Stillhunting

By Buddy English

A cool rain fell quietly through the leaves of the old oak and dripped slowly from the brim of my Realtree baseball cap. I had entered the woods when the drizzle started, now I wondered if maybe I should return to the truck. I really had no intentions of hunting today, but after trimming a few branches the previous evening; I accidentally left my knife in the tree that held my stand. When I mentioned to a friend that I had planned to retrieve it, he suggested that I carry my bow "just in case".

Crossing a small pasture between stands of trees, I felt that I had lost my chance when two does and a nice buck bounded away. The rain had them up and feeding in areas they usually don't frequent until dusk. I knew that I needed to continue with the utmost of caution if I had hoped to be the "spotter" and not the "spottee". As I eased my way from tree to tree, my eyes were constantly scanning the terrain for the slightest movement. Taking one or two steps at a time, I would then stop to scrutinize my surroundings for small pieces of the puzzle, such as an ear, the flicker of a tail, or the flash of a rain-glistened antler.

I had probably gone about one hundred yards when I spotted the top of a whitetail's rack cresting the hill in front of me. I quickly moved of the trail and behind a large cottonwood tree, where I could wait with little fear of being picked-off by the deer's keen eyesight. Moments later, I was watching a heavy-horned nine-pointer casually feeding his way in my direction. At thirty yards, he moved off the trail to sample a few acorns from an old oak tree that had recently dropped its fruit. As his head vanished behind it's trunk, my bow came to full draw. Quartering towards me slightly at twenty-six yards my arrow zipped through his vitals. I stood admiring my trophy at the end of a copious fifty-yard blood trail!

Many hunters are afraid to leave their lofty perches and chase deer on their own ground. I admit that I, too, was skeptical about leaving my security blanket. Undoubtedly, commercial treestands have increased hunter's success rates more than anything else has. And don't get me wrong, they're great! But it seems to me that some hunters think that if an area isn't treestand friendly that it cannot be hunted. Remember guys, we started on the ground and are still perfectly capable of taking game from there if we follow a few rules of thumb. Here's a few for the beginning ground hunter:

Move slowly and deliberately! This is probably the most simple and yet the most overlooked. Moving VERY SLOWLY allows us to notice movement better and of course makes it harder for us to be detected. Also, when stopping, take position close to a tree or some brush if possible. You must remember that you are just a visitor in the world of the whitetail. He lives there everyday. He knows every detail of his home and the brush will serve to make you more inconspicuous by breaking up your outline. One point that is commonly harped on is the wind. It is pretty cut and dry from my perspective. Keep it in your face! By all means try to remain as scent-free as possible; but remember you can try scent eliminators, you can try coverscents, but you will never be totally scent-free! The best defense against the whitetail's nose is to simply stay downwind of it!

A Good camo pattern is a necessity as you will be on the same level as the deer. I know there are some of you hardcore traditionalists that will scoff at this statement saying "I kill my deer every year without camo!". Well more power to you friends. But a person will have more consistent success with camouflage. Bill Jordan's Realtree patterns are excellent, as well as the Mossy Oak and predator patterns. My personal favorites are Realtree's All- Purpose Grey and Mossy Oak's fall foliage. I have had success with both patterns in a variety of situations. Here's an example:

Leaving my stand early one day, I decided to still-hunt my way back to my pick-up. Not far from my stand, I spotted the head of a whitetail buck that was bedded off of the trail in front of me. I slowly closed the gap to forty yards, only to notice a second buck bedded beside him! Moving slightly away from the trail, I gave a few soft hucks on my grunt tube to try and coax them in. Several attempts later, curiosity got the better of the young fellas and they started moving in my direction on an alternate trail above me. This trail left absolutely no cover between my quarry and me. At ten yards the first buck stopped and stared directly at me. After several minutes, they continued forward on the trail. I drew my bow as the second bucks head passed behind some tall grass. He never knew what hit him as my Snuffer passed through his ribs! Nothing separated that deer and I but air. If not for a good camo pattern I would have never had a chance to draw my bow!

In addition to being well camouflaged, your clothing should be made of a durable, quiet material. Most companies today produce quality hunting clothes made from polar fleece or a poly-cotton blend, either of which should work well. It should also suite the temperature. Remember to dress in layers during cold weather. This keeps you much warmer and allows you to shed a layer or two if you get too warm. Going right along with clothing, we mustn't forget boots . I prefer boots with thin soles so you can "feel" the ground. Unfortunately, most boots will need to wear a few years to meet that criterion. You will also want something that will keep your feet warm and dry. Rocky Mountain makes waterproof boot with up to 1200-grams of Thinsulate in all the newest camo patterns.

Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that we move our head and hands more than anything else. So it only makes sense to camo these parts as well. I personally wear gloves and a facenet at all times. H.S Strut produces a net with an adjustable nosepiece, elastic headband, and a large hole for your eyes. Unlike some other facenets, it doesn't interfere with your peripheral vision or the sighting of your bow. For those of you who cannot stand facenets, camo make-up will work just as well.

These are just a few of the basics to make your next still-hunting endeavor more successful and more comfortable. If you are accustomed to hunting from a treestand or a ground blind, don't be afraid to try something new. In addition to the chance for some in-season scouting, you are making something happen, not just waiting and hoping. Add still-hunting to your arsenal. When it comes to the whitetail, we need all the ammo we can get!