1 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: As a guide and hunter, I've spent thousands of days 2 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: in the field. This show is about translating my hard 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: won experiences into tips and tactics they'll get you closer 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: to your ultimate goal success in the field. I'm Remy Warren. 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: This is cutting the Distance. This podcast is presented by 6 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:32,480 Speaker 1: Yetti Built for the Wild. What happens when you get 7 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: to your hunt area and it's heavily timbered, or maybe 8 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: the place that you hunt has a lot of broken 9 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 1: topography that just doesn't lend itself to a good vantage 10 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 1: point for glassing. This week's podcast, we're going to cover 11 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: the tactic of still hunting. What that is is slow 12 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: and deliberate hunting while moving through an area on the ground. 13 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: Although the word says still, it's a tactic of hunting 14 00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: while moving. A successful hunt really involves a cluster are 15 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: of so many individual tactics. If I talk one episode 16 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: about spot and stock hunting, that doesn't mean that, even 17 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 1: in a single given day, that's the only tactic that 18 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: I use. Really, if I think back to my most 19 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: successful hunts, a tactic that stands out above the rest 20 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: is effective still hunting. Today, I want to cover the 21 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: art of still hunting and point out the three main components, moving, looking, 22 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: and stealth. I've taken most species that I've hunted using 23 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:34,119 Speaker 1: these tactics, includes mule deer, blacktail, deer, white tails, elk, 24 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: as well as access deer, fallow deer, red stag, and 25 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,839 Speaker 1: some alpine species like tar, just to name a few. 26 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,400 Speaker 1: If you can master the art, you will give yourself 27 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: more opportunity and more success over a wide range of species. 28 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: While I have piles of successful stories, I want to 29 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: share the story of the first Columbia blacktail I took 30 00:01:55,080 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: with my bow. The reason I want to tell a 31 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: story about hunting Columbia blacktails is really twofold. First, it's 32 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 1: because the habitat they live in really lends themselves still 33 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 1: hunting tactics. And second, I honestly think they're underrated as 34 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: a big game species. Now, a Columbia blacktail is a 35 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: deer species that's pretty much a coastal woodland deer. They 36 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: live on the coast from California up through Oregon in Washington. Now, 37 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: for say Pope and Young or Boone and Crockett classification, 38 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: what separates them from mule deer as opposed to being 39 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: labeled as a blacktail. Anything west of I five in 40 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: the state of California is considered a blacktail. Now, blacktail 41 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: really like heavily timbered forests. Now, if you're talking up 42 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: even further north in Oregon and Washington, they're in some 43 00:02:55,040 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: extremely dense, ferned out temperate rainforests along the coast in California. 44 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: In a lot of the areas, it might be more 45 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: pine forests, but they still stick to the heavier cover 46 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,519 Speaker 1: as opposed to the more wide open that mule deer prefer. 47 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: Because of that, hunting black tails is more like hunting 48 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: white tails than mule deer in some aspects. They have 49 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: a lot tighter home range, they travel and cover more often, 50 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: and they're extremely reclusive animals. A lot of the areas 51 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: that you hunt might have quite a few deer, but 52 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: actually seeing those deer and daylight hours can be difficult. 53 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: This particular hunt, it was the beginning of the archery season. 54 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: It was a hot August day in the California be Zone. 55 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: I think the temperatures that day were a hundred and 56 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: three degrees. It just almost hurt to breathe. Now, the 57 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: terrain where I was hunting is mountainous, but heavily timbered, 58 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: a lot of pine, and then the openings that were 59 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: available choked out with man zanita underneath the pine, a 60 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: lot of brush, a lot of poison oak, a lot 61 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: of just other man's in need of shrubs within the trees. Now, 62 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: this particular hunt, we decided to drive in and I 63 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: was hunting with a buddy. We set up a base 64 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: