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Deer hunting on the move, or
stillhunting, is commonly misunderstood as to what it is and how to go about
it. It is stalking deer, not waiting on a stump or in a blind for the deer to
come to you. It can be the most rewarding deer hunting experience you can do.
It can also be the most frustrating, since it is a skill which requires you to
slow everything everything - your sight, your breath and your walking gait. But
the payoffs go beyond the hunt to your better enjoyment of nature itself.
This article will talk about some things
I've learned while hunting deer in the Vermont woods and oak mast ridges of
Wisconsin. These few simple techniques can be used on your next hunt - whether
you choose to stillhunt or not, the principles are the same. These techniques
will also make your deer hunt a richer experience. It's all about: you're
outdoors - enjoy the scenery, hunting or not.
Generally, as deer hunters, we think of
one thing when we hunt, and that is deer. Not deer in general, but that deer.
We are aided in this compulsion by our brains, and our eyes. Let's talk about
eyes first.
Hunt Deer with Soft Focus – See
Them as They See You
We see as all predators do - forward, and
tightly focussed. Take a look at your average housecat and watch it stalk
something. It pursues its object with its eyes narrowed and every muscle
relaxed, yet steeled at a moment's notice to pounce. We share with the cat and
all predators having our eyes in the front of our head, designed to focus on a
single thing.
However, deer, and all prey species, have
eyes designed to detect motion. Deer and all prey species have eyes on the side
of their head, and this aids in perceiving motion first, long before the animal
can make out whether what they see is a threat, or just some pattern-breaking
motion in the woods. When stillhunting for deer, we must adopt to the way they
see. We must see motion first, patterns out of sync second, and the deer last.
The only way to do this is to relax our focus and broaden our field of
vision.
Here's how to practice. Stand facing a
wall, about six to eight feet away from it. Stare hard at a spot on the wall.
Raise your arms, index fingers extended, fully out to the side from your head
(and slightly behind). Now, keeping your arms straight and your index fingers
extended, bring your arms slowly in front of your face. Notice the moment when
your fingers come into view - this is your field of vision (FOV).
Now, turn to the wall again. This time,
soften your focus so that your eyes, while seeing objects or spots on the wall,
do not lock on any one spot. Repeat the index-finger practice. You should see
your fingers enter your FOV much earlier than before. It is this type of sight
- gained through practice, for it isn't natural to us anymore - that allows us
to see changes in woods patterns, motion - in short, to see deer out in the
distance, possibly before they see us. Now, onto walking.
Walk Toe-Heel, not Heel-Toe
You see it all the time - the hunter
walking through the woods as if he's hunting on rice paper.
It doesn't work. As a hunter, you're
going to make noise. But then, so do deer and other game. So does anything
living and breathing in the woods. What you want to avoid is making the
rhythmic gait a hunter makes when he's running, usually after a deer, or doing
everything he can to be quiet, when he doesn't yet see one.
Walking toe-heel is the way to walk,
because the palm of your foot can be more flexible in its response to the
softwood twigs and deadfall underfoot - like deer, whose hooves make relatively
light contact with the forest floor. Walking heel-toe makes for a heavy, stiff
step - a human step. Walking heel toe, take a few steps, pause, and, using the
soft-focus described above, take in the environment, in a holistic way. Above
all else, if you find yourself entering in to a steady, rhythmic gait, break it
up. You also want to avoid any obviously human sounds sounds coming from
anything man-made, such as metal or hard plastic. Bottom line - brushing past
an oak stump is o.k. Marching in cadence is not, nor is that canteen banging
against your hunting rifle strap buckle.
Know the Wind
Finally, walk into the wind. Yes, this is
rule 1. But many hunters, especially those used to staying in a relatively
insulated hunting blind, forget this cardinal rule. I've stood with my bow
drawn on a buck 10 yards away, with the buck clearly trying to figure out what
the heck this would-be rambo was up to - only to watch it spring to life once
the wind shifts, and thanksgiving was a bit - thinner that year.
Don't even bother still hunting on
blustery days, with no prevailing winds. The bottom line, when you are hunting
deer in this way, is to get used to is slowing yourself down, for hours at a
time, and softening your focus to "deer hunt" for motion - not deer.
But act like, see like, deer, become more
a part of where you are, and you will reap many rewards - whether you take a
deer or not.
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
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