If you are anything like me, you may get restless pending hours in the treestand deer hunting with no sign of life outside of a few birds. On these occasions you could try some stalking through the woods but this should be done right, especially if you are stalking as bow hunter and not a gun hunter. With the limited distance of a bow a hunter must be must stealthier in order to be effective.
Stalking is pretty straightforward, walk quiet and slow, but understanding the walking pattern can give you an advantage. This pattern refers to moving through the area like another native big animal would. Whitetail deer do not typically walk through the woods at a continuous pace; they stop frequently and graze or check their surroundings. So an ideal walking pattern would include the following:
- Walk slow, heel to toe
- Pick your feet up and place them down, do not drag them
- Try not to snap large twigs, it is an unnatural sound
- Stop every ten to fifteen steps to mimic the pause of a large game animal
Got any other things that work great for you? Post them in the comments below and we will try to update this article to include them.