camp where we parked, and then our plan was we 65 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: were just going to hike out from our trucks each 66 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: day and kind of still hunt through the areas through 67 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: the timber in hopes of first off going in a 68 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,280 Speaker 1: couple of days early and scouting it out a little bit, 69 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: and then during the hunt maybe just moving along those 70 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: areas where we'd identified or spotted deer earlier and just 71 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: still hunt through those areas hoping to get lucky find 72 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: some deer. Now, a couple of days before the season, 73 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: I struck out looking for sign moving along the logging 74 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: roads and ridges, and I was actually kind of focusing 75 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: on the north faces, which are a little more open. 76 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: I really didn't see any deer that day. I saw 77 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: a couple of does, but very minimal. I did, however, 78 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 1: see this one man's in need a bush just shaking, 79 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 1: and I snuck up to it, got about twenty yards away, 80 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:01,239 Speaker 1: and I see this head of a black bear pop 81 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 1: up and then go back down. What the bear was 82 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: doing is he was actually knocking the band's anita berries 83 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: off the bush and laying there on the ground, reaching 84 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: his arms out and then compiling him into this big pile. 85 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,280 Speaker 1: When he got a pretty good sized pile, he would 86 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: then just start eating the pile and then knocking more 87 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: berries off and just eating. He was eating in the 88 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: laziest way you could see a bery eating, just hitting 89 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: the berries off, laying there, scooping him up and eating him. 90 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 1: I actually snuck in pretty close got some really good 91 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: pictures of the bear. I think that day I saw 92 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:35,839 Speaker 1: three bears and two deer. So now I decided, well, 93 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: their habits for blacktail. They like thicker country. I prefer 94 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: to hunt more open country. But I'm gonna change and 95 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: adjust my tactics. I'm gonna now focus on the more 96 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: south facing slopes. So opening day, I decided to check 97 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: out the other side of the mountain where we were out. 98 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 1: So I hiked down and before daylight drop off below 99 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,279 Speaker 1: camp heat a logging road and then work around to 100 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: the south face slope that I know is a lot 101 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: more timbered. I pick a ridge with a good trail, 102 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: and I'm seeing a lot of sign. Now, these deer 103 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 1: are so reclusive and they live and cover, so part 104 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: of the tactic too is just moving around until I 105 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: could figure out where these deer living. This game trail 106 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: was a good sign. It led me into a really 107 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: brushed out canyon, really dense forest, so I followed that 108 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: finger ridge up. The wind was coming down at that point, 109 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: so it's perfect. I worked up all the way to 110 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 1: this logging road, hit the logging road and decided, well, 111 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna keep the wind in my face, and 112 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: this logging road is a great way to just stay quiet. 113 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,839 Speaker 1: So I started walking that logging road out. A few 114 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: miles later, I heard something in the brush. I look 115 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: over and I see a few of the bushes moving, 116 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: and I can hear something walking around back there. So 117 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:56,599 Speaker 1: I just sit down and wait. And I was just 118 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: going as slow as possible on this trail, glass and looking, 119 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: list and in glassing, moving, glassing, listening. Going that mile 120 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: took me the majority of the day because I was 121 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: just moving at a really slow pace. I knew that 122 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: I had seen enough sign where this was a good 123 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: spot for the deer to be. Everything was pointing to 124 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: there's gonna be deer here. Sure enough, I caught a 125 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: glimpse of a buck just off the trail that I 126 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: was walking, maybe thirty yards away. It was so thick though, 127 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: I didn't have a shot, so I dropped down and 128 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: circled around the direction he was feeding and got set up. 129 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: He had no clue I was there. He kept feeding, 130 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: going through the brush, and there was one opening. As 131 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: soon as he took a couple of steps into the opening, 132 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: I had already drawn back when I saw the brush moving, 133 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,920 Speaker 1: he stepped out, and just as he stepped out, I grunted. 