How Many Of You Stillhunt?

[Woods Walker]

And I don't mean an occasional wander in the woods when there's no treestand action, but as a planned, specific, hunting strategy, with the gear adjustments and other factors.
 
I started doing this in earnest about 4 or 5 years ago, and now it's pretty well the way I hunt most of the time.
 
I will add, that I still incorporate some natural ground blind set ups, and depending on the day, I might just spend it by stillhunting from one ground blind to another over the course of that day.
 
It's not easy, and you do need to work on some specific skills, both physical and mental, but for me, it's THE most satisfying way I've ever hunted.

[JPH]

I do not still hunt anymore. As you said, I do the occaisonal wonder or ground set-up, but that does not really count.
 
The largest property that I have access to is less than 100 acres. I am all about low impact hunting. Still hunts raise the prospect of bumping a mature buck that may not return during daylight, so I don't risk it.
 
When land access was no problem, I used to still hunt all the time. It's how I learned. I really miss it.

[mag30079]

I love still hunting, sneaking crawling getting close just makes it that much more exciting. I'm no master and have been busted and snorted at more then I care to admit to. I've been successful with my shot gun but not the bow yet.

[PrairieShadow]

Only when there is standing corn to still hunt in. Otherwise its up a tree for me.
I have some pretty big property to hunt but still fear bumping deer if the conditions arent right. I really enjoy sitting in my stand taking in the world around me but sometimes it is nice to get moving.

[passin through]

Its cool the way different parts of the country call things by different names.... Around here still hunting is what ya'll call stand hunting  (cause you sit still to do it[:D])  What you are describing as still hunting I would call slipping and my brother just calls it going for a walk.  Your "still" hunting is my brothers favorite way to hunt.  He has had lots of success while I've never killed one doing that.  He has a homemade ghille suite that he wears in deep cover but other than that usually he just goes to a point where he wants to go in and goes in....Blue Jeans, steel toe work boots, and a camo shirt (if he's got one[:D]) a 30-06 and a grunt tube is about the extent of his gear. He's killed two really nice bucks going for his "walks" and several other bucks and does.  All I can think is he's just lucky cause he doesn't give any real thought to it he just goes and does and usually winds up where the deer are, with the wind right.  Whereas when I try it they start blowing before I ever crank the truck to leave camp.

[Woods Walker]

What I've found, is that to do it effectively, you should NOT cover a lot of ground, and that it takes as much, if not MORE patience than it takes to sit in a tree for 12 hours.
 
I rarely cover more than 100 to 200 yards in a 6 hour hunt.
 
But what I've also found, is that it's a great way to see BIG bucks during the rut, especially the chasing phase.
 
Here's a response I made to an inquiry on another forum about how to get close to deer when stillhunting and geeting close to deer on the ground:
 
[blockquote]
The way you do it is simple to explain, but difficult to do.....
 
1.  Play the wind......ALWAYS.  I carry a squeeze bottle of wind detection powder. A ripe milk weed pod works also, and is free.
 
2. Work the shadows, NEVER sillouette yourself, always be concerned about your background.
 
3. Move S  L  O  W  L  Y, when you move at all. If you aren't having squirrels literally within kicking distance of you, then you're moving too fast.
 
4. Know the area that you're hunting in like the back of your hand.
 
5. Spend a lot of time on your knees.  I spend so much time on my knees when I still hunt, that knee pads are a vital part of my hunting gear. When you're on your knees, you have reduced the human form, AND, you aren't MOVING.
 
6. Dry leaves?  See # 3 above. Also, learn the "stalkers walk". Fred Asbell describes it well in his Stalking and Still hunting, The Ground Hunter's Bible. I also carry a diaphram turkey call that I use to "camoflage" any sound I may make crunching leaves or twigs. Turkeys make A LOT of noise in the woods, as do deer, under dry conditions. Learn how to "walk like a deer", so that your "crunch", sound like theirs.
 
7. Learn how to, and practice shooting your bow from all different angles. I can shoot mine canted so far that it's parallel with ground.
 
8. Check your backtrail CONSTANTLY. If you are moving slow enough, deer can and will approach from almost every direction. This is probably the biggest reason I get "busted".
 
