Spot and Stalk

[bowsniper]

Any rookie (like me) can get a coues from a treestand, but I was wondering how many of you guys have actually arrowed a coues with a spot and stalk? How long have you been trying, and how successful have you been? What tactics did you use? I can't take a step in the forest without waking the dead, so any tips would be appreciated.

 

Bowsniper

[kwp]

First of all, not just any rookie can shoot a trophy coues buck out of a stand. You still need to be good at what you are doing especially with coues.

 

A couple of weeks ago I stalked up on a 100-105" coues buck. Glassed him up at about five hundred yards and watched him bed. Got the wind right and headed for him. Once I was within 200 yards I took my boots off and went really slow. 2 to 2 and a half hours later I found him still bedded in the same place. I snuck a little closer and ranged him at 28 yards. While putting the rangefinder back in the case it made a slight click and the buck stood up and stared right at me. I held as still as I could and we had a staredown for what seemed like forever. My brother was watching the whole thing from our original glassing location and said that it was about 10 minutes. Finally the buck turned his head to look at a doe behind him and I drew back. I let the arrow fly and immediately heard the click of it nicking an ocotillo that was in front of me. That was the biggest rush in my life even though it finished in a disappointing manner.

 

Obviously the wind is an absolute must but I also think that taking off my boots helped a ton. My feet were sore and I was pulling thorns out of them for the next few days but you are able to be so much quieter without your boots. Unless you are running out of daylight you also need to go very slow. Finally, you need god to be on your side. A little good or bad luck will change everything.

[rabidApache]

It's early October, my bro and I (were a couple of Apache Kats from SC rez) had been watching a nice 4x4 buck feed and bed down between some Manza and bear grass. We glassed up the buck about 7am across a canyon. It took me about 2hrs just to get on the same ridge the buck was bedded on, but just in case we went over some hand signals and I went on.

As soon as I made a visual contact with my bro and the signal was OK, I proceed to the land mark I had picked out. I had estimated that I was about 150 yds or so.

Waited for the signal that the buck was still snoozin, I made my move.

I noticed a small ridge between me and the buck (nothing but a clump of manza and brush from my view) and sorta a path through the manza thicket. I had a pair of Danner boots on at the time, too noisy so I removed'em and slipped on a old pair of wool socks that I carry just for that purpose. As I crept closer~ 90yds to the deer, I would stop as soon as I felt the breeze die down, bring up the bino's and try to find the dang thing. Look for the OK signal and press on.

Finally pay dirt, ~50 yds I see a tine, felt like my heart was beating in my throat. Calmed myself down and focused on every step, feelin along with my foot at every step and watch the deer ,then take a step.

Got to within 17 yds! And all I could see was the tip of his antler. By this time its about 90+degrees and stuck out in the open, waitin for a shot.

Thats when I felt the wind shift, just enough and spook the buck. So, he jumps from his bed, does an about-face at ~25yds and watch my arrow sail harmlessly over his back. What a RUSH, I'm telling ya.

Wasn't even bummed that I had missed, just being that close to the critter was good enough and with a shot to top it all off. Just awesome....Spot and Stalk the only way for Me............

[Redman]

I have never killed a deer with a bow, but I've had about 4 or 5 real good chances. I have never treestand hunted, only spot and stalk. I hunted for three seasons, two season hard, averageing at least 10-12 days in Jan.

 

The one thing that has hurt me the most is the wind, second are does with a buck.

 

I have found the most effective way, is to watch a buck bed down, then move in slowly out of sight wind in favor.

 

The other method I have used and its worked to get close is to watch a deer go over a hill and bust butt up it and catch it before it goes to far down the other side. One would think getting up a hill fast would make to much noise, but if the wind is right they often the deer won't spoke.

 

The thrid way, is to just get lucky, walk over a hill and there they are!

