Sitting still in the woods

[TracerTesterman]

Book. I read E-Books on the kindle app on my phone. Ears open, and look up occasionally without moving my head.

Otherwise I'd go insane.

[GarandTd]

Sure shot, I agree hunting ain't easy. It took me 4 years before I had any success and I want him to know there is no guarantee of success each year. I also will not allow any shortcuts, so to speak. I had a family member offer up their doe tag....I turned it down. We'll get our own next year. I want him to learn the proper, legal way.

[OzeanJaeger]

Deer see movement, hear any noise, and can smell you.

I sit still, stay quite, and use a cover scent.

Sitting still in the woods beats 99% of the activities I conduct on a regular basis. I look forward to being quiet and sitting still in the woods. I wish I had more time to do it...

[kraigwy]

My first job as a young kid was shooting crows out of corn fields for 25 cents bounty. We werent what you call rich by a long shot. I had to buy my own shells which met I couldnt afford to miss. I could buy 3 shells for 25 cents and the little country store.

This met that I had to learn to set still or I wouldnt make any money. There was nothing else for a kid of my age.

I managed to retain the skill which worked out quite well in sniper school and sniper duties.

Still works for my method of hunting. Animals can stir at you all day and never see you unless you move. Dont think they are looking at you, you can detect movement out of the side of your eye easier the looking directly at it. Same with critters.

I think its easier now. Its easier not to move at 70 then it was at 10.

[Lohman446]

Determine why you are hunting.

Sound stupid? Yep - probably does. The vast majority of us are hunting for enjoyment. We could live without the meat and probably invest more time in hunting than the meat is worth by A LOT. Yes I know some of you are exceptions on here. The point is you are likely hunting for enjoyment.

Yes being successful is thrilling. But nothing guarantees success unless your on a ranch I guess. If your child is absolutely bored and cannot sit still so be it. A book, a quiet conversation, a nap, a lot of things can be had in the woods while "hunting" Sure they decrease your chances of success but you are not desperate and its not bad for your child to learn failure.

And then comes the other thing. In the right conditions you CAN walk through the woods and still see deer. Wet leaves do not make a ton of noise and if you move slowly and carefully you have not eliminated your chances. The deer I shot this year I shot after sleeping in, going out after 9:00, sitting in the blind an hour or two and then walking around. It was surprised to see me, I was surprised to see it, and then it was down.

[OzeanJaeger]

Good point. Generally I'm able to move through the woods a lot more quietly than a deer (louder than a coyote). If the leaves are wet I can move darn near silently, but the deer are a lot more quiet then too! On a wet morning you need to actively scan with your eyes a lot more, and can't rely on hearing them coming.

The biggest buck I ever shot came right up under me from behind my stand. There were about six does walking in front of him. They were walking slow and steady, not picking up their hooves (like a kid shuffling his feet through the leaves on purpose) without a care. They sounded like a bunch of bull dozers coming up the hill.

[playin' hookey]

I mostly hunted squirrels as a boy in the 70's (not many deer then), like you got away from it for a long time, then took up hunting again in my early 40's (I'm 59 now), mostly deer and spring gobblers now. I think squirrel hunting is the best way to get a kid started with hunting, as it teaches stealth but there usually are plenty more if you get busted. I used to get really bored sitting in a tree stand deer hunting. One thing that has made stand hunting interesting to me is learning that we can use the behavior of other creatures to alert us to the approach of our quarry: a barking squirrel (if it wasn't you that moved!), a squawking blue jay, a harassing crow (especially for turkeys). Of course these critters react to many things other than deer and turkeys, but paying attention to them makes for a richer, more interesting, and sometimes more successful experience.

[GarandTd]

Lohman, you bring up a good question. While my family sure could use the meat, hunting isn't cheap. It's more cost effective to buy meat at the grocery store. My son wants to kill a deer. I want him to respect nature and what it can provide. I want him to appreciate the heritage of hunting. I want him to respect firearms and what they are capable of. For me, killing a squirrel or a turkey was easy. By easy, I mean I didn't really put alot of thought into the taking of that life. It didn't really phase me. Deer is a little different and IMO not something to be taken lightly. I have respect for all of God's creatures, but the bigger they are, the more affect it has (on me). I want him to experience that. For some, I think taking that life has a profound affect. I want him to know that if he ever has to, he'll be able to.

[Lohman446]

Garand I appreciate that answer I think more than you know.

I don't particularly enjoy hunting at this stage in my life. There are about a thousand other things I could be doing to be productive and it interferes with my running schedule. I live in a very rural area and while hunting on roads is clearly illegal it is not uncommon either on the very seasonal "roads" that I like running on most so I don't during open rifle season.

I hunt because I fully believe that you should have a complete understanding of how the food you consume gets to your table. On the ethical side it is important to understand that food does not just show up in little sealed packages in the store. On the practical side its important to know how to get food should the little sealed packages in the store become unavailable.

After I shot a deer this year I went back to the house to get my truck, put on some different clothing to field dress, and leave my rifle. My wife noted I was "down" after a successful hunt. I'm thankful for my success but there is something about killing an animal that I don't enjoy. On the positive side I did enjoy the venison schnitzel and potatoes we made last night and there are many more meals in the freezer so it probably all balances out.

I like the lesson your imparting. I think it is important.