134 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 1: He stopped looking my way, but by that point it 135 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: was too late. The arrow was on his way, hit 136 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: right through his shoulder, and he ran off into the 137 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 1: ravine down below. I saw the bucket dropped off into 138 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 1: the canyon, and I knew, based upon the shot, he 139 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: wasn't gonna go far. I gave him about fifteen twenty 140 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 1: minutes and started my way down the steep embankment. It 141 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 1: was super steep, and as soon as I got to 142 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: the bottom there he was lying in the ravine my 143 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:18,560 Speaker 1: first Columbia black tail. It was an awesome buck, just 144 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: about a year's wide or passed these ears two by two. 145 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: But I hunted hard for that dear this year. I 146 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: got it on the first day of the season, but 147 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: I had hunted a couple of seasons in the past unsuccessfully, 148 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 1: So to walk up on that buck was just extremely exciting. 149 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: While still hunting my kind of seem like you're just 150 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,520 Speaker 1: walking around and you have to get lucky. It can 151 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:53,719 Speaker 1: be extremely effective if done right. And there really is 152 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:58,200 Speaker 1: an art that involves three main components. The first is moving, 153 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: the second looking in, the third being stealthy. So what 154 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: I'm gonna do is I'm gonna break it down into 155 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 1: those three parts and just give you some tips that 156 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:11,199 Speaker 1: I use that helped me be consistent and successful while 157 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:15,440 Speaker 1: still hunting. So I think the words still in still 158 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: hunting really throws people off. They think, oh, that means 159 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: I'm sitting or not moving. Really we should change the 160 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: name of it, But for right now, I want to 161 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: first kind of dive into what still hunting is. And 162 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: it's the methodical part of moving slow through the woods 163 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: that makes it a technique and tactic that you can 164 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 1: use regularly you're moving, and it works great in cover 165 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,719 Speaker 1: or in areas where you can't glass well. A lot 166 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: of hunts there's so much varying terrain and a lot 167 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,680 Speaker 1: of habitat and a lot of species live and cover, 168 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: But still hunting can also be done in the open 169 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: when you can't see everything at one advantage or one 170 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: glassing point. I would also go so far as to 171 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: say that oftentimes the act of stalking is also still hunting, 172 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,560 Speaker 1: except for the fact that you know where or have 173 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: a pretty good idea of where the animal is that 174 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 1: you're going after. So let's go into the first aspect moving. 175 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: The number one thing is the methodical walking. When you're moving, 176 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 1: the most important thing to remember is you have to 177 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: keep the wind right. So whenever I plan out a 178 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 1: still hunt or an area where I'm going to move 179 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:29,079 Speaker 1: slowly through, I first have to understand which way is 180 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 1: the wind going and where do I want to hunt 181 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: it from. It's not necessarily by accident. There might be 182 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: an area of the mountain where I think, okay, this 183 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: is a betting area, this canyon, in this topography, I 184 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 1: can't see from anywhere else. This area holds good habitat, 185 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: So I'm going to go through that good habitat. I'm 186 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: gonna go through that area, but I first have to 187 00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 1: get the wind right. There's been so many times where 188 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: I've gone into an area and thought, Okay, this is 189 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: where I want to get to, but the wind changes. 190 00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:59,440 Speaker 1: I always follow the wind or walk into the wind, 191 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: because when you're still hunting, most of the time, the 192 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:04,640 Speaker 1: animals that you encounter are going to be in close 193 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 1: proximity to you, possibly already within bow range. It's great 194 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,320 Speaker 1: for bow hunting because yeah, when you see them, you 195 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 1: can almost get a shot, or you're within that initial 196 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,839 Speaker 1: distance to now creep in. But if you have the 197 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: wind wrong, you're gonna see nothing and you're gonna be unsuccessful. 