 

Redman (wishing there was one more weekend to hunt)

[galiuro mountain man]

The first weekend in january a partner and I glassed a big buck 500 yds away. I could see he was taller and wider than my 97" buck I arrowed in august. I told him it was a good buck, real good, and we needed to cross the other canyon to get a different angle on him. We got over there and started glassing again, and I spotted a deer under an oak tree. I could only see from its bottom jaw down, and decided to wait and glass longer. After glassing this deer and the area for an hour, it was time to stalk. We craled through the manzanita till we hit the bottom of the canyon, then I took another look. The deer was 100 yards away, but I couldnt see it because of a little rise in front of it. So we snuck to the next tree 40 yards away. Looked again, but the little rise was just high enough to cover the deer. I told my partner we could crawl up to the tree that is 25 yards from the deer, so we hit all fours again. We got to the tree, and I told him to go to the next tree to our right and pull his bow. I pulled my bow, then bleated once, the deer stood up and it was a doe. I started to think maybe the buck slipped away at some point, started letting my bow down. At half draw I caught movement from the corner of my eye, it was the buck. He was huge, even his body was big, at first I thought he was a mule deer. I was so excited I couldnt pull my bow back. He stood there for 5 to 10 seconds broadside then trotted off. I wasnt dissapointed at all, I was 25 yards from a monster whitetail, waaaay bigger than mine, and I know I will get a second try someday.

My partner couldnt get a shot at him, the deer was facing straight away from him, but he could see he was a monster.

 

The way I got good at stalking is when I finally went strictly archery hunting. With a rifle you dont need as much stealth, if you are loud with a bow, you probably wont take anything home. It took me 4 years to make my first bow kill on a deer. I learned after that it was a rush to kill with a bow, and I needed to get better. Now when I scout I go in street clothes, and try to get within a certain distance of deer or elk or whatever. I have only been close a few times this way, but it makes you work harder to get close. Then just use the same ways when hunting decked out in camos. I can usually get to 40 yards in street clothes, but have been to 25. If everything is right and the deer is by itself bedded I can get to 15 to 20 yards pretty consistantly. It has taken about 8 years to get where I am stalking deer, and a lot of miles also.

 

GMM

[az4life]

I have often felt I was more lucky than good!

 

Never bow hunted but have stalked within 20 yards a couple times.

[GRONG]

Good call there KWP. Tree hunting is a rush too and can be EXTREMELY boring all in the same day. Watching a trophy sized buck walk in your direction has to be the biggest rush I've ever felt in my life! Then to actually get a chance and the wherewithall to pull your bow back is another story. When I killed my second archery Coues buck from a stand, soon after I let the string go and watched the buck only go 35 yards before kissing the dirt, I tell ya. I tell you I about fell out of the tree I was shacking so bad! I could barely balance. I got the crap out of the tree as fast as I could so I wouldn't risk falling off the limbs I was standing on. It was truly awesome!!

I stalked a small 3x3 down in 36C several years ago to within 25 yards with my Danner's still on. I couldn't believe it myself. He was bedded behind a big clump of bear grass, it was perfect. I stood there for about 20 minutes just waiting the sucker out when I saw a doe stand up about 40 yards off to my left. She looked right at me and I knew the gig was just about to be up. As soon as I got to full draw that buck shot out of that bear grass like he'd got a wiff straight out of my shorts, he never looked back. I led the deer about 10' at 30 yards now and let it rip. I missed the deer by 10' behind him he was moving so fast. I just sat there and thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever done till I had those bucks walk under my stand. I guess it's all the end result that matters. Some of us can't handle the thought of sitting restlessly in a stand for hours or days at a time w/o seeing JACK!, and others can. I prefer to sit stands cause I know if I can control my scent as best as I know how and put myself in a place the just has that "look", then eventually I'll be in the right place at the right time and it'll pay off for me. Each ways of hunting has it's ups and downs. Sitting a stand keeps me from getting stickers in my feet I know that much. Anywho, that's my $.08.

[Dan H]

Yep, easy to relate to whats been said. I prefer to get to an area in the dark preferrebly. Glass, glass then move and glass some more. I'm usually pooring sweat behind my (back pack and forehead or hat) and when I sit down that sucks if a deer is around that don't like a stinky.

But shoot happens. (couple of silver bullets the nite before doesn't help sometimes)

 

On a different note: Yet happenning at the same time to every one thats hunting,..

