Do folks stillhunt anymore?

[Boll Weevil]

And I don't mean just hunting your way into a stand and hunting your way out. I mean dedicated hunts slipping through the woods, maybe with binoculars in hand, with a favorable wind/conditions, scouring the landscape looking for the telltale twitch of an ear or flick of a tail.

I seem to recall when I was younger, way more folks (at least in my hunting circles) dedicated at least some of their time to stillhunting. I recall one uncle who killed so many old bucks out of their beds it was far more than coincidental or lucky...that man was a stone cold stillhunting killer. Remember the Benoits up in Maine who would track deer in the snow back in the day? Fred Bear and Ishi sneaking up on critters with stickbows?

I don't know...maybe it's slowly dying with the oldtimers as kids are most often taught to sit and wait in a stand or blind. What % of your time is dedicated to slipping along seeking your quarry?

 

[Safari Hunt]

Seems like tree stands have taken over. This requires a lot of info for getting a deer- feed plots or hardwoods for acorns, trails, water locations, funnels in the woods, etc. Trail cameras help a lot and tell a story for the hunter. I'm looking to stalk some this season. Missed a lot of bow season. Boll Weevil, good topic.

 

[Acorn]

I love to still hunt if conditions are right. The ground has to be damp or wet and the wind right. I've had pretty good luck doing it.

 

[bwgarrett3]

I almost exclusively still hunt. If I had to put a percentage on it I'd say 90%. Very rarely will I do anything else. It's how I grew up hunting and it's what I feel most comfortable with.

 

[EastTNHunter]

The public parcels that I hunt do not really allow for still hunting outside of bow season. Not enough land, and too great of odds of messing up another hunter. If I hunted larger and more open blocks of land then I would, and have done some in the past.

 

[JT262]

Just talked about this the other day with a kid 24 whom scouts with me some he talked about Fred bear he only still hunts and is a great woodsman great topic but it does seem hard to do it on public as I don't want to mess someone up but I think your odds increase with more ground covered just my thoughts killed a good 8 one year while still hunting saw him chasing does let them run by and circled the mountain and got lucky and was able to get in front of him long story short I was very blessed that day only thing that helped me was the good lord and I new the terrain very well and got lucky

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Depends on the circumstances. I like to do this on windy days, preferably in areas I can glass

 

[Chief44]

Man, I cut my teeth hunting like that with my dad. He was very skilled at it and always hunted with a handgun. 44 mag Super Blackhawk. He killed a lot of deer with that old revolver and his "hot" hand loads. Back then we had access to thousands of acres that joined our farm and we rarely ever saw any other hunters. Over the years, those tracks of land have either been sold off or leased so it really cuts down on the area to be able to hunt like that. Boy, I miss those days in more ways than one.

 

[Westcoach41]

I do it all the time. See a ton of deer because of it.

 

[Specializedjon]

I do it some of the time, mainly when my ADD kicks in and I get frustrated with the wind or where I'm seeing deer compared to my stand. I need to do it more to get better at it. It sure changes the way I see the woods and wind, noise, where I'm stepping, cover and on and on. Haven't killed anything still hunting but would LOVE to.

 

[DANO63]

Killed my best buck ever still hunting in 2005.
I just don't know if I ran into him or he ran into me.

 

[rmmonty32]

I do and will but as has been said I prefer a big property to do it on. Nothing better than creeping through the woods with the .35 in hand!!!

 

[Pilchard]

It is my favorite way to hunt. All of the deer I have kilked(not many) except for my very first have been still hunting. I might only move 100yds in a morning and I will sit down if I like what I see. The buck I killed on Nov 7th stood up out of his bed 40yds from me right before I shot him. It was a very crunchy morning too.

 

[DRSJ35]

I do it every year and honestly have seen more deer that way. But the numbers are close with a stand also. But I do like doing it. So I will do it come regular gun. From time to time.

 

[Deer Assassin]

I don't have the patience or skill

 

[tree_ghost]

For those of you who have a little experience at this style of hunting I have a question...are you having the majority of your encounters when you are slowly walking or when you stop to watch for a while? Naturally I would think it's when you stop more times than not. Since I'm out of buck tags my plan for the remainder of the season was to work on my stalking skills on a pile of slick heads!

