[tangozero]

Post any stalking techniques that have proven successful for you in hunting and getting closer to wildlife. This is a video of Tom Brown, head instructor of the tracker school teaching the finer points of stalking. www.survivalschool.us

 

[monkeee2002]

Walk softly and carry a camera or gun!
I stumbled onto a mulie doe a few years ago outside my camp. I managed to follow her around for about 15 minutes before someone else scared her off. I walked at angles to her, and always kept some brush between us, but I did manage to get within about 25 feet. Every time she lifted her head, I just froze, until she started grazing again.
Unfortunately, I had left my camera hanging on my camp chair.

 

[corndogggy]

1. Hunker over and try to make your back horizontal to the ground. Vertical animals in the woods is not natural.

2. Walk flatfooted, don't roll your foot, no animal makes a long rolling crrrruuuuuuunch sound with their feet. If there is any sound, make it sharp and short.

 

[twyggy]

I've tried stalking a few animals. It's amazingly hard for me because I'm clumsy. I have evolved a technique of planning my next 3 steps, and then scanning the horizon, and I just repeat this over and over. It's important to make those 3 steps as noisless as possible, obviously. Pay attention to wind direction relative to your game. I swear on everything I own that squirrels know what humans smell like. lol. When I stalk into the wind (as opposed to away from the wind), I see many more animals. :thumb:

 

[tangozero]

When rolling the foot you shouldn't be making any sound. The purpose of rolling is to feel your way across the landscape and before your entire weight is transferred you have felt all the spots under your feet that might make noise. When walking over dry leaves you will always make some noise but try to do it extremely softly and slow. Animals that are feeding are much more unaware than you might think. I have literally snuck up to many kinds of small game and actually touched them without them knowing it just because they are so wrapped up in feeding. The sixty six second method can be used to when animals are looking in your direction. The movement is so slow that they don't really pick up on it. Downside is though that it takes about 15 minutes to move 20 feet. Slow as a slug. So when doing this method you don't move toward the animal you move towards his expected path and try to intercept him!

 

[Black Knight]

A few tips that have helped me.

1. When using the crane step method(as demonstrated in the last part of the clip/basically toe to heel), you can slowly and quietly use your foot to push dry leaves or branches out of your way before resting your toe on the ground.

2. When using the crane method and you wish to change directions just turn the foot in the desired direction before lowering the toe on the ground.

3. When it is dark, hold your weapon close to your body and reach out with your support hand to feel for branches. Start standing but squat all the way down to feel everything in front of you, if necessary. Be careful not to disturb the trees and branches.

4. When crossing a gravel road the heel to toe method(which was discouraged in the video) actually works quite well. But go slow.

5. If your foot is stuck in the mud, slowly move it from side to side before lifting it. This minimizes the suction sound that can happen when you lift your foot form the mud.

6. Have a partner sit with his back facing you(or blindfolded and facing you) and try to sneak up on him. Great game for kids.

7. Move the furniture in your basement, add objects, maybe a trip wire, stuff on the floor like wax paper, then shut off the lights. Have someone move through the dark room without making noise. They will have to learn to move slowly and feel for objects in front of them. Another great game for kids. A variation on this is to have two people move through the room at the same time. Put a chem light on the other side of the room to give them a destination.

 

[CrypticCRICKET]

Don't stare directly at the creature you're stalking. Some creatures are very sensitive to being watched intently.

LINK: http://www.merrynjose.com/artman/publish/article_599.shtml

 

[ashhoe]

I couldn't watch the whole video, he sounds like someone who's read about stalking but never did it. I may be wrong, but that's how it struck me.
First thing he's showing me is horizontal lines on his coat, same with the hat and glasses (I wear them also so don't poo poo me on that). Horizontal in the forest doesn't move unless it's alive, that attracts attention from nervous game animals (and predators too).
If it isn't raining, generally, only eyes are reflective and prey animals lock on to that (and predators too).
Heel to toe? Never done it, toe down first feeling for twigs and whatnot and then putting the weight down, yep. You'll get a lot closer to game going toe first.
Like I said, I couldn't watch the whole mess but when I'm "still hunting" I probably only cover 100 yards in an hour, at best. Dry and crunchy yields a lot less than that. Imagine one step taking 20 seconds to get your foot down and your body solidly steady, then looking for every horizontal line to be the back of a deer (or a squirrel (or a round object, a rabbit)) in a 180 degree arc for a minute or two and then checking the ground for your next step. Rinse and repeat.
I've stalked a lot of game in my day, rabbits that let you get almost close enough to grab 'em up to a whitetail deer that's a coke fiend and spooking at it's own breath.

