Special Archery Issue: The Secret to Sneaky
Aug – sept 2009
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magazine
HUNTING
REAL Tips & Tricks
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hroughout kung-fu movies no ninja is worth his salt unless he masters the art of stealth. That being said, I have taken the liberty to combine five Chinese proverbs with out-of-thebox tricks to make you as stealthy as a ninja in the hills this fall. Think karate kid meets Saxton Pope & Art Young. All you have to do is remember these proverbs to obtain your black belt in stealth, or better yet a rack on your wall.
“The palest ink is better than the best memory.” -Chinese Proverb English Translation: Take a picture it will last longer One of the worst scenarios for a hunter is to spot a great animal across the canyon, plan out the perfect stalk, only to discover when you finally make it to where you thought the animal was, everything looks different. You thought you picked a great landmark but you don’t remember exactly which tree the big buck was bedded under. Things start to look strange and you begin to second guess yourself. You end up stalking the wrong tree, and now what did seemed like a sure stalk from across the canyon just turned into a blown opportunity. If only we could look at our original view while we stalked-in we could prevent this from happening. Good news! You can! In today’s technical age almost every hunter carries some sort of digital camera or video camera in the field. Before you embark on the stalk, take a picture of your view of the area. The more angles the better. This will allow you the opportunity to refer back to your camera and look at the reference points you may have missed as the terrain begins to change. I have used this tactic on nu-
merous stalks and found it to be a lifesaver. It is especially helpful with stalks on animals far away, in unfamiliar territory, and on stalks where it is better to come over the backside of the hill (often the most successful way to stalk, but the easiest to miss the mark). Since most of us carry a camera anyway, we might as well use it to our advantage. Just make sure to put all the functions on silent mode before you get too close.
“The careful foot can walk anywhere” - Chinese Proverb English Translation: Walk quietly without killing your feet. We all know that stalking with your shoes off is the best way to stay quiet, but let’s face it, in real world hunting situations it is a pain in the butt to stalk through shale, cactus, stickers, and over long distances with no shoes. Sure there are products that slip over you boots, but it is the hard sole of your boot that makes the most noise, not the boot rubber itself. The truth is, nothing beats
stalking in your socks- plain and simple. To save my feet and stay quiet as a mouse, I wear a shaved down foam sandal in-between two pairs of socks. That’s right, killing deer in beach wear. It is just as quite as wearing only socks but twice as strong to protect your feet. The outer sock will keep your steps quiet and hold the foam of the sandal against your foot. By shaving the sandal down you retain your ability to feel the ground, preventing you from making alarming noises. Any soft thin flip-flop and big wool sock will do. I keep the flip flops inside a extra pair of socks in my pack. When it’s time to go stealth, I swap my boots for the “stalking socks”. I take these makeshift stalking socks on every single hunt, even backcountry hunts. They are light, easy to carry, and can dual as a great slip-on camp shoe when nature calls in the middle of the night. I have even walked a few miles in them at a time with no problem - a tough feat in just socks alone (no pun intended). AUG / SEPT 2009 •
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Although the outer socks may get worn down, it is easier to replace the old socks than your feet. By making it comfortable to stalk quietly, you are more likely to get those boots off and close the distance in silence.
“Be in readiness for unfavorable winds” - Chinese Proverb English Translation: Do what you can to keep your scent down.
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Nothing is worse than getting into range and having the wind shift for a millisecond- just enough time to have your opportunity blown. With mountain hunting it is almost impossible to bet on the wind for the duration of a stalk. Therefore, it is important to do what you can to put the ball in your court. As western hunters it seems there is little we can do to control our scent, especially on long backcountry trips. Scent control clothing works great for stand hunting, but its effectiveness wears off after sweating the whole way up to your favorite glassing spot. Two-years-ago on a remote Nevada Mule deer hunt, I went 21 days of straight hunting in the hot sun without a shower. The word “ripe” is an understatement. Thankfully, there are products on the market to help with this problem. Some hunters may think scent can’t be controlled so why try? I try because every little advantage to swing the odds in my favor can be the difference between a rack on my wall and a blown stalk. I have tried almost every scent control product out there, only one has me sold. I like to use a combination of the Scent Killer wipes to clean my body and the Scent Killer spray to help suppress any human odor in www.realhuntingmag.com
the field. Although these products may not allow you to stalk from upwind, they will give you an advantage for slight wind shifts that otherwise may get you busted. I carry a small bottle of the Scent Killer spray in my pack and spray down on every single stalk as I prepare for my final approach. When I sit down to switch my boots for my stalking socks, I pull out the bottle and give myself a good hose down. Sure it might sound funny, but it works. Just last year I stalked into a group of six bucks in a sage flat in central Nevada. The wind did a quick shift toward the deer and I figured the gig was up. All the bucks immediately began to sniff the air. Thanks to the quick spray down I did before closing the distance, my scent held out just long enough for the wind to shift back in my favor. The bucks continued to feed single file past me until I got the chance to sink my arrow into the biggest buck of the group.