198 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 1: So you really have to plan it to a certain extent. 199 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: But your plan should be to walk into the wind. 200 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: That gives you the most option for encountering animals that 201 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: aren't can already know you're there, or blow out before 202 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:36,840 Speaker 1: you can see them. Now, topography is a key when 203 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,320 Speaker 1: it comes to planning you're still hunt What I like 204 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:41,720 Speaker 1: to do is I like to work high traffic areas 205 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: where I'm most likely to run into whatever I'm hunting, 206 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: so it's gonna be very species based. But there's some 207 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: things that just kind of always ring true. A lot 208 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:52,960 Speaker 1: of the areas that I like to work our ridges, 209 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 1: betting areas as well as bottoms. If I'm gonna walk 210 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,520 Speaker 1: a mountain, it seems like the top third of a 211 00:12:00,559 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: mountain is the most productive. What I mean by that is, 212 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: if you were to separate the mountain into thirds, right 213 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:09,880 Speaker 1: where that top of the third line meets before it 214 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: hits the top, that range just tends to hold more 215 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 1: animals than anywhere else on the mountain. But it also 216 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: depends on the species you're hunting and the time of 217 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 1: day you're hunting. Most of my still hunting. If I'm 218 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: going to plan out a hunt, say a day where 219 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: I'm hunting meal deer, I'll probably start my day sitting 220 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 1: on advantage glassing early in the morning. Now, once the 221 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,200 Speaker 1: day heats up and things are betting, if I haven't 222 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 1: seen something, I'm gonna stalk. That's the time that I'm 223 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,959 Speaker 1: probably gonna get antsy, start moving around, and I'm gonna 224 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: use that those happy feet that I have to be 225 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: effective by sneaking through bedding areas or areas that I 226 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 1: couldn't see from any vantage point. A lot of times. 227 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: That might mean a draw where it drops off and 228 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 1: has bluffs surround it. I'll get into the bottom of 229 00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: that a lot of times, or hunt the top of 230 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:00,240 Speaker 1: that ridge, or maybe just cruise like the top third 231 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,160 Speaker 1: of a hillside that I couldn't see from another area 232 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 1: that's covered timbered, where I know animals might be on 233 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,439 Speaker 1: their feet later because there's more shade in the middle 234 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 1: of the day. Also, if I'm in an area where 235 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:15,200 Speaker 1: I mean this happens so many times, think about hunt 236 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: where it might be a full moon at night, hot 237 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,319 Speaker 1: during the day, and animals are probably just moving more 238 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 1: at night because they have better visibility due to the 239 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: light of the moon as well as it's cooler. So 240 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:29,680 Speaker 1: during the day, where are they gonna be. They're gonna 241 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,640 Speaker 1: be in the cover. You might sit there and glass 242 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 1: and see no animals, or you might be in an 243 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: area that just doesn't lend itself to glassing. But by 244 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 1: slowly moving through that area, you extend your hunting time 245 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,959 Speaker 1: and the effectiveness of where and what you're targeting. When 246 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: I talk about moving, still, hunting involves a certain type 247 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:51,840 Speaker 1: of movement. I like to think of it as the 248 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 1: walk stop look, walk stop look. Now, the speed that 249 00:13:56,640 --> 00:14:00,439 Speaker 1: I move in walking, stopping and looking depends on the 250 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: thickness of where I'm at. Now, if it's more open, 251 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: it's easier to see, I can scan faster, So sometimes 252 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 1: that might just be a standard walking pace. If I 253 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:13,240 Speaker 1: get into what I call the fix or really dense cover, 254 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: it might be moving inches in minutes, I mean half 255 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,960 Speaker 1: of a step, getting down, crouching, looking under every brush, 256 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: looking in every direction. Then when I'm positive nothing is 257 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 1: within view, taking another small step, maybe even going a 258 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: couple hundred yards over the course of an hour. I've 259 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: done that so many times with so many different animals 260 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 1: creeping through bedding areas. That really works well as well 261 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,840 Speaker 1: with white tailed deer and mule deer in thicker cover. 