9. Is it easy?......hell no.  Will you have more shots hunting from a tree or a blind?.......yes, absolutely.  But, IMO, you will never have a more satisfying hunt, than when you start getting them on the ground

[/blockquote]
 
 

[vambo991]

Absolutely prefer it... but I agree that you need some acreage to do a lot of it... I only have 120 acres so I hunt mostly from my treestands until late in the season... usually when there's snow on the ground. Sneaking to within 30 yards (or closer) of any deer is the ultimate hunt IMO.

[Number 2]

I can identify with passing Thru, to me "Still hunting" is sitting in a stand or blind.  Woods Walker did describe what he does but I am not clear on the definition of "Still Hunting".  Can you help me with a definition?

I have been hunting the forests of Montana since I was a young boy.  I have never tried bow hunting.  We always used to joke around and say "why use a bow when you have a perfectly good rifle?"  ha ha I mean no ofence to you guys, I do recognize it as a greater challenge and would like to give it a try sometime.

[hunter480]

ORIGINAL: Number 2

I can identify with passing Thru, to me "Still hunting" is sitting in a stand or blind.  Woods Walker did describe what he does but I am not clear on the definition of "Still Hunting".  Can you help me with a definition?

I have been hunting the forests of Montana since I was a young boy.  I have never tried bow hunting.  We always used to joke around and say "why use a bow when you have a perfectly good rifle?"  ha ha I mean no ofence to you guys, I do recognize it as a greater challenge and would like to give it a try sometime.

Still hunting is exactly as he described it. It`s a slow, disciplined methodical moving hunt. Again, as described, if you`re covering more than a couple hundred yards a hunt, you`re moving too quickly.

Lack of discipline is exactly the reason I`ve never done it much. It`s horribly difficult to move that slowly, scan the area, wait.........take a step or two, scan the area, wait..........

Good grief, put me in my ladderstand any day. At least I can relax a bit there.......

[8D]

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: hunter480

ORIGINAL: Number 2

I can identify with passing Thru, to me "Still hunting" is sitting in a stand or blind.  Woods Walker did describe what he does but I am not clear on the definition of "Still Hunting".  Can you help me with a definition?

I have been hunting the forests of Montana since I was a young boy.  I have never tried bow hunting.  We always used to joke around and say "why use a bow when you have a perfectly good rifle?"  ha ha I mean no ofence to you guys, I do recognize it as a greater challenge and would like to give it a try sometime.

Still hunting is exactly as he described it. It`s a slow, disciplined methodical moving hunt. Again, as described, if you`re covering more than a couple hundred yards a hunt, you`re moving too quickly.

Lack of discipline is exactly the reason I`ve never done it much. It`s horribly difficult to move that slowly, scan the area, wait.........take a step or two, scan the area, wait..........

Good grief, put me in my ladderstand any day. At least I can relax a bit there.......

[8D]

 
You are exactly right. It takes A LOT of patience.
 
Whenever I hear someone say, "I stillhunt because I don't have the patience to sit in a stand all day", I know immediately that they are NOT stillhunting, or at least how I define the term.
 
I didn't even begin to seriously stillhunt until I could go dark to dark in a treestand like it was nothing. And truth be told, I don't believe there are all that many "serious" deer hunters who even have the patience for that!
 
Fact is, like you mentioned, it takes even MORE patience to move that slowly. It is also very mentally and physically tiring due to the extreme concentration that is needed, and the fact that you are moving in slow motion all the time. You also spend a lot of time balancing yourself on one foot so you don't bring your weight down hard on your leading foot. If you are in mid-step with one foot in the air and you hear or see movement, or you THINK you hear or see movement you have to freeze all motion until you confirm it.
 
I will spend part of my day sitting on a log in a natural "blind" that I've either prepared beforehand, or one that see and make right then and there. This gives me a chance to relax a bit.
 
It's a difficult way to hunt, but when you have animals of all sorts moving by you that don't know you're there, it's also very rewarding.
 
When you combine this type of hunting with a ghillie suit, the results can be almost supernatural. I've had small woods birds land on me, wild quail wander around me feeding like a bunch of barnyard chickens, squirrels run over my boot toes, and deer come within feet of me and walk right on by.
 
I'm addicted to it now. I love it. I rarely hunt any other way now!