Stalking & Getting up Close...HOW?

[nclonghunter]

If you have a particular game that is plentiful, that would be good to start out with. Squirrels are fun to hunt by slipping along quietly on game trails. Perhaps rabbits are abundant in your area. Just get in the mind set that you are hunting when you leave civilization behind and step into the woods. You move slow, deliberate and constantly look for movement ahead and to the sides. Use shadows from the trees and when the wind blows you move slow and stop when it stops to look and listen. You are not looking for big deer, you are looking for small things that move. Move into the wind or cross wind. You are less noticeable if you are in the shadows than in a bright sun beam. A lot of the time you will see game moving towards you and then you wait for the shot.
If you move through the woods and you see squirrels, birds, chipmunks and all possible critters before they see you then you have had a successful stalk, even if you didn't take a shot. Move through the woods knowing they are hunting you, just like you are hunting them. You are the more lethal hunter if you allow it to happen....patience is what allows you to make it happen and you will be mentally and physically drained from the amount of focus you will need....Good Luck and Good Hunting

[lostarrow]

Ambush is your best bet. When you walk through the bush, don't walk like a man. Walk like a deer. Talk like a deer . Then you can get really close .  Use the wind. Take a few steps ,then stop and listen . Repeat . Get a friend to walk through the bush and listen with your eyes closed, then you'll know what I mean. you can pick out a man walking from a long ways away. The noise you make if any ,should be the kind that you hear and ask yourself if you really heard it or it was a branch or acorn falling.Then wait long enough to convince yourself that it was really nothing before making another noise.  Ambush is definitely the way to go though. Good luck!, Dave.

[crooketarrow]

  From reading all the post it seams alot of you think still hunting and stalking the same rhing.
 STALKING IS SPOTING AND THEN GOING TO THE ANIMAL.
 STILL HUNTING IS PUTTING YOURSELF WHERE ANIAMAL IS MOVEING THROUGH, THE TRICK HERE IS SEEING THE ANIMAL FIRST. LET HIM COME TO YOU.
  Stalking into 20 yards or less with a selfbow would mean there'd be alot of starveing bow builders. I know I'd be one of them. I don't know anyone or heard of anyone that dose it with a bow by design no matter where you live. I use to loved still hunting with a rifle if I had the space and did really well on bucks doing it.
  My friend CROOKETARROW said only 1 deer (BUCKS OR DOES) out of 100 is really stalkable. Then you'd better not do anything wrong with that one. THATS STALKABLE
  He stalk fawns for practice in the summer but he's still hunt when if came to killing something. He Did alot better than I could. 100 TIMES BETTER.
    But he could slow down and have patience when he needed it. Moved supper slow use to drive he crazy but move quickly when he needed to. I knewed him 13 years and he killed 6 or 7 does and 3 yearly bucks one mature 4 year old.  But he'd tell you the buck and another was fighting and he walked right up.  15 yards and shot him. HEsaid if was the only buck he'd ever STALKED. All the rest were killed still hunting not stalking.
  Just go out and give it a try or 3 tell us what you think.
  His favoret way was to seet see the animal one day go back and still hunt the exact same trail the next day at the time he's saw the deer.

[Huntinfool]

Still hunting is slipping along slowly looking for game.

Spot and stalking is exactly that, you spot game you stalk in as close as you can.

Waiting in a good spot for deer to come along is stand hunting!

A lot of people call one the other but the above is correct anyone agree.

~HF~

[IsaacW]

Some of this is repeating others but worthwhile to do so.  Anyway, here are some tips from me...

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE... all year, on all animals (especially deer) and people.  The more you practice the better you get and as you practice, pay attention to the different animals and their habits.  Deer have a tendency to look up at regular intervals as they eat to check for predators, you can almost time this out and stop moving BEFORE they look the next time.

Practice not only being slow but being able to freeze and stay motionless... in all sorts of weird positions, while in mid-step, etc.

Wear quite footwear.  I like barefoot when conditions allow or moccasins.  I rarely wear hunting boots.

Keep an eye on wind, other animals... heck ALL your surroundings.  Be aware.

Have fun and don't get frustrated.  Frustration does not help and remember this is not an easy way to hunt.

Isaac

P.S.  I personally do not look an animal in the eye when I am close.  I am not sure the science or anything serious on this, but from my experience, the animal busts me 99% of the time if I make eye contact and rarely when I avoid it. 

[Marks]

It always amazed me how when I really try and stalk I always jump deer before I ever see them but on occasion I'll be just trudging through the woods or down a road and BAM!! I'll walk up to a deer and neither one of us even realize it till I'm real close. I'm certainly not saying trudging is a good technique because most of the time I see tails hopping off long before I get close.

I guess what I'm saying is follow all the advice you've been given on here with the understanding that deer do this every day 24/7/365 and they are MUCH better at it than you. Like crookedarrow said, probly 1 out of 100 is stalkable (maybe a slight exaggeration). I don't really know how to say it right so I'll say it like this. If you go in with low expectations and just enjoy the experience you'll come out a lot happier in the end if things don't pan out. And if they do then the victory will be that much sweeter. I find I get down more when I get high hopes and "just know I'm gonna kill a big one today" and see nothing than when I'm just going to hang out in the woods to kill a couple hours. 2 years ago I killed one of my biggest bucks in a polo shirt and jeans after work. When the stars align it will seem so easy but when they don't it will be near impossible.  Good luck and just have fun.

[NeolithicMan]

Buckskin moccasins are deadly silent

[RabidApache]

Here..... out west, Southwest AZ to be exact is where your put to the test. I have stalked every animal from coyote, quail, cattle, peccary, horses, people, deer, elk, and everything  in between. Even fish with a spear. Every time its quick movement that they see. I never relied on camo but I depended greatly on some type of cover (brush, washes, wind gusts etc). Of course keeping good wind was always number 1. One thing is to slow down and know your quarry. You could read all you want about stalking but its through practice and blown stalks that you will learn from. I have stalked to deer in plain sight to within 25yds by baby stepping every time they put their heads down to eat, doing this I timed their movements so that by the time they had their heads up I was squatting/sitting still. My approach angle would provide at least a 25-30yd shot when they crossed my path of interception. Too bad there wasn't a buck in the bunch, but I did draw and shoot without releasing an arrow. That's practice out in the field.
I killed my best coues buck at 21 yds bedded at 1pm in the hot of the day. I was hunting with a compound bow then but my max range was 30yds. At the last 60yds or so I dumped my pack, dropped off my boots and crept the last 60. Caught the buck snoozing and he died because of it.
As described before Not all deer are stalkable. You just have to be patient and wait for change. Wind, temps, rain, anything to assist in stalking. I love it with a slight drizzle or gusty mornings for still hunting or stalking.
Honestly spot and stalk is by far the most exciting form of hunting. I never did like stand hunting, it works but I love being out in the woods with bow in hand and seeing what's around the corner.