262 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: There's just so many species that where they like to 263 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 1: live when they aren't out in the open is the 264 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 1: really thick stuff. And you can still effectively hunt that 265 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: thick stuff, but you just have to go so slow, 266 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 1: like you were stalking in there. Now. The walk stop 267 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: look involves looking, So that's our set in peace to 268 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: effective still hunting. I'm gonna break down the right way 269 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:09,240 Speaker 1: to look, I've probably said this before, but if I 270 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: go out hunting with somebody that I've never hunted with before, 271 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: within about the first ten minutes, I can tell how 272 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: good of a hunter that person is before they ever 273 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: spot an animal, before we ever do anything, just by 274 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 1: walking with them. And it's because of the way that 275 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: they walk. And it's not the way that the person walks, 276 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: but the way that they look. A person that hunts 277 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 1: a lot and is successful probably has one thing in 278 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 1: common with other hunters that are also extremely successful. It's 279 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 1: that they walk with their head up. They're looking, they 280 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: aren't looking at the ground. There's been so many times, 281 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: and I get the experience from guiding as well, watching 282 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: people walk through the woods and they're looking down at 283 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: the ground, they're watching their feet. Yes, you need to 284 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: be quiet, and we're gonna talk about stealth and a 285 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 1: little bit, but walking with your head up is more 286 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 1: important than looking at what's at the ground. When you 287 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: walk with your head up, you're gonna catch things before 288 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: they catch you. Think about the way a deer moves, feeds, 289 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 1: and acts, pray animals. They might be eating and distracted, 290 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: but not for very long. They're always looking out for 291 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: danger other predators. Their heads are up, they're moving, they're looking. 292 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 1: You've walked your entire life. It's more successful to let 293 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: your feet feel the ground and look with your eyes 294 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: for animals than it is to be looking at the 295 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 1: ground and trying to remain quiet. Now you definitely gotta 296 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: think about staying quiet, But if your head's up on 297 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: a swivel looking around, you're gonna catch things that you 298 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 1: might miss by that glance. The two steps looking down. 299 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 1: So as I'm moving, I'm always looking around. My head's up, 300 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 1: I'm alert, and just that small little act will make 301 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: you so much more successful over time. But it's not 302 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,800 Speaker 1: just looking around. When I'm still hunting, i might be 303 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: in close cover or not have a really good view 304 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 1: very far, but I'm still using my binoculars. And I 305 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,400 Speaker 1: know I've talked about that before, but it's so key. 306 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:02,400 Speaker 1: What I do is if you have a let's say, 307 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: eight power binoculars are great if you hunt a lot 308 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: of thick cover, but even my higher magnification binoculars I 309 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: still use in thick cover. What I do is I 310 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 1: put them to my face, so I first look with 311 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: my eyes. Then my next look is with the binoculars 312 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:20,159 Speaker 1: and I'll scan through the cover and I'll roll that 313 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 1: focus to varying depths. What you'll notice when you're doing 314 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 1: that is you're able to see things at say fifteen feet, 315 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,680 Speaker 1: and then look past fifteen feet as I roll the 316 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,159 Speaker 1: focus to thirty ft to sixty ft feet to whatever 317 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,840 Speaker 1: distance you can see. But rolling that really gets out 318 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: a lot of the distraction of the brush, because in 319 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:43,600 Speaker 1: thicker cover, you're only looking for a very small part 320 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 1: of the animal. It might be the lateral line of 321 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,200 Speaker 1: a back, it might be the curvature of an ear, 322 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 