[Double Naught Spy]

Deer see movement, hear any noise, and can smell you.

And according to the sellers of HECS suits, can sense your electromagnetic field...but that is another issue.

I have had more than one person tell me that a deer can't see you if you are still. Usually the story goes like, "I was sitting under a tree and I heard a deer approach. I stayed perfectly still and the deer walked right by me. He could not see me."

Yes, deer can see movement. They can also see inaction. A deer can see you just as well if you are still as it can when you are moving. No animal is known to be blind to stationary objects.

This notion that deer can't see you if you are still, or that the "see movement" is more about how deer perceive their environment. If they could not see still objects, they would be forever running in the trees and such. Instead, they take notice and assess moving object to determine if they are threats. Stationary objects pose the least threat to deer.

A more apt descriptor might be that you are more likely to garner the deer's attention if you are moving, particularly if you are moving quickly or in a jerky motion.

[buck460XVR]

Originally Posted by Double Naught Spy

I have had more than one person tell me that a deer can't see you if you are still. Usually the story goes like, "I was sitting under a tree and I heard a deer approach. I stayed perfectly still and the deer walked right by me. He could not see me."

I think those folks are really saying that the deer could not distinguish them as danger, or from anything different than the tree they were sitting next to. Of course deer see stationary objects, they also see moving objects. If moving object scared the bejebers outta them, they would go nuts on a windy day in the woods. But they see differently than we do and so as to compare what they see to what they see is a moot point. I've always believed a deer(an unalarmed deer) does not trust just one of it's senses. They like to verify with another sense to make sure sometimes. Kinda why they snort. I've walked across an open field at deer feeding. As long as they had their head down while I was moving, they were fine, even when they looked up and saw me standing still in the middle of it. Sometimes they even come closer to investigate, Generally they will walk by me till they get downwind. Sometimes I'll put my hand down by my waist and flick it like a deer's tail. That generally will make them come running. Deer know what's in their territory and what it looks like. When it looks unfamiliar, they get wary. It might not spook them, but it makes them suspicious. Many times, when you spook a deer by movement, it's not the first movement they have seen from you. It's just the first time you realized you spooked them.

[Art Eatman]

Sitting still: Back 120 or so years ago, Ernest Thompson Seton wrote that sketching is better than reading, in order to remain motionless.

In reading you focus on the book and can get lost in it, unaware of what's going on around you. In sketching, you're aware of what's going on around you.

[Double Naught Spy]

I think those folks are really saying that the deer could not distinguish them as danger, or from anything different than the tree they were sitting next to.

I think you are giving folks too much credit.

[OzeanJaeger]

I think you are giving folks too much credit.

Sheesh! Yea Double Naught, that's what I meant. They're totally blind unless something is moving. Maybe along with the shark receptors they have sonic radar like a bat.

[GarandTd]

Art, I hadn't thought about drawing or sketching. I used to do alot of that when I was younger, but not so much these days outside of a chalk masterpiece on the sidewalk with the little one here and there. One of my favorite things to sketch was barns and ramshackle shacks in the wilderness. Perfect subjects for a day on the hunt.

[Art Eatman]

As near as I can tell after a whole bunch of years of critter-watching, Different = Bad Thing.

Critters are horizontal. People are vertical--and that's different. So, when seated by a bush or tree, you aren't different.

[GarandTd]

If I'm on the ground, I like to be at the base of a tree. Not just to fool the animals, but to protect my back from careless hunters. I am mindful of where I may be shooting, but I'm afraid not everyone is.

[Hunter Customs]

I've heard it said the best camouflage is learning to sit still. It's worked well for me over the years!

[Deja vu]

I've heard it said the best camouflage is learning to sit still. It's worked well for me over the years!

I agree with this one. I dont wear cammo but as I get older I get much better at sitting still. I feel I am much more successful now than I was as a kid or young man.

[NHSHOOTER]

Best of both worlds, wear camo and sit still. Maybe I get a bit carried away but I always wear a face net, I firmly believe that the skins shines like a mirror in the sun so I cover it and it even helps keep the skeeters off when its warm and when its cold I wear a fleece face cover...

[GarandTd]

I know of the importance of sitting still. I was wondering what techniques some of you use to accomplish it.

Tomorrow is the final day of the PA antlered deer season. My son and I are going to sit in a ground blind tomorrow. The ground blind will be a 1st for both of us.

[NHSHOOTER]

The ground blind is a great idea. It will mask alot of your movements and odors. If it is not already up just make sure when you put it up it is as inconspicuous as possible, DO NOT put it up on the edge of a field place it among the trees, deer do notice things that are out of place. JMHO

[GarandTd]

The blind has been up since before the start of archery in September. I have permission from the hunter that owns it to use it tomorrow. It sits near a very small stream in a stand of trees sandwiched between 2 cut cornfields.

[NHSHOOTER]

Sounds like a great set up, Good luck to you.

[Art Eatman]

Probably the most important part of sitting still is to be comfortable. A sitting-pad. Some sort of back support at a comfortable angle.

Then, just think. Past girlfriends. People you know. Ideas, whether home maintenance or politics. The hard part of being still is boredom, and thinking alleviates this.

There is also something called "hunter's doze". You're not asleep but you're not fully alert. More than once I've come out of this and seen a buck not far away. No idea how, but it's been halfway regular.