“No matter how tall the mountain, it cannot block out the sun” - Chinese Proverb English Translation: Watch out for the sun’s glare off of your gear; you may not even notice it.
Sometimes it is the little things you don’t notice that cause the most trouble. A few years back, I watched my dad stalk a nice bedded muley across the canyon. As he got closer to the deer I temporarily lost sight of him as he ducked behind a small ridge. I immediately picked him back up a few minutes later. It seemed like he was using a bright light to signal me. As I looked through my binos I was nearly blinded by the light glaring off of his bow limbs. As he made his final approach, every time he used his binos or pulled up his range finder it was like he was signaling an airplane for help. Needless to say, the buck was well aware of his shiny presence, and didn’t want to stick around to watch the gleam of a broadhead sail his way. When the two of us met up after the stalk he couldn’t figure out how the deer pegged him so fast. A quick demonstration made it obvious when seeing it from the deer’s point of view. As easy as this may sound to avoid, the glare is not so obvious when you are the one behind the refraction. Having the privilege to watch dozens of hunters and hundreds of stalks every year, I am convinced that the glare from optics and bows is the most unseen stalking mistake bowhunters make.
To combat the glare and go invisible, I try to always keep my bow behind my back when stalking in direct sunlight, especially if I have to move in the open. I also keep a hand over my bino’s or cover them up with my shirt during the stalk. When ranging the deer before the shot I shield the sun from the lens to make sure the glare is kept down. All it takes is one slight glare to mess up a perfect stalk. Last year while stalking in on a bedded buck, I closed the distance and got setup for a chip shot. The buck was bedded broadside and had no clue I was there. I was about thirty yards away but wanted the exact range. I blocked the sun and tried to get a reading on my range finder, but came up empty. Thinking my hand was blocking the laser, I moved it. That was all it took to send the buck to his feet and staring in my direction. One glare from the lens of the range finder blew a methodical hour long stalk on a great buck.
“Wait long, strike fast” - Chinese Proverb English Translation: Stalking is a combination of patience and not being afraid to make your move.
stalked in on a monster buck that was bedded in the open with no cover for miles. I crawled toward him on my stomach with only three inch tall rocks to hide behind. I moved as slow as an army sniper, covering close to 100 yards in a couple of hours. The stalk started mid-morning and by the time I got to within 120 yards of the buck the sun was starting to set. I had been patient and moved slow all day, just waiting for the right opportunity. Then it happened. The buck got up and began to feed down the hill. As soon as he fed out of sigh below a small ledge I knew I was no longer in trouble of getting spotted. I got to my feet and literally covered the last 90 yards in a matter of seconds – the same amount of distance that earlier had taken hours. All my patience had got me into position, but when the opportunity presented itself, I capitalized and scored, shooting the big buck at 30 yards. Whether it be an elk raking a tree, two bucks fighting, a deer feeding out of sight, a bedded animal dozing off, or just an animal distracted by something other than you, waiting for the right time to move can help you close the distance unnoticed. The proverb “Wait long, strike
fast” can also be extended to picking high percentage stalks. It is important to remember that not every animal is stalkable when you first spot them. Most hunters I know see an animal and want to go after it right away. If the animal is in a bad position to stalk, you may have to wait for a more opportune moment, even if it means watching him for another day or two. As boring as that may sound, when the opportunity arises, the odds of success will swing in your favor. Just don’t be afraid to make your move once that high percentage stalk presents itself. So Danielson, now that you have the ancient Chinese tips needed to master the art of sneaky, all you have to do is get out into the field and practice your stalking techniques. Think of it as the “wax on – wax off” portion of the training. Like the proverb goes, “practice makes perfect.”
RHM
A huge mistake I often witness with clients in the field is they become too timid when stalking. They believe the only way to stalk is slow and quite, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes getting close and going unnoticed is all about moving at the right time. Sometimes being quiet is not as important as taking advantage of an opportunity when the animal is distracted. On a high country mule deer hunt a few years ago I AUG / SEPT 2009 •
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