than a full out CRUNCH from a regular pace footfall as you if you were walking at a normal pace through leaves.

Look for movement, the trick is to see them first. And be careful, in most areas you aren't likely to run into a single deer. (if it's solo, there's a good chance it IS a buck) Look for others and keep their eyes & ears in mind as you move into position. I've successfully stalked a few deer with my bow over the years and it an absolute blast when the conditions are right. I particularly like to get on an old logging road and just start easing along, looking as far in front of and beside me as I can see through the woods hoping to see any deer headed towards me before they see me. I'd be in position & ready by the time they crossed the road in front of me. (Stalking deer in a field CAN be productive IF they are staying in one general area and you can sneak around about 10yds inside the woods & get into position without them knowing it, but many times deer in fields aren't alone and you end up being busted by one further back in the woods or one that came up behind you and you didn't know it! :s10: )

I do really good with stalking. Remember that there is good noise and bad noise.

Wet days is the norm thinking for stalking, but I do better in dry. I walk about 8 to 10, slow, evenly spaced steps. I then pause and listen for about 20 seconds. Continue with a slow walk and stop. Every 6 to 10 times, do a light grunt call. Try to sound like a casually walking deer. Some deer scent on the bottom of your pants doesn't hurt.

Got 2 moose the same way, and half my deer. Remember there is good noise and bad noise. If you make a loud branch break noise, that is the time to stop and do a grunt. If you make a bad sound like a metal bang from your gun against something, you messed up and sit on a log for a while to let things relax for a while.

It is a slow steady pace. Budget a few hours to travel what you would do in a half hour of walking at a normal/fast pace. If all goes good, by stopping and listening, you sould hear the deer step before you see it. If you hear it step, then go dead quite, just get ready. Let it start walking, hopefuly it will move for an easy shot.

Will do. Going out tomorrow. Ima try what you guys said and ill leave some feedback!