The Art of Still Hunting

The art of still hunting whitetail deer is fast becoming a lost art. It has fallen the victim of the marketing of deer stands, and food plots. It has succumbed to box blinds and tripods. The woods-man ship needed to effectively sneak through the woods unnoticed is fast becoming lost.

Thankfully there are still a few of us out there that would much rather hunt from the ground, sneaking, slipping through the forest unnoticed to bag a deer. Sure the success rate is reduced, but I would argue that the hunt is cherished more. The act of hunting is realized, and at the end of the day, one knows that they have hunted hard, and have hunted well.

I began my still hunting career out of necessity rather than by choice. When I first began pursuing whitetails in my native state of South Carolina, the thick pine plantations and oak covered ridges were abundant. Tree stands were in their infancy and to be quite honest I could not afford one, plus the idea of bear hugging a pine to get a better vantage point just did not appeal to me. So I stayed on the ground. Sitting on logs, behind blow-downs, on stumps, in the crevice of a big old oak. During these long sits, I would often see deer at a distance that my single barreled 16 gauge could not reach, so I began to move towards them. Often times the ignorance of a youth is a good thing. Had I read about the techniques of hunting I would have stayed put. But my anxiety got the best of me and I would get up and begin moving long a trail towards the deer. Many more times than not the deer would see me and the game would be over. But it was in these failures that I learned my lessons of still hunting that I practice today with what I consider a pretty good success rate.

In our state the season is quite long, opening in mid august is some parts of the state and lasting until January 1^st. In the neck of the state I hunt most of the time, it opens in mid September and lasts until January 1^st, couple this with liberal bag limits, it affords many failures in order to become successful.

Contrary to the early days when I still hunted out of necessity, today it is by choice. When the conditions are right, I leave the stands in the trees and hit the ground. There are several factors that come into play in effective still hunting and I would like to cover some of those here.

The best conditions in my state may be different than where you are, unfortunately we do not get very much snow, in fact I have never had the opportunity to hunt deer in the snow, when the white stuff does fall it is usually long after season is over. So I look for other weather events to increase my odds of success. Such as immediately following a rain, the rain will dampen all of the potential noise you may make. Softening leaves and sticks, it make the walking far more quiet, suffice it to say that the deer have the same advantage after a rain, it is impossible to hear them. But with a good steady wind or breeze following a rain, I will hit the trail every time.

A common mistake many make when still hunting for the first time is to pre determine a route before they leave. “I want to slip through that creek bottom” and they head off never paying attention to the wind, sun position or the conditions. Rather successful still hunters will look at the conditions and let that dictate where they go. On my piece of property I have several areas that are good for still hunting. I have set up approach areas that allow me to hunt at least on of these regardless of the wind direction. N-NW wind, I hunt the beech bottoms, S-SE the sanctuary E wind sends me into the savannah, and a west wind I am at the cemetery. All designated areas that afford easy access and good travel routes through the wind directions. If it is swirling, I sit around the campfire until the wind changes. (Note: it is just as important to know when not to go as it is in knowing when to go.)

Once an area is designated and a plan made I will approach the target area well in advance and get myself mentally ready for the concentration needed to still hunt effectively. What I mean by this, is often hunters will not get their game face on until they are at their destination. Rather as soon as I leave the vehicle or camp I am hunting. In planning a route, sticking to a plan and moving deliberately and intentionally makes the hunt longer and more enjoyable and often more successful. Many times I have seen my first deer within 50 yards of my starting point. The hunt begins as soon as you enter the woods or leave the truck.

Upon arriving at my destination I keep a few things in mind. The wind must be in my face or at the worst quartering to my face, the sun at my back or very high in the sky (or overcast) and never, ever allow yourself to skyline on a ridge. By keeping these things in mind success is greatly improved. The last thing is the most difficult. Never, let your guard down.