 

[bwgarrett3]

For those of you who have a little experience at this style of hunting I have a question...are you having the majority of your encounters when you are slowly walking or when you stop to watch for a while? Naturally I would think it's when you stop more times than not. Since I'm out of buck tags my plan for the remainder of the season was to work on my stalking skills on a pile of slick heads!

My hunting style seems to go against the grain of most everyone else. My preferred day would be less wind and somewhat crunchy leaves. There are a couple reasons I say that. First, I like to use my ears and my eyes to locate deer. Second, the more and more I hunt the more and more I realize that deer do not spook on you making noise. Here is my reasoning...deer hear noises ALL the time in the woods! Think about how much noise those stinking squirrels make that drive us all crazy. Deer also hear other deer walking thru the woods all the time. What do they do when they hear something? They "note" where the noise is and pay attention to that location until they have decided whether it is a threat or not. If they SEE it is a threat, they're gone! I do try to make as little noise as possible but not to the point where I'm constantly looking at where I'm stepping. Your eyes should always be looking for deer.

Now to answer your question...

Generally I see more deer while I'm "moving". By moving I mean taking 2-3 steps then stopping for 20-30 seconds. I would refer to it as the "death walk" more than still hunting. haha The majority of the time I hear the deer coming in those 20-30 second gaps. Occasionally, I'll catch movement or spot an "irregularity" in the woods while taking my 2-3 steps. It's amazing how much your view of the woods changes with only 2-3 steps. Now, I'd be lying if I told you I never sit down to hunt. If I find plenty of sign and feel like deer are using a specific area I will sit and watch for a while. Or if I simply need a break to rest or eat a snack I'll sit and watch. There have been plenty of times that I've seen deer during these "sits" as well.

One last thing...I've discovered over the last few years how important it is to step more like a deer. A deer does not have a heels and toes. When I still-hunt I step flat footed, always putting my feet down with heel and toe area touching the ground at the same time. Deer hear other deer walking in the woods all the time but if you don't sound like another deer than they'll be even more on guard.

Sorry for the long read but maybe this will help someone just starting out!

 

[swd]

I like to still hunt during rifle and muzzleloader season. I just do not have the skill or range with a bow at this point to be confident from the ground. All that said, I hunt from ground setups, tree setups, and shooting houses depending on the property and the rules. One of the places I hunt, the owner really does not allow incursions into the woods. He pays all of the bills, so he makes the rules.

 

[FredRog72]

My hunting style seems to go against the grain of most everyone else. My preferred day would be less wind and somewhat crunchy leaves. There are a couple reasons I say that. First, I like to use my ears and my eyes to locate deer. Second, the more and more I hunt the more and more I realize that deer do not spook on you making noise. Here is my reasoning...deer hear noises ALL the time in the woods! Think about how much noise those stinking squirrels make that drive us all crazy. Deer also hear other deer walking thru the woods all the time. What do they do when they hear something? They "note" where the noise is and pay attention to that location until they have decided whether it is a threat or not. If they SEE it is a threat, they're gone! I do try to make as little noise as possible but not to the point where I'm constantly looking at where I'm stepping. Your eyes should always be looking for deer.

Now to answer your question...

Generally I see more deer while I'm "moving". By moving I mean taking 2-3 steps then stopping for 20-30 seconds. I would refer to it as the "death walk" more than still hunting. haha The majority of the time I hear the deer coming in those 20-30 second gaps. Occasionally, I'll catch movement or spot an "irregularity" in the woods while taking my 2-3 steps. It's amazing how much your view of the woods changes with only 2-3 steps. Now, I'd be lying if I told you I never sit down to hunt. If I find plenty of sign and feel like deer are using a specific area I will sit and watch for a while. Or if I simply need a break to rest or eat a snack I'll sit and watch. There have been plenty of times that I've seen deer during these "sits" as well.

One last thing...I've discovered over the last few years how important it is to step more like a deer. A deer does not have a heels and toes. When I still-hunt I step flat footed, always putting my feet down with heel and toe area touching the ground at the same time. Deer hear other deer walking in the woods all the time but if you don't sound like another deer than they'll be even more on guard.

Sorry for the long read but maybe this will help someone just starting out!

I have nothing to add to this post other than it is spot on with how I approach still hunting. It does however prevent me from getting cold or falling asleep and it is my preferred method.

 

[Pilchard]

I keep the wind in my face and move painfully slow. I also carry a shooting stick to make sure that I can stop anywhere to shoot and still have a solid rest.