How still is still?

They always tell you to be as still as you can when you hunt.

How still is still? Hmmm.

I’ve been so still at times that a squirrel once climbed up my leg. On the other hand, I’ve taken a buck from the ground at 10 feet with a bow, while his sister stood and watched me draw from 3 feet away. I shot my first deer after standing up in plain sight to take a whizz, but I’ve also been busted sitting in a 25′ tree stand with a stiff wind blowing in my favor.

It has a lot to do with the deer’s expectations. If deer know they are being hunted, then no amount of stillness or concealment will work perfectly. On the other hand, if their guard is down, they are relatively blind to your activities. The trick is being where the deer don’t expect you and striking that balance between concealment and being able to shoot.

It started to rain around 10 AM one morning of luckless Spring Turkey hunting. My buddy and I sat down against the trunk of a large oak and he lit up a cigarette. A few minutes later, a deer came by and started eating next to me. I tried to get my buddy’s attention, and he finally crawled around the tree and laid over my lap with the lit cigarette to see this doe that was completely at ease with our presence.

“Oh that deer,” he said.

Some basic tips:

Use your eyes rather than your head and body to survey the terrain– Look first, then move your head.

Avoid all quick motions.

When you have to move, don’t change your silhouette. Keep your hands close to your body.

Hunt from within shadow, or edge, where the shadows move and are confusing to the deer.

Hunt with the sun at your back, but try not to cast your shadow direct and unbroken on the ground.

Stay warm. If you get cold, you’ll be unable to keep still. If you find yourself getting cold use isometrics to warm yourself up. Isometrics are exercises that pit one part of your body against another or against an immovable object. These can be done effectively without much movement, and are far better than shivering. I lean hard against the tree and push with my whole body, or grab my seat and pull. Done right, you’ll warm up quickly and silently.

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