 

[Optimist]

Don't stare directly at the creature you're stalking. Some creatures are very sensitive to being watched intently.

LINK: http://www.merrynjose.com/artman/publish/article_599.shtml

Humans are among 'em....

 

[CrypticCRICKET]

Humans are among 'em....

Yes they are. :thumb:

 

[mKosel]

i read somewhere that you put tic tacs in your pokets, and when youre goin to fast you here the tic tacs and you know to slow down.

 

[Observer]

i read somewhere that you put tic tacs in your pokets, and when youre goin to fast you here the tic tacs and you know to slow down.

I wish my hearing were that good.

 

[Nolan.Sackett]

In dry leaves nothing you do is gonna be noiseless. Not rolling your foot, not placing it down flat, not anything. Best thing to do when you have to cross dry debris is to sound like a squirrel or deer. Short random steps.

 

[digdug18]

Don't you have to find a really hot girl first in order to properly stalk?

 

[Child_of_the_Earth]

In dry leaves nothing you do is gonna be noiseless. Not rolling your foot, not placing it down flat, not anything. Best thing to do when you have to cross dry debris is to sound like a squirrel or deer. Short random steps.

Completely noiseless? No. But noiseless up to a couple feet away? Sure, it's possible.

One way is to balance on one foot and use the other to slowly push aside leaves until you have a quiet spot to land your foot. Then repeat the process with the next step. With enough practice, you can be making a step every 5-10 seconds, making so little noise that you could get right up behind a deer.

 

[gelandangan]

Use shadow shield or something similar would improve your chance.

 

[Steve in Illinois]

For the first several years after I started bowhunting I hunted from the ground. I've shot 4 deer from the ground, wioth one being about 15 feet away!

If I were to give one single piece of advice about stalking it would be to move SLOWLY. It's harder than it sounds. I'd move maybe 4-6 feet, stop and very specifically scan every piece of forest I could see. Probably about 2-5 minutes per stop, depending on how dense the area was. And sometimes longer. Move very slowly. And when you do finally see something, move directly towards it. Deer have very keen vision as far as detecting movement. They'll pick up sideways movement pretty quick. Try to keep some kind of cover between you and your game.

 

[~SkyDawnShell~]

The best way to stalk an animal is to be deaf.

Wear ear plugs. Deaf people can not hear the sounds they make, so most make it a point to move lightly and quietly... always, by nature

practice doing task around your home untill you hear nothing.
when hearing people wear ear plugs, the sound of their own swallow is intensified inside of their heads. Humans make noises they are not even aware of, animals can easily pick up the slightest sound. There is more to silence than quiet walking. The ear plugs will make you more aware of the movement of your entire body. Strengthening your eyes.

 

[FarmerJohn]

Use shadow shield or something similar would improve your chance.

looks like a pain in the ass to use esp when in the woods my bow and quiver is all i need half the time I dont even wear cammo just jeans and blackwatch or other plaid shirt and my hat kill stuff pretty regularly

and heel to toe works for walking silently also best results are in a light rain or just after a rain as the leaves dont make nearly as much noise

 

[wildhog]

The best way to stalk an animal is to be deaf.

Wear ear plugs. Deaf people can not hear the sounds they make, so most make it a point to move lightly and quietly... always, by nature

practice doing task around your home untill you hear nothing.
when hearing people wear ear plugs, the sound of their own swallow is intensified inside of their heads. Humans make noises they are not even aware of, animals can easily pick up the slightest sound. There is more to silence than quiet walking. The ear plugs will make you more aware of the movement of your entire body. Strengthening your eyes.

I was taught to stalk animals wearing earplugs. When I was a kid my dad would have me washing dishes until I could do it silently.
Earplugs are also great for dieting. The chewing sound is so loud it
Is unbearable.