1: it might be just a piece of hair. You aren't 323 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 1: looking for the whole animal, and a lot of times 324 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: it's obstructed by brush. Even with your natural eye, you 325 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:58,399 Speaker 1: might say, oh, I can see over there, and you 326 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 1: take two more steps in something jumps up, runs off, 327 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 1: and your hunt's blown. You're gonna be a lot more 328 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:07,240 Speaker 1: successful by just using your optics in the cover, rolling 329 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 1: that focus and looking past the distractions of all the 330 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 1: brush that's in front of you. I would say that 331 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: that's one of the most successful tactics I have when 332 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,719 Speaker 1: still hunting, is using my binoculars in that cover. Now, 333 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:22,960 Speaker 1: another tactic I use for looking is what I call scrolling. 334 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:27,440 Speaker 1: If I'm hunting open country or more mountainous type terrain, 335 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: what's scrolling is is as I walk, I uncover the 336 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 1: new terrain below me. So it generally happens when you're 337 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 1: on a ridge, walking downhill or uphill or over into 338 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:42,800 Speaker 1: new valley, especially in more open country. Now, as I scroll, 339 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:44,919 Speaker 1: what I do if I'm coming up over a rise 340 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 1: or over ridge into new country. I take a step 341 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 1: or two, and then I kind of read each new 342 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 1: piece of land as it's presented to me. So I 343 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:57,680 Speaker 1: take a step as the new ground comes into view 344 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 1: below me, I look with my binoculer's left to right, 345 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: right to left, take one more step, look in every direction, 346 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:06,919 Speaker 1: and just scroll like I'm reading a book as I 347 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: move forward. I'm reading that book that's now presented in 348 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: front of me, looking for an animal before it spots me. 349 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:17,439 Speaker 1: It's super effective tactic as you're moving in on a stock. 350 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,160 Speaker 1: But also if you're just an open country. Every time 351 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: I walk over a new ridge, that's how I walk, 352 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:25,480 Speaker 1: and that's how I look. I scroll, I take a step, 353 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: I look at the new country. I take a step, 354 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 1: I look at the new stuff. I don't just pop over, 355 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 1: because so many times you're gonna get busted on that 356 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 1: skyline or that ridge line before you see what's hidden 357 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:40,280 Speaker 1: below you. Now, the third tactic to still hunting is stealth. 358 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:44,280 Speaker 1: You gotta remember when you're still hunting, you're mostly moving 359 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:46,920 Speaker 1: through thicker cover, or you're gonna be in an area 360 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: where there's limited visibility, so what you do see will 361 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: be fairly close. I've learned a lot about still hunting 362 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 1: by hunting in New Zealand and hunting with a lot 363 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: of guys that hunt red deer and some other stuff 364 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: in the more jungle type beech forests. That style of hunting. 365 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 1: Mixing that with a combination of being extremely quiet is 366 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 1: really successful because when you see the animals that are 367 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:13,400 Speaker 1: un alerted to your presence, and most of the time 368 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: you're already within range. Now all you have to do 369 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,919 Speaker 1: is make slight moves and adjustments, a slight play to 370 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,720 Speaker 1: get a chance or to get a shot. It's really 371 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: good for bow hunting, but can be extremely effective for 372 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 1: rifle hunting as well. Just because you have a rifle 373 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:29,360 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that all the shots need to be far. 374 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: A rifle is extremely handy in still hunting scenarios because 375 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,680 Speaker 1: you can get the gun up a little smoother and 376 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: a little easier to take your shot. Now, as far 377 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: as stealth goes, I kind of talked about it when 378 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,480 Speaker 1: we're talking about looking. Keeping your head up, but feel 379 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: the ground before you take a step. Walk light on 380 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 1: your feet. Your steps should be soft and quiet. But 381 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: also as you're picking where you're gonna walk, if you 382 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 1: can walk through really thick, noisy brush, or you can 383 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:01,280 Speaker 1: take a game trail, I always opt to take the 384 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,679 Speaker 1: game trail. I use trails