How do you stalk a deer?

Answer 1

Stalking a deer is a skill many hunters do not have, and even with practice may never be able to perfect well enough to "fill their tag". It's a traditional way of hunting that has been used for centuries, before tree-stands, ground blinds, and tripods. Hunters used to be very skilled in the art of stalking, but as time went on and technology improved, the art of stalking slowly diminished to only a small handful of people who can do this correctly and effectively. When a hunter stalks a deer, he must also learn how to "spot" which means that he or she must see the deer before the deer sees the hunter. To do this and stalk well, the hunter needs to learn how to be very patient, stay quiet, and correctly use the scent-free sprays and buck lures that he has with him.

Now some hunters may say the best way to "bag-a-buck" is to set up a tree-stand and wait for the closest deer to meander by and then shoot it. In some cases this may be true, but there is a good chance that the deer won't pass by the hunter's stand. So to make the odds of tagging a deer and getting meat in the freezer better, the hunter must go find the deer for himself.

Before the hunter starts to stalk a deer, he or she must prepare for the hunt. One way to prepare for it is for the hunter to prep himself to stay out for a long time and to take as much time as needed walking slowly, waiting and watching, and listening to the surroundings. He must be extremely patient if he is to even think about getting close enough to a deer to shoot without spooking it. When he is in the woods and thinks he hears a sound, he must stop walking and listen to where the sound came from. Then slowly and surely, he must ease his way closer toward where the sound came from, to try and see what produced the sound.

While keeping in mind that the hunter must be patient throughout the stalking process, the hunter must also learn how to stay quiet. A common way to do this during the stalk is to walk toe-to-heel instead of a person's traditional heel-to-toe step. This can be a hard task to learn since humans are not used to walking in such a weird manner. The reason for walking like this is because deer can hear a human's foot steps up to a mile away. Also while walking toe-to-heel, the hunter must also try to avoid stepping on twigs and dry leaves. Even a small twig snap can cause the deer to bolt off because it was startled. In some cases, the hunter may try and imitate a deer's steps and sounds in order to trick a deer to come toward him. This is a very difficult art to master. It also normally only works during the rut, which is the stage where the bucks mate with the does. Some hunters use special shoes to make their footsteps quieter. These shoes have felt soles, which drastically decreases the sound a hunter makes while walking. (Gegelman, par. 4) While keeping in mind where he is walking and how much sound he is making, the hunter must also think about the sound he is making with his mouth. This may sound odd, but the hunter's breathing can give away where he is and how close he is to the deer. He must try and limit his breath to low, muffled breaths. Also some hunters may try and use calls to attract a deer, but if they are stalking a deer, it is best not to use this tactic. Once the hunter has spotted the deer, the most crucial time of staying quiet has come. To make an accurate shot with a bow, a hunter should be anywhere from 20 to 40 yards away from the deer before taking the shot. If he has a gun, it can range from 20 to 80 yards away or more. In order to get this close, the hunter should remain low to the ground so if the deer were to look over at him, he can blend in as a shrub or into the brush behind him. Also he should take extra time to get within shooting range. Once he has done this, then he may shoot the deer and reap the benefits of remaining quiet.

The final step of having a successful stalk and filling the deer tag is to make sure the hunter is free of as much scent as possible and correctly using mock scents and lures. Many hunters will spray themselves down with some sort of a scent eliminator before they go out hunting or stalking. (Walters, par. 4) If they plan on doing a stalk hunt, being scent free and correctly positioning themselves up-wind of the deer is crucial to having a successful hunt.

To prepare to be scent-free before the hunt, the hunter can do a number of things. One is to take a shower using a scent eliminator or a shampoo that is fresh earth scented or apple scented. These scents will attract a deer; but if the hunter was stalking, a scent eliminating shampoo is the best bet. After taking a scent-free shower, the hunter should put on a non-scented deodorant. This is an optional step, but it just improves the hunter's chances of getting a deer.

Now once this is completed, the breath of a hunter must be worked on. This does not mean to brush the teeth; this means to eat an apple or in some cases, chew gum that is apple flavored. This is important because a person's breath gives off 80 percent of all scent that a person emits. Apple is a good flavor or thing to eat because deer are attracted to the scent of apples. Finally, the hunter must spray down with a scent eliminating spray. It is a good idea to keep all the hunting clothes that a person plans to hunt in inside a container or plastic bag so the smells of humans and the person's house do not get into the fibers of the hunter's clothing.

Once the hunter has prepared before the stalk, he must now position himself in the woods, down-wind of the deer. (Edersbow, par. 7) This way, the deer do not smell him coming because "a deer's nose knows". If they even catch a slightest hint of human, they will let out a snort, then run away, and then the chances of getting a deer after that are slim to none. Yes, the hunter has tried to eliminate himself of all human scent, but the hunter should try to avoid getting up wind of the deer at all cost. While in the woods, the hunter should remain down wind of the deer unless he has to go around a bedding area or water obstacle.

Another way of using the scents is to mask the human scent with a lure such as doe estrus during rut. This will actually make the buck want to come toward the hunter if he catches wind of him. If the hunter is using some buck attractants, it may cause the buck to charge, thinking the hunter is another buck trying to steal his doe. So the hunter must always be on guard if he is using this tactic.

All these ideas will help a hunter to fill his or her tag, but he or she must practice these methods in order to make the circumstances better. Practice won't make a hunter perfect in this case since hunting is such a difficult sport to perfect; but with a lot of training of a hunter's patience, quietness, and scent-eliminating tactics, it can greatly improve the odds of producing a deer. In conclusion, the determination of the hunter will be the winning factor for stalking a deer effectively. The hunter must want it to get it.

Sources:

1. Gegelman, Andrew. "Spot and Stalking Hunting- The Lost Art." Nodak Outdoors. (2009): n. page. Web. <http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/spotandstalk.php>.

2. McLaren, Josh. "How To Still Hunt Whitetail Deer Staging Areas." Eders Bow. 02 April 2009: n. page. Print. <http://www.edersbow.com/how-to-still-hunt-whitetail-deer-staging-areas/>.

3. Walter, B. "How To Stalk A Deer." Made Man. 21 August 2010: n. page. Print. <http://www.mademan.com/mm/how-stalk-deer.html>.

Answer 2

With a spot light.