Ladies if you are thinking about venturing out this fall to deer hunt for the first time think about your approach to the hunt. Safety and proficiency with your bow or firearm should, of course, be primary thoughts in your mind. Do not fail to see your approach as an important part of the hunt. A hunter needs to choose that approach and plan accordingly before the hunt. During any given season there are three basic types of hunters. They approach the game season as stand hunters, stalk hunters and still hunters. Either method can be done with or without the aide of additional gear and equipment. Sometimes a combination of these three hunting methods are most effective for hunting game. Every hunter has their own personal favorite. Some are more skilled at the thrill of a slow step and stop walk, through the timber, to find game. Others prefer the methodical scouting and pre-season work that culminates toward the final moment of harvest from a lofty seat in the canopy.
Stand hunting may be at ground level or an airborne climber stand among the trees. Each position offers a sturdy place to sit and usually entertains the idea of height to overlook the deer's approach or travels through the hunting area. Building from scratch is an affordable means to position one or more stands that offer the hunter natural looking perch to hunt from. The use of existing saplings, wooden planks or poles and other woody coverings will age nicely in the weather but they will need frequent attention to ensure stability and safety. The obvious benefit of using these materials is the natural camouflage they afford the hunter to blend into her surroundings.
An accomplished stalker is a white tail's worst nightmare. The first attempt at stalking may well reveal the back end of retreating deer. A hunter learns at least two things here if not more. Learning the location of the whitetail can be a hunters most valuable lesson. Repeated deer sightings at the same edge-location offers a hunter the bigger picture. That same exact spot may produce deer for weeks or longer but fail to show deer sign at the same exact location later in the season. Along this lesson greenhorn stalkers will learn that deer travel through wood and field but a more likely place to find deer is along varying places at the edge of timber and field. Repeated stalking will offer confirmation of deer presence in edge habitat.
Still hunting is staying in one spot on the ground until a deer approaches. This theory is popular with hunters who use a blind because the blind covers all of a hunter's movements. Still, the idea here is to stay put for several hours and wait. Obviously keeping all motion to a minimum is key but the definition of still hunting is committing to one spot and waiting the deer out. This, more than anything else, requires an excellent pre-season scouting and pinpointing of active deer trails to successfully harvest from a sit and wait hunting setup.
Teaching youth hunters the practice of hunting by one of these methods is essential. Simple steps that help make the lesson fun and successful may help to instill a youthful desire for a particular method of hunting. Squirrel hunters often start out honing their skills with a slow stalk through the timber and most find reward in a game bag full of red tails. The deer hunter may not strike out immediately as a stalker but build up their skills pursuing the tracks and sign of Missouri whitetail then still hunt near the most active trails. Once opportunity and ability meet the hunter with a harvest success, the hunter faces less challenge and hopefully improves his/ her skill in any hunting approach.
A hunter's choice of approach may depend on terrain, the game hunted and the hunters use of archery equipment or a firearm. The distance of the shot will determine how far a hunter can set up or stalk near the deer trail or edge habitat. Most archers are competent as short distance shooters; only a few are bullseye hunters beyond 60 yards. Firearm hunters can effectively set up for the hunt at a greater distance from the active deer sign in hopes of reaching out farther with the shot. Some game may offer more accuracy at short yardage. It is easy to shoot a squirrel at a short distance with a .22. It is also easy to miss an archery shot on a squirrel at moderate yardage. They are small targets to be sure and have excellent visual acuity much like turkey.
Just as your first solo hunt could be a successful one, your first try at stalk hunting could bring a harvest. DO NOT be too disappointed in a poor result at your first attempt at one of these hunting methods. Hone your ‘stealth’ skill and focus on patiently waiting. A resulting harvest may take sitting for several hours at a time and could mean the same commitment a few days in a row to make that much anticipated shot. Make the long hours of anticipation a bit more comfortable with a shady spot for still hunting or strap on a Thermacell for mosquito free stalking. If you choose to go hunting solo or with the support of a hunting buddy, make it your own method. A true test of a successful hunt is enjoying the type of hunt with which you are most comfortable. Improved skill and game harvest are just more intense parts of the overall enjoyment.