The conditions were prefect. Slight drizzle had lasted most of the night and had recently stopped. The woods were quiet and the wind slightly from the NW. I moved to one of my favorite ridges for a still hunt. As I was slipping along the side of a ridge being careful not to skyline myself, I spotted movement ahead. My mind told me it was a squirrel jumping onto the side of a tree, so I took another slow calculated step, and a huge buck bolted from its bed not 15 yards in front of me never offering me a safe shot. Had I deliberately studied the movement, I would have realized it was an ear flicking or head turning. But I let my guard down and missed the opportunity I was hoping for.

Deer have an unbelievable sense of knowing just when you are not ready to see them before they bolt. Hesitation can be a good thing, wait and then when you are ready to move, wait some more, looking and watching investigating in detail every movement, everything that looks out of place and even those that look like they should be there.

Walking pace is the most critical element of still hunting. So many hunters decide they will hunt the back 40 and they are determined to cover the whole thing in their allotted timeframe. Still hunting cannot have time or distance restraints. I have spent many an hour hunkered down beside an oak watching deer feeding just out of range. Watching and waiting for just the right opportunity to move. Knowing that I can only move when the opportunity presents, makes the success far more possible. Standing and waiting, watching, listening. Still hunting requires you to use your eyes far more than your legs. Most of the deer I have harvested while still hunting were seen when I was still. Leaning against a tree and surveying the surrounding areas. Then the plan emerges, shoot, wait or stalk closer.

I had spotted the group of does walking the field edge long before they were close. They were moving to a white oak tree to feed, it was 12:00 noon and I slowly moved to one knee, at about 35 yards from the tree they would soon be feeding under. Looking carefully, I grabbed my binoculars and looked at each deer, one after another showed no head gear, then out of no where, 4 minutes after I first saw them a buck appeared. I was still on my one knee that by now my feet were fast asleep and I knew I would have to get closer. Watching them all closely I waited until all heads were down and I slowly stood and waited for the blood to get back into my feet. After due time, I began my slow approach. Moving at a rate that would make a sloth appear as an Olympic sprinter, I moved closer and closer to the feeding deer. Upon reaching my desired distance of 15 yards, and 1.5 hours later my arrow found its mark in the lone buck. When the buck bounded away the does just stood there. I could have legally harvested one of these also, but instead I decided to see just how close to them I could get. So again I slowly approached. Gillie suit on, wind in my face, sun at my back I crept in. One of the large does watched the whole event. And when I was a mere 7 feet away she decided the “bush” was getting too close and turned and walked away. I recovered my buck within 30 yards.

Still hunting is moving like smoke through the woods, drifting without making a sound. Moving from one tree to another, calculating every step, feeling through your shoes for limbs, sticks, brush that may make a sound if stepped on. Finding a tree and leaning on that tree for minutes until every nook and cranny has been investigated. Every possible sign looked at and looked at again. It is often in these moments that I spot the deer. As they move along a trail, sneaking from their bed for a stretch, or going to dine on a mid day meal when I intercept them.

Another good tactic to employ when still hunting is the use of a grunt tube. Make sure it is available for quick access. I have often used it to disguise my sound, when on occasion I cannot move through a particular area without making noise, I will take a step and grunt softly, take another an grunt softly again. Giving the illusion that the sound is coming from another deer and thereby putting the quarry at ease.

One technique that I really enjoy is wading through creeks, with hip boots on, the approach is so quiet and unsuspecting. Slipping through a creek, the deer never look to the creek for danger, and all noise is lost to the water. I have walked right up on bedded deer inside of a creek.

Good camouflage is also important. Dark colors with face and hands covered, neck and ears, all areas must be completely covered. A couple of years ago I went to a gillie suit, while it is bulky and hot, it is so effective. The down side of te gillie is that it sticks to everything, every briar, stick and leaf will stick to it, but for more open areas it is difficult to beat. The jacket and head cover are sufficient, the pants are not worth the effort it is like waling with Velcro on, everything in the woods sticks to it and it makes it very difficult to move quietly.