Sneak-Mode ON: Ghillie, Stalking, Saddle, Bow/Crossbow (2024 Deer Season Tactics)

[Kyler1985]

50+ white tails (40+ with bow),and countless hogs. Over half killed from the ground. All but 4-5 on public land throughout southeast and Midwest.

I have spent way too much time tinkering with ways to get up a tree. I do it, if the situation screams for it. And I almost always leave the truck with my gear to get up a tree.

But I walk until I find deer in the flesh, or the type of sign that indicates they're within 100 yards of me. Then I find an ambush spot. If that spot has a suitable tree to climb, and it will increase my odds enough to climb it, I do. If not, I find a spot to kill them from the ground. If neither exist, I keep walking.

I don't wear a ghillie suit. Sometimes I don't wear camo.

I'm not special. I'm not particularly good at hunting or shooting or hiding.

Tips for shooting them on the ground:

wet leaves, or enough wind noise to cover your steps

practice shooting from your knees at least a few shots every time you shoot.

Walking with the wind is a good recipe for an uneventful hike.

If you are purposely trying to stalk deer, you can't move slow enough. And you can't stop often enough. The key is to see them before they see or hear you. You can't do that if you never stop, and you go too fast.

 

[deerhunter10]

Get to your tree 2 hours before you originally planned to. Seeing more and more that deer will tend to ignore you in the dark dark compared to a half hour or hour before daylight.

Disagree with this. Zero point in having your scent float around with bad thermals in the mornings for an extra 2 hours before you can see anything.

 

[mike243]

Get to your tree 2 hours before you originally planned to. Seeing more and more that deer will tend to ignore you in the dark dark compared to a half hour or hour before daylight.

Get a hocky mask, was hit 2 times by a owl due to getting into stand way early, almost lost my eyesight due to strike in the face, I had my mask and a hat on the first time, suspect it seen the whites of my eyes and though squirrel, lost the hat on the first attack, the 2nd 30 minutes later something made me duck, 3-4 holes in the top of my head, first time under both eyes and on my nose, bled pretty good but I got it stopped when I quit screaming

 

[mike243]

50+ white tails (40+ with bow),and countless hogs. Over half killed from the ground. All but 4-5 on public land throughout southeast and Midwest.

I have spent way too much time tinkering with ways to get up a tree. I do it, if the situation screams for it. And I almost always leave the truck with my gear to get up a tree.

But I walk until I find deer in the flesh, or the type of sign that indicates they're within 100 yards of me. Then I find an ambush spot. If that spot has a suitable tree to climb, and it will increase my odds enough to climb it, I do. If not, I find a spot to kill them from the ground. If neither exist, I keep walking.

I don't wear a ghillie suit. Sometimes I don't wear camo.

I'm not special. I'm not particularly good at hunting or shooting or hiding.

Tips for shooting them on the ground:

wet leaves, or enough wind noise to cover your steps

practice shooting from your knees at least a few shots every time you shoot.

Walking with the wind is a good recipe for an uneventful hike.

If you are purposely trying to stalk deer, you can't move slow enough. And you can't stop often enough. The key is to see them before they see or hear you. You can't do that if you never stop, and you go too fast.

Good info especially the moving slow and stopping often, I always try to stop next to a tree. I have lost a lot of feeling in my feet and do not stalk hunt like I did. ambush with a little movement if the property permits, I trip and step on stuff that wakes folks up in the next county. have seen deer not move nothing but a ear for 10-15 minutes, that's why folks see the arse end first so much.

 

[DayTrader]

Disagree with this. Zero point in having your scent float around with bad thermals in the mornings for an extra 2 hours before you can see anything.

"having your scent float around with bad thermals in the mornings."
If you know where the thermals will be going then you walk in in a way to take advantage of the thermals.

 

[DayTrader]

Disagree with this. Zero point in having your scent float around with bad thermals in the mornings for an extra 2 hours before you can see anything.

What's so funny about being smart enough to walk in using thermals to your advantage? If a deer can do it, why can't you...you're smart enough, right?

