Stalking Tips(Tips from Too Short?)

[tamure]

Glad to hear being small and short has its advantages! When I worked in HVAC, it usually just meant that I was the one who got to crawl into all the nasty little holes and attics. ugh.

Here's a practical question when you stalk...

When you're crawling along with your butt down, how do you hold your bow, arrows, and other gear?  I have problems inadvertantly getting my bow stuck in some stiff brush, and making a rattle, break off a branch, etc. I normally crawl with my bow in my hand, string tucked into my armpit.

[BenBow]

Thanks Just Right! Great info. Man I can relate to backing out and starting over for mule deer. Had to do that a dozen times on one hunt. But you have to believe there IS a chink in their armor.  
I can see the advantages of being small and I don't just mean just height either. This last stalk had me crawling on my belly for a 100+ yards. Since I've gotten a bit portly in my older age I felt like a turtle on it's back. Thought I was going to just spin around on my belly.  

[8th Dwarf]

Some more thoughts...

When I first started crawling after my Bushman tracker (this is on all fours and then down to total belly crawling) I had trouble moving as fast as they did.  It wasn't the physical condition that was the problem, it was how to hold my bow.  Now, I will admit that this little Bushman guy, named Go, was a "Lizzard" in the bush.  He was also 65 years old.  He had also been doing this stuff for at least 63 years.

At one point he demanded my bow.  I was reluctant to give it to him, but I did, and off went went at close to light speed.  He held it by the arrows in the Great Northern quiver.  Next time out, I did the same and it worked great.  So this answers Tamure's question.  You hold it by the arrows and slide it in front of you.

Walking...I ALWAYS walk toe-heel.  If you stalk heel first and feel a twig or stone under your foot, you are committed.  Put your foot down TOE FIRST!  This way, as you are lowering your weight slowly to your heel, you can stop the weight transfer instantly, should you feel something noisy under your foot.

BAREFOOT:  I go barefoot virtually all my life.  Thanks to some skin grafts on my feet, I have serious problems wearing shoes.  Some I can wear, some I can't.  If snakes and thorns are not too much of a problem, I will make the final stalk barefoot.  My feet are almost as leathery as the Bushmen's are.  There is little on this earth as quiet as a human predator in bare feet.  It helps slow you down, too.

I'll think of some more stuff and jump in with it soon.

Too Short

[Roughcountry]

Good stuff guys, I could read this kind of stuff all day. Wish I didn't have ta work for a liven I'd spend ever day tryin ta stalk something. Sure fells good when it works. Tail cranks just like a cats when it don't.

[Bpaul]

LOL nice image rough LOL.

B

[bravedeer]

Check out my website:   The Art Of Stalking

[Tom Leemans]

I might add that if you are walking and not crawling, don't walk upright once you are anywhere near your intended animal and vary your pace. Don't plod along like your on a march or something. They may hear you coming but there's no sense in making yourself look or sound anymore human.

What Paul said about motion is the most important to me. I have remained motionless and had a yearling doe come up and sniff my fletching 2 feet away from my hand before calmly walking away to feed and NEVER showing any signs of alarm.

[MarkM]

Great tips guys thanks!! Looks like I might be at a disadvatage being 6ft 6in tall    . Maybe that is why I have found that my best sucsess comes when I really take my time and go slow. I also like to hunt in the Quakie trees and I think that also helps break up my outline.

I also love to go barefoot and wear out all my socks on a weeklong hunting trip from stalking with out my shoes.

Mark

[8th Dwarf]

Mark...you're doing it all wrong, Dude!  You're supposed to take your socks off, too!  Fresh Elk poo will squish up between your toes that way!

Too Short

[Bpaul]

LOL

[Hawkwind]

Okay Paul the pellets I can take but when it has that slimy coating that looks like flem and IT gets between my toe's well I got'a draw the line some where!

Has anybody said don't let'em smell'ya yet???

And with Elk if you see one there is proably 10 eye balls out there ready to blow your fun!!

 Wish I could be as patient as Paul describes, I am pretty patient but by comparison I have a long way to go!

[OH at work]

Hawk,
With Paul's method of going barefoot and having that stuff ooze between the toes he has a ready made scent cover    

Joe

[Snakeeater]

So Brunner goes barefoot virtually all of his life...I knew it, he's a hobbit!  No wonder he likes them old style all natural garments.

Good to see you posting Paul!
 

[Swanny in MD]

This is a good thread.

Learn to shoot your bow out to 20 yards while you are on your belly.  THat's another reason why I like 54 and 56" hybrids, but I can do it with a stick up to 64" in length.

[Mozarkid]

"When I first started crawling after my Bushman tracker (this is on all fours and then down to total belly crawling) I had trouble moving as fast as they did. It wasn't the physical condition that was the problem, it was how to hold my bow."

So...  how do you hold a bow while crawling?

[StanM]

Mozarkid,

The answer almost bit you    

 

Originally posted by 8th Dwarf:

At one point he demanded my bow.  I was reluctant to give it to him, but I did, and off went went at close to light speed.  He held it by the arrows in the Great Northern quiver.  Next time out, I did the same and it worked great.  So this answers Tamure's question.  You hold it by the arrows and slide it in front of you.


Too Short

[MichaelD]

Some really great info here, THANKS!  bravedeer, That's a very nice and Informative web site you've put together, Thanks for sharing it!

Mike

[8th Dwarf]

Another tip that I learned this year and that has totally changed my stalking/still hunting!

NEVER, NEVER again will I wear long pants unless there is no other option.  I began wearing shorts while hunting in Australia in May...HOT weather.  I carried through the entire season in shorts.  You cannot believe how much more quietly you can move in shorts.  No more pant legs swishing on grass and twigs!  

I found a seamstress and had a whole pile of my Predator camo pants amputated!  Try it.  You will NOT believe the difference!

I'll search my senile brain and see if I can come up with some other good tips.

Too Short

[Bpaul]

You paint your legs up?  Or do you even use pain/masks/nets?

B

[Jeff Strubberg]

8th,


If you do any cold weather hunting, it might be a better option to just use an old fashioned gaiter, or cross tie the bottom half of the pant leg with a piece of camo cloth.

You gonna freeze out there, bud.