Last month, the author shared some excellent tips regarding his proven techniques for "sneak hunting" through the woods. This month, he discusses several additional down-and-dirty tricks that have worked well for him in beating big bucks on the ground.
By Josh Woods
According to the author, putting the sneak on a mature buck like this requires making yourself invisible in the woods by moving very slowly, hunting the wind at all times, and putting yourself in a spot where you expect a big buck to show up.
Whitetails do not leave the woods at 9 a.m. and return at 3 p.m. They are out there every day, rain or shine, all day and all night long. I hunt all day, every day of the season. I will not step out of the woods during legal shooting hours. You must take what you need with you to stay for the day. Hunger and thirst are killers for me. I take plenty of snacks and water with me that I can get to quickly. My pack has a hydration bladder that I highly recommend.
One thing that will ruin your sneaking is to have a predetermined destination. Whether you realize it or not, by having a destination you mentally give yourself a set timeline. If you say to yourself, "I'd like to be at my stand at 3 o'clock," then you'll be at your stand at 3 p.m. In order to do that, however, you'll end up moving too fast and you'll start bumping animals. Ground-hunting takes commitment and mental discipline. You cannot have a destination. You have to "go with the flow" and not have any restrictions.
Rifle or bow position is key when slipping through the brush. You need to have your rifle or bow in your shooting hand and ready for action at all times. When Mr. Big shows, time might not be on your side. Your rifle or bow has to be ready to go into action at a second's notice. If your rifle is slung over your shoulder, rarely will you have time to get to it if a big buck appears.
I'm a firm believer in the two-second rule. From the time you see your buck to the time of lost opportunity, approximately two seconds elapse. During those two seconds, you need to see the buck, judge him, get your sights or crosshairs on him, and touch off the shot. Anything longer than two seconds is a true gift.
WEAR QUIET CLOTHING
Your clothing must be head-to-toe camo. Even if you have hunter orange requirements, wear camo under it. I rarely use face paint or head nets -- they seem to get in the way -- but I do use them from time to time if I feel exposed. If you keep your face shadowed, you should be good to go. A half-mask facemask with the elastic top is a good thing to use. You can keep it around your neck until you see a deer. Then all you have to do is pull it up.
Your clothing has to be super quiet. You will be in brush and stickers all day long. Noisy fabrics belong in the trashcan. Although not totally necessary, if you really want to go all out, I have used and had great success with ASAT Camo Vanish Pro 3-D Leafy. This camo does a great job of breaking up my human outline. I've had deer pass within mere feet while I was wearing it. Even if a deer looks right at me, it never seems to associate what it sees as being any kind of threat.
MONITOR THE WEATHER
When planning any daily hunt, I find that www.weather.com is invaluable to me. I usually start looking at weather conditions a couple of days in advance of my hunt, and I monitor wind and weather conditions hour by hour as I get close to the exact time of the outing. With this site you can see weather fronts coming or going and wind changes or temperature drops 24 hours out, and you can plan your hunt accordingly. Team this up with a satellite overhead view of your hunting area and you will be well prepared.
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