The Lost Art of Stalking and Still-Hunting for Black-Powder
Bucks
Why Watch Your Back Trail and Why Stalk to Your Stand
Editor’s
Note: Deer hunting doesn’t begin or end at your
stand site. Instead, begin your hunt once you leave
your vehicle, and end it when you return to your vehicle.
The way to do this is to stalk hunt. When done right,
stalk hunting enables hunters to move quietly through
the woods without spooking their target bucks or any
other wildlife in the area, and also allows hunters
to look more closely at the surrounding woods and spot
targets they otherwise may miss. By following some strategies
I’ve learned and practiced during many years of
stalk-hunting for deer, you can learn to stalk-hunt
the right way to bag more bucks.
Often, still and stalk hunters make the mistake of
looking only ahead of
them, rather than also behind and around them. Don’t
forget to study the 50-percent more of the woods you
can see with each step. On a hunt a few years ago, my
brother Archie and I stalked 75-yards apart through
a hardwood bottom, a technique we had used before with
repeated success. One of us would spook the deer to
send it running in front of the other. As we moved out
into an area that led to a path of flooded timber, I
saw Archie pass a suspicious-looking briar thicket.
I stopped and watched Archie walk 10 yards from the
thicket and then move past and in front of the cover.
With my binoculars, I could see antler tips in the
briars and expected Archie to spook the deer as he moved
away from the briars. When Archie had walked about 50
yards from the briar patch, the fat 7-point buck stood
up and sneaked out of the briars without making a sound.
I readied my rifle and before the buck could cover 10
yards, squeezed the trigger and dropped the buck.
If you hunt high-pressure areas during muzzle-loading
season, you’ll notice the older, smarter bucks
often will hold tight in thick cover and let you walk
past them.
However, if you hunt with a partner and watch one another’s
back trails, you’ll see just as many deer behind
you as in front of you. Remember to glass the area ahead
as well as behind you when you stalk. The number of
deer you’ll see coming and going on your back
trail will surprise you.
Why Stalk to Your Stand:
Stalk hunting carefully means you can reach your stand
site without spooking your game or the squirrels, birds,
or other animals in the area. Many still and stand hunters
often miss taking deer because they spook the deer they
hope to bag by making noise on the way to their stand
site. If you’ll slow down and stalk to and from
your stand site, you’ll avoid spooking animals
in the surrounding area and likely may spot the deer
you hope to harvest.
Tomorrow: What’s the
Secret to Seeing More Deer When You Stalk?
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