Tips and Tricks For "Ground Pounders"

[Woods Walker]

Modeer! About 5 yrs Ago I bought a bottle of Code Blue Doe Estruse well the cap come open in my pants pocket, from walking and spilled all down my leg! I smelled like PURE CRAP..The way I sat that morning was with my back to the path I walked up! I had a buck come up the same path I did, and got with in 20 ft of me before I heard and then seen it. I told my wife the buck had full intentions of trying to rape me lol...

Reminds me of an old joke...................


Frank was excited about his new rifle and decided to try bear hunting. Hespotted a small brown bear and shot it. Right after, there was a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to see a big black bear. The black bear said, "That was my cousin and you've got two choices... Either I maul you to death or we have sex."

After considering briefly, Frank decided to accede to the latter alternative. Even though he felt sore for two weeks, Frank soon recovered and vowed revenge.


He headed out on another trip where he found the black bear and shot it. Right after, there was another tap on his shoulder. This time a huge grizzly bear stood right next to him. The grizzly said, "That was a big mistake, Frank. That was my cousin and you've got two choices. Either I maul you to death or we have rough sex." Again, Frank thought it was better to cooperate.

Although he survived, it took several months before Frank finally recovered. Outraged, he headed back to the woods, managed to track down the grizzly and shot it. He felt sweet revenge, but, then, there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find a giant polar bear standing there. The polar bear looked at him very sadly and said, "Admit it Frank, you don't come here for the hunting, do you?"

[Gulfcapt]

lololol That was good Wood Walker lol

ORIGINAL: Woods Walker

Modeer! About 5 yrs Ago I bought a bottle of Code Blue Doe Estruse well the cap come open in my pants pocket, from walking and spilled all down my leg! I smelled like PURE CRAP..The way I sat that morning was with my back to the path I walked up! I had a buck come up the same path I did, and got with in 20 ft of me before I heard and then seen it. I told my wife the buck had full intentions of trying to rape me lol...

Reminds me of an old joke...................


Frank was excited about his new rifle and decided to try bear hunting. Hespotted a small brown bear and shot it. Right after, there was a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to see a big black bear. The black bear said, "That was my cousin and you've got two choices... Either I maul you to death or we have sex."

After considering briefly, Frank decided to accede to the latter alternative. Even though he felt sore for two weeks, Frank soon recovered and vowed revenge.


He headed out on another trip where he found the black bear and shot it. Right after, there was another tap on his shoulder. This time a huge grizzly bear stood right next to him. The grizzly said, "That was a big mistake, Frank. That was my cousin and you've got two choices. Either I maul you to death or we have rough sex." Again, Frank thought it was better to cooperate.

Although he survived, it took several months before Frank finally recovered. Outraged, he headed back to the woods, managed to track down the grizzly and shot it. He felt sweet revenge, but, then, there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find a giant polar bear standing there. The polar bear looked at him very sadly and said, "Admit it Frank, you don't come here for the hunting, do you?"

[DeanoZ]

Great points Allegan. And as you said, "take your time". That's what it's all about. You don't want to move until you have a reason, and you KNOW WHERE YOUR FEET ARE GOING. When you do move your eyes need to be looking around you, not at your feet.

With good footgear, you can also many times slide your foot forward as you feel the ground without looking down if your just trying to shift your weight from one foot to the other.

Woodsie/Marc Anthony can the two of you recommend some good foot gear for still hunting?  Also what do you wear under your ghillies...and I'm not trying to be fresh, lol...just curious if you wear jeans or moisture wicking apparel etc?

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: DeanoZ

Great points Allegan. And as you said, "take your time". That's what it's all about. You don't want to move until you have a reason, and you KNOW WHERE YOUR FEET ARE GOING. When you do move your eyes need to be looking around you, not at your feet.

With good footgear, you can also many times slide your foot forward as you feel the ground without looking down if your just trying to shift your weight from one foot to the other.

Woodsie/Marc Anthony can the two of you recommend some good foot gear for still hunting?  Also what do you wear under your ghillies...and I'm not trying to be fresh, lol...just curious if you wear jeans or moisture wicking apparel etc?

You want footwear that is lightweight, and thin soled enough that you can "feel" the ground as you set foot upon it. You also want footwear that lets your foot "curl" or bend so that you can put the toe of your leading foot down first with your foot arched, while you still have all the weight on your back foot, and then GENTLY set the rest of your foot down, feeling for sticks that might snap as you do. THEN you put the weight on it, and not before. Moccasins are perfect for this, and are why the native peoples of many hunter/gatherer cultures developed and used them.

Obviously 90% of your commercial hunting boots that have vibram soles, are about worthless for stillhunting. I use old fashioned Converse high top sneakers for most of my early season/dry day hunting. I spray them before the season with waterproofing for the dew, and they are a full size larger than what I normally wear so that I can put a couple pair of socks on, and/or a lightweight thinsulate bootie. After it gets colder or really wet I use Bean's Guide Boots with thinsulate liners and the rubber bottoms. People will warn you that wearing suuch thin soled footgear is inviting injury from rocks and the like, and they are right...IF you are hiking in them or covering a lot of ground. If you are stillhunting right you will be doing neither, and the slower you go the better.