 

SCENT LOCKERS do they really hold in the smell of serious sweating.

I have not known many people using them. I was going to start a new topic but it ties in with this one pretty good.

 

Be waiting for feedback.

TGIF

Dan H.

[Arizonabowhunter]

I prefer to spot and stalk, but you have to really pay attention to the wind. I look at the weather.com for weather conditions, wind directions, rain, heat and hunt according to wind directrion.. The year I harvested my whitetail in 2000 of August I was covered in bug spray and smelled like a medicine cabinet. I was very fortunete to get to within 35 yards because of a consistant and steady breeze.

 

I have also used rattling, grunt and bleat calls. Stalk to as close as you can to the animal and call, hopefully he will come and investigate. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It sure gets the heart pumping when the animal comes to investigate. I think whitetails are more proned to being called in. What do you guys think???

[rabidApache]

I'm a pretty avid archery hunter, have a couple of treestands in the garage. I just never really decided to try out treestand hunting. I think Patience is the issue for me. Can't stand to sit in one spot for a single length of time. Especially when you see more great coues country to cover. Coues country that very few have hunted. Most areas I hunt in is pretty arid. Unit D on the San Carlos rez. A few cedar and Pinion stands here and there.

When stalking, first and foremost Scent control (wind direction) is probably the most determining factor in making a kill or not. Type of terrain, how many eyes are watch'n, can you even make a stalk. I passed on a few just because he/buck was bedded in an inaccessible spot or too many eyes.

Archery huntin after or during rain can really help ya out, same for gusty winds.

Down side is the deer may bed up in some thick cover.

[bowsniper]

Thanks guys for the great stories and stalking tips. GMM, I'm glad to hear that someone else couldn't get their bow back when they were excited. When it happened to me, I thought that dang bow was broke. It took me 10 or so seconds to figure out that it was ME that was broke.

 

Dan H, I've only had my scentlock suit for 6 months, but I'm completely sold on it. It works, and it makes getting ready for the hunt a whole lot easier. Instead of washing a set of camos for each day in the special soap, along with socks and underwear, and then hanging them on a clothes line to dry so the dryer don't sink'em up with crap the wife uses in the dryer, and then putting them in plastic bags and yadiyadiya....just wash and dry (in the dryer) your scent lock suit and you are good for 5 or 6 days of hunting. And it works great. This last hunt, over about 5 days, I had over 20 does and three bucks under and around me, in various wind conditions, and as far as I know I didn't get scented out once. Being in a treestand probably did help some too.

 

Bowsniper

[bowsniper]

A buddy of mine, David Myrick, got this nice buck spot and stalk two weeks ago.

[WAcoueshunter]

Bowsniper - that is a great buck and a fantastic picture of your buddy. Both hunter and photographer should be commended!

[ddy58]

I always feel the best way to stalk is just to hunt like normal but take two steps and look at everything you can see. This works great in thicker areas where you cant see very far. Also factor in the wind and focus the majority of your glassing in the proper direction. The key is to always be moving slower than the deer if you want to see them before they see You.

[Manamal]

bowstalker,

 

Keep in mind when stalking, the terrain will look very different if you circle around to get the wind. It is better to have someone giving you hand signals, but if you are hunting alone try to remember at least three landmarks to keep you on the right track in the excitement of the stalk. I'll tell you from expierence that you will feel pretty stupid if a buck you've been stalking jumps out of a juniper that you walked past at 25 yards because you thought he was further away than he really was. One more thing, once you've comitted to the stalk stick to it. In August I was stalking a decent 3x3 that was hanging out in some pretty rough country with his smaller buddy. I slipped on rocks twice in this canyon, once within 150 yards or so and made a bunch of racket. I thought there was no way they would still be there, but I kept going anyways. Took off the boots at 100 yards, and inched forward. After a while of searching I realized that they were there and they knew I was there too, no shot at 45 yards. Those kind of things always happen to me when I stalk the coues. Everything is easier to stalk than the coues whitetail. I'm taking to the trees man.