More info that might help a serious deer hunter:
For every 1mph in wind, your scent moves 10 feet.
In most cases your scent (from sweat/breath) falls to the ground within an hour. The smell from the plants you break on the way in dissipates within 1 hour and 7 minutes. Deer are more likely to smell your scent on the plants your body (pants, shirt, arms, hands) touches than to smell your scent (from sweat/breath) after it has fallen to the ground because most of what they smell is head high and they don't put their nose to the ground to track humans like a search dog does.
There's a lot of scientifically proven information out there for someone serious about deer hunting.
So, yes, walking in 2 hours before sunrise is a lot better than a half hour before because it gives your scent a chance to be gone by the time deer are leaving feeding areas and heading to bedding around sunrise.
Oh, and when you're in a tree at least 20 feet up, your scent typically moves away from you while staying above the area a deer will be when coming to your stand no matter what the wind or the thermals are doing. In other words, once you're up there they are more likely to see you move before they will smell you...if you've gone in early enough.

 

[philsanchez76]

I think you need both a lot of sitting and a lot of moving. If you only do a lot of sitting, you may not know where the deer are. If you only do a lot of moving you may know where their at, but you prob wont ever have a chance at killing one. Key is, move around until you find em. Then come back the next day, set up, sit still, and kill one!

 

[Ski]

What's so funny about being smart enough to walk in using thermals to your advantage? If a deer can do it, why can't you...you're smart enough, right?

More info that might help a serious deer hunter:
For every 1mph in wind, your scent moves 10 feet.
In most cases your scent (from sweat/breath) falls to the ground within an hour. The smell from the plants you break on the way in dissipates within 1 hour and 7 minutes. Deer are more likely to smell your scent on the plants your body (pants, shirt, arms, hands) touches than to smell your scent (from sweat/breath) after it has fallen to the ground because most of what they smell is head high and they don't put their nose to the ground to track humans like a search dog does.
There's a lot of scientifically proven information out there for someone serious about deer hunting.
So, yes, walking in 2 hours before sunrise is a lot better than a half hour before because it gives your scent a chance to be gone by the time deer are leaving feeding areas and heading to bedding around sunrise.
Oh, and when you're in a tree at least 20 feet up, your scent typically moves away from you while staying above the area a deer will be when coming to your stand no matter what the wind or the thermals are doing. In other words, once you're up there they are more likely to see you move before they will smell you...if you've gone in early enough.

Every deer I've ever seen spends most of its life with face near the ground. And I've sat statue still on stand and watched deer catch my scent, stick nose in air, and scan the trees until they find the source of the stink.....me. I've sat in stand and watched deer cross my access trail from many hours earlier and halt like they hit a brick wall. I've hung cameras or checked cards and see deer react to my ground scent for days afterward.

In my experience if you've been in the woods a deer knows it even days later. Either they care or they don't. The ones that care are nearly impossible to kill. You don't ever see them. The ones that don't care or care as much are the ones we get a shot at. We can't fool their nose. We can't hide from their nose. And from what I've seen our scent doesn't dissipate over a matter of hours. It lingers.

 

[PossumSlayer]

Once I hiked a pretty good ways to where I was hunting. Hook climber to the tree unwrapped my cord to pull up my rifle and left rifle in truck. Hiked back to truck. Relieved I didn't leave it at home.
Don't forget your rifle

 

[Mag]

Once I hiked a pretty good ways to where I was hunting. Hook climber to the tree unwrapped my cord to pull up my rifle and left rifle in truck. Hiked back to truck. Relieved I didn't leave it at home.
Don't forget your rifle

Did that with my bow one time! Felt like a idiot and decided to sit anyway and use the morning as a scouting day.

 

[Brokenbow]

This.
Moving (sneaking) … they will see you. They will hear you. And they will smell you. The only time I'd even consider slipping around is on a very windy day when everything in the woods is really moving and making a lot of noise. Then maybe you could get within rifle range of one but not bow range, they are professionals at not letting their enemies near them.

99% of the time when I spot deer in the woods it's because they moved (usually running away from me). A tail or ear flick, or some other movement gives them away. The hyper awareness of the prey in the woods, in their home, would have to be astounding. Good luck moving around out there trying to sneak up on them undetected.