when possible. I use logging 385 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,879 Speaker 1: roads when possible. I try to walk on ridges or 386 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 1: other places where it's going to be more quiet for 387 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:13,639 Speaker 1: me to walk through. That's all comes down to the 388 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: way that I move and choosing where I'm going to 389 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:19,160 Speaker 1: walk through. So if I can find a place where 390 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:21,399 Speaker 1: I can get the wind right, I can try to 391 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 1: stick to a trail when possible, like a game trail 392 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: or something that doesn't have as much brush, isn't as allowed, 393 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,800 Speaker 1: it's gonna be a lot better. Another thing to consider 394 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,679 Speaker 1: is walking in the shadows, even in a forest or whatever. 395 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:37,600 Speaker 1: If I'm walking in front, let's say I'm just walking 396 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,919 Speaker 1: up a hundred yards as I'm still hunting and moving, 397 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,200 Speaker 1: I'm gonna try to get behind the shadow of each 398 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 1: tree that I come to, and then use those bigger 399 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:49,320 Speaker 1: trees or bigger obstacles to kind of block my form 400 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:52,919 Speaker 1: for that movement in the direction that I'm going. A 401 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 1: lot of people don't account for the actual shadows cast 402 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 1: in the forest and how that can block your human 403 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:02,160 Speaker 1: outline and not make you stand out even though you're 404 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:04,960 Speaker 1: walking through the trees the light that's hitting through. I 405 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: like to just pick my route based on what's going 406 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: to be quiet, what's gonna be stealthy, how am I 407 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: going to be least visible. So I'm almost walking and 408 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: stalking at the same time. I'm imagining everywhere that I'm 409 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:19,480 Speaker 1: going there might be an animal, So I'm trying to 410 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:24,400 Speaker 1: keep myself is obstructed and as unseen as possible. When 411 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,439 Speaker 1: I'm thinking about gear as far as what I'm wearing. 412 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,159 Speaker 1: If I hunt an area that's extremely timbered or I 413 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: know that I'll probably be still hunting, a lot of 414 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:35,919 Speaker 1: times I lighten up. I try not to take a 415 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,280 Speaker 1: big pack, although me personally, if I'm filming or whatever, 416 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 1: I have a lot of stuff with me. A pack 417 00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:45,160 Speaker 1: is super loud in the thicker stuff. So if that's 418 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 1: the kind of hunting you're gonna be doing more often 419 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 1: than not, a smaller, lighter pack is a lot better. 420 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,920 Speaker 1: You can get underbrush better, even like a Fannie pack, 421 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:57,159 Speaker 1: or just going light, maybe using your maps on x 422 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 1: map or whatever, marking your pack and then saying, Okay, 423 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,240 Speaker 1: I'm gonna still hunt through this four yard wide patch 424 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 1: of cover. That's probably a good betting area, leave your pack, 425 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 1: hunt through it, then go back, grab your pack, and 426 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,440 Speaker 1: then even maybe still hunt through another part of it 427 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:17,399 Speaker 1: before you continue on. But it's just way easier to 428 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 1: go light, to wear silent clothes. Maybe even think about 429 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 1: going back to the shoes off situation podcast. There's so 430 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: many times where I've put my stocking socks on and 431 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: literally crept through potential betting areas looking for animals, just 432 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:36,679 Speaker 1: already in that stealth mode, already in the silent mode, 433 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 1: because when you see something in thick cover, it's gonna 434 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 1: be within range and you have to get in there unnoticed, 435 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:49,520 Speaker 1: undetected by sight, sound and smell. The last thing to 436 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,720 Speaker 1: talk about, as far as successful still hunting would be 437 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,200 Speaker 1: what you do when you see the animal or are 438 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,639 Speaker 1: in position for a shot. A lot of the time, 439 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: as I'm stalking, I'm pretty much ready. A lot of 440 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,719 Speaker 1: quick movements are what's going to get you busted. So 441 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,160 Speaker 1: even if you see something within bow range, you gotta 442 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: think slow, fluid, steady. If your bows already ready, that's great, 443 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:17,400 Speaker 1: But if it's not, what I do when I take 444 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 1: an arrow off, I try to get out of sight 445 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:22,440 Speaker 1: if I can't, either by slowly crouching down, getting low, 446 