I know it seems unlikely, but once you master the movement of your body balance and foot movement (combined with the right footwear), you can actually move almost silently through even dry leaves. I used to practice this if my buddy was in his stand by coming in from behind him, and seeing how close I could to him before he saw or heard me, Many times I got within 12 yards of him and sat on a log for 10 minutes or so before he looked or I made a sound to alert him. He didn't think it was a funny as I did!

I prefer wicking underwear and a light weight wool shirt for early season, and then layers as it gets colder. You will find that even on cold days you don't need half the clothing that you do when in a treestand. Even with the minimal movement you are doing you are still moving, and walking the way I described makes you use many of your major muscle groups. Try standing on a back foot with your knee bent, while your other foot/leg is poised in midair, even if it's only a foot or so off the ground (which is how I spend a lot of my time stillhunting if I see or hear any movement or sound, or THINK I hear any movement or sound) for 5 minutes or so, and you'll see what I mean. The ghillie suit itself lends itself to being warmer, because of all the dead air space. I do make sure in colder weather than I have decent gloves and handwarmers in easily accessable pockets, so I can take turns keeping my hands warm as one is always holding my bow/gun.

[DeanoZ]

Thanks Lou...good stuff, but I was hoping for a shoe/boot that serves the purpose but is a bit more weatherproof than converse high tops, although I can definitely see the value in them when waterproofed.  Good stuff on the undergarments, I'll take all this info to my brother...he's the one who will be still hunting and prefers it to tree stand hunting.

[FryMan]

I usually only ground hunt when the wind is blowing. This covers up sound, movement and scent is blown and broken up. I use the three step motion. Stop and look. Takes a while to cover a woods. I had Deer walk by me from behind, so look behind you. Don't forget the Deer call. Have kill 5 Bucks calling. At times during the rut, Bucks can be called from long distances into Bow range if traveling alone. I have not tried this yet. A buddy says it has worked for him. When a Deer hits a drag trail you have laid down, he does not know which way to go. The trail will not get hotter as he follows, so my buddy just walks through the middle of the woods before daylight with a drag not trying to be quiet. (during the rut) The Buck will cut the trail to see what went through. He knows which way to go because of the noise. He says it worked twice for him. Buck walked straight to him with his head down. Might give it a try... 

[JES8814]

I had a brain storm this summer, I took old tires, drilled the sidewalls so they wouldn't hold H2O, made two ground blinds brushed them and put a few braches on top. I will let you know if it workes.

[Woods Walker]

Radials? Mud and snow? Highway tread? C'mon man, you gotta be SPECIFIC! This stuff's important! [:D] [;)]

Seriously...it sounds like a good idea. It certainly isn't going to deteriorate any time soon, and if you need to move it, it ROLLS!!

Can you show any pics?

[scottflesher]

I've always been mostly a stand hunter. I don't have alot of confidence that I can draw my bow while on the ground. This year there is some land that i'm hunting that is so romote, you'd be a fool to pack in a stand. Also I don't own a 4 wheeler to help me prepare pre-season. On a windy day, I plan to grab the old compound and using some of the techniques on this thread, beginning walking upwind and see what I can see. If nothing else, i'll scout the land for future years.

[Woods Walker]

Scott: When you do try it, commit on that day to STILLHUNTING, and not, "Well I'lll just try to slip around/scout a bit before I go to my afternoon stand".

If you were going to hunt from a stand, you'd PREPARE yourself for that, with heavier clothes, a body harness/safety belt, and a pack with all kinds of other "extras" in it that treestand hunting demands....bow hangers, steps, drop ropes, etc.

So now do the same for your stillhunt. Wear lighter, QUIETER clothing. Put on lighter weight and hopefully thinner soled boots so that you can move more quietly. Shed what you carry with you to a bare minimum, so that you can move more unencumbered and silently. DO NOT set yourself up with planning on being at a certain place, at a certain time, or saying to yourself that you are, "Going to cover all of this woods, and then after lunch I will cover the lower part of the ridge so that I can watch the field edge the last hour before dark." When you do that, then you are making TIME your guideline, and then you have already failed.

Go to an area that you KNOW deer are in, or that they pass through, and then BELIEVE that they are there, or soon will be, and that you WILL see them first and then move accordingly. The ONLY time that you should move (and by "move" I mean move ONE foot), is to see beyond where you can see now, and that should ONLY be after you have convinced yourself that the deer THAT YOU KNOW ARE THERE cannnot be seen from that specific spot you are on now. This includes looking BEHIND you as well as in front, and preferably with the aid of binoculars that you have dissected the cover with all around you by changing the focus to look into and THROUGH the cover with.

As I said, you have to COMMIT to it, or you will simply be taking a walk in the woods. Is it work? Yes. Is it mentally taxing? You bet. But believe me, it DOES work, and when it does, you will have experienced a form of deer hunting that has no rival.

And it's also highly addictive! Be advised........