Marc Anthony...Some Questions!

[Woods Walker]

Marc....I'd like to pick your brain a bit about this ground hunting stuff. Anyone else that has questions is more than welcome to chime in also.

So, to begin:

1. I assume that with these "up close and personal" type deer encounters, that you use some sort of face covering. If so, what do you prefer, face paint or a mask/covering of some sort? I've gone back and forth, and most of the time I prefer a camo veil that is attached to the turkey hunter's boonie hat I wear under my shaggie headpiece. I wear glasses, and the veil hides any shine or glare that might come off of them. But it does reduce my shooting range even though I do practice with it on.

2. Like any good stillhunter knows, you need to use the shadows to your advantage. Do you find that certain times of the day help and/or hinder you in being undetected by deer?

3. In regards to lighting conditions, do you have any preference for overcast or sunny days?

Enough picking for now! [;)]

[Ifishandhunt]

I'm gonna chime in here because something you wrote here has me curious.
This is probably the 3rd or 4th time I recently saw someone mentioning 'shadows' when talking about hunting.

What kind of effect are you talking about regarding shadows? Are shadows good or bad? Does it make your outline seem larger/bulkier and therefore less like a normal human shape? Or does it spook the deer? I never thought about my shadow until recently so It would be interesting to get your take.

[Woods Walker]

Well my take on it is that shadows help in concealing your outline. If you fish, you will note that many predator fish (bass for example), use shadows, mud lines, and vegetation/temperature breaks a "cover" when they hunt for baitfish.

And look at some ungulates that are prey species and live in forested habitats. Some of them have light colored "dapples" on their coat that increases the illusion of the effect of the shafts of sunlight and shadows that penetrate their cover. Many African animals have this.

I like to use the shadows of trees as much as I can when stillhunting, and will make it a point if I'm going to stop for a while to be in the shadow of a large tree. It may be my imagination, but when I'm standing in a shadow, I have less of a feeling of being "in the spotlight", if you know what I mean.

P.S....Check your email Rich! [:)]

[Marc Anthony]

ORIGINAL: Woods Walker

Marc....I'd like to pick your brain a bit about this ground hunting stuff. Anyone else that has questions is more than welcome to chime in also.

So, to begin:

1. I assume that with these "up close and personal" type deer encounters, that you use some sort of face covering. If so, what do you prefer, face paint or a mask/covering of some sort? I've gone back and forth, and most of the time I prefer a camo veil that is attached to the turkey hunter's boonie hat I wear under my shaggie headpiece. I wear glasses, and the veil hides any shine or glare that might come off of them. But it does reduce my shooting range even though I do practice with it on.

2. Like any good stillhunter knows, you need to use the shadows to your advantage. Do you find that certain times of the day help and/or hinder you in being undetected by deer?

3. In regards to lighting conditions, do you have any preference for overcast or sunny days?

Enough picking for now! [;)]

Woodsy, I like to wear a leafy type of face mask when I hunt. Most often I'll wear this face mask even though I'm wearing a Ghillie suit made from different material. When you think about it, the two different materials break up your profile even more, thus creating even more confusion for your game animals. Sometimes, when hunting a real difficult buck, I'll pull the mask way off to one side making my head look lop-sided, sort of like that character Gumby. It's all about distorting everything about you! No fashion statements here! Mis-matches are OK.

Yes, I do use shadows sometimes to break up my silhouette. In addition to that, I make sure my motions are all very fluid and not too jerky. It's those sudden movements and anything that "raises", like arms and legs, that really triggers danger.

I love overcast days! The sunny days leave your image too stark and deer would prefer to move in overcast days. Their eyes contain many more cones and rods in them making them very sensitive in bright daylight. Overcast days are great for still or location hunting from the ground.

[Woods Walker]

I love overcast days! The sunny days leave your image too stark and deer would prefer to move in overcast days. Their eyes contain many more cones and rods in them making them very sensitive in bright daylight. Overcast days are great for still or location hunting from the ground.

That's been my experience too Marc. Overcast days seem to be a little more "forgiving", if you will.

As long as your here, how about optics? Do you use them for stillhunting? I use mine constantly. If you do, what style/magnification do you prefer? And do you use a bino harness?

[Marc Anthony]

Yes! I use optics all of the time. Here in Illinois, I just use a 10 power cheap pair that I can bump around, etc and not worry about damaging them. I do most of my "walking" with them. I comb the sides of hills, the bottom ground during the mornings and evenings and the hill tops during the mid day. I do as much work with my binos as I can to prevent motion. Out west or in states that have less timber, I'll use a multi-power set of better quality.

I don't use a bino harness but rather a fanny pack that holds them for me. I could probably use one though!

[Woods Walker]

Try one, Marc, and you'll wonder why you didn't get one sooner. If you use binos as much as you do ( and BTW, I like 10X too....), I'm surprised that you don't!

Mine go right over my ghillie, and the harness actually helps to keep the upper part of the ghillie closer to my body. They don't interfere with my shooting, and I can crawl on my hands and knees and they don't move or bang around. Plus, they are ALWAYS "right there", and it takes almost no hand/arm motion to pick them up. If you do decide to get one, I'll tell you about a handy tip to get the straps over your back and shoulders while wearing a ghillie and you're by yourself.

On that topic, here's another question.....

When you glass, what do you do with your bow? Do you use a holder or belt hook so you don't have to set it down? One of the advantages of hunting with a recurve like I do, is that it's long enough so that I can set the binos on the top tip of my bow to steady it while the other end is on the top of my foot. But there's times when I'd like to not have it involved, but I hesitate to set it on the ground (movement), and it seems like whenever I lay it up against a tree, IT FALLS!!!! [:@]

[Marc Anthony]

That sounds good Lou. I think I'll try one next year!

I rest my bow on my foot to avoid dirt getting into the cam or the wheel. I use one hand to hold the bino and the other to hold the bow. I never leave it resting on a tree as I'll probably bump it or knock it over trying to stay awake [&:]

I kneel a lot when I still hunt, so I often place a pile of leaves in an area close to the trees and rest the bow on them. I always try to avoid dirt in the bow. I am working with a Ghillie manufacturer that is making a back pack that also holds your bow. It's in the prototype phase now, but when we have it perfected, I'll show it to you!

[Woods Walker]

I'd love to see it!

Put your thinking cap on, as I have some more questions tomorrow. Hint.....they get tougher! [;)]

[1Morgan]

My question is about the parallel deer, as you are moving you notice the deer to your left or right keeping the wind in its face as well. You are moving and standing upright possibly/probably in an opening and in my experience these deer are within 30 yards. What is your next move?