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:26,320 Speaker 1: or slowly moving to behind cover or letting the animal pass. 447 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 1: It's always good to just keep an eye out for 448 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 1: where's that animal's eye, And if you can't see their 449 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:35,679 Speaker 1: eye or it's obstructed, they probably can't see you. Just 450 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:38,480 Speaker 1: keep in mind that most animals have a larger range 451 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: of peripheral vision than us, so just because their heads 452 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: away doesn't mean necessarily that they can't see you. So 453 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,640 Speaker 1: make sure that their eyes obstructed by something, and then 454 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: make a slow movement to get out of sight so 455 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: you can get into position. When you go to put 456 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:56,440 Speaker 1: an arrow on your bow. It should be a slow movement, 457 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: especially if they're maybe not looking at you, but maybe 458 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 1: they they saw something that was that was something that 459 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,120 Speaker 1: didn't look right. You can get away with a lot 460 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 1: by moving slow. I think a lot of people's initial 461 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,360 Speaker 1: reaction is just throw something on real quick, drop down, 462 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: real quick, do something real quick. Oh they're right there. 463 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: I need to move quick. If you have that quick mindset, 464 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:19,440 Speaker 1: quick mentality, you're doing it wrong. You're going to create 465 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 1: almost an attitude of panic for yourself because you're so 466 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 1: close to the animal, or you have to do something 467 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:27,320 Speaker 1: now and they're gonna catch that. They're gonna pick up 468 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:29,639 Speaker 1: on that, whereas before maybe they noticed you, but they 469 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,239 Speaker 1: weren't threatened by you. So everything I do at this 470 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,679 Speaker 1: point is very slow, very fluid, very methodical. But I 471 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:38,200 Speaker 1: also don't waste a lot of time. When you're hunting 472 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:42,200 Speaker 1: and cover, your opportunities for open clear shots are few 473 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,639 Speaker 1: and far between. Sometimes you just have to take a 474 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 1: shot when you get it. So I like to be ready, 475 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:50,879 Speaker 1: but also slow, fluid movements. Now with a rifle, the 476 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:53,080 Speaker 1: other thing is, you know, it's one of those where 477 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 1: you bring the rifle up slow. Don't throw the rifle up, 478 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 1: bring it up slow, do everything calm. If you think calm, 479 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:02,400 Speaker 1: you're gonna get usted fewer times than you do. If 480 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:04,359 Speaker 1: you think, oh, he's right there. I gotta go fast. 481 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 1: Slow and steady is much more effective than fast and rushed. 482 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: I really hope that you found some of that still 483 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,760 Speaker 1: hunting tactics effective. I really think that if you use 484 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:19,760 Speaker 1: a lot of those tactics, you're going to be more successful, 485 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 1: and over time it's not gonna be so much just 486 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: walking quiet through the woods, but you'll begin to understand 487 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: where animals are in that thicker cover, how to move, 488 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:34,000 Speaker 1: and how to just be consistent still hunting. Really, if 489 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,240 Speaker 1: I think about it, most of my hunts, most of 490 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:40,000 Speaker 1: my successful hunts, especially for new species, involves some form 491 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 1: of still hunting tactic throughout the day. So it's extremely 492 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,680 Speaker 1: important tactic to use, to practice and to get good 493 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: at because the guys that are really good at it 494 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:52,760 Speaker 1: are often successful more than other people that don't employ 495 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:55,800 Speaker 1: that tactic. Before we get out of here, I want 496 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 1: to read a couple emails that I got sent and 497 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 1: answer a question from someone. I think I'm gonna try 498 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: to add a couple of those every now and then 499 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 1: to the end of the podcast. So also before I forget, 500 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:09,120 Speaker 1: I wanted to announce the winners from the Christmas special. 501 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:11,159 Speaker 1: If you listen to our Christmas special. We had a 502 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: couple of sneaky giveaways, one for some Yetti products, another 503 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:18,440 Speaker 1: for some binoculars. I've actually contacted those winners a while back, 504 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 1: but just keep forgetting to announce them here. So I 505 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:22,600 Speaker 1: want to announce him that way. Everyone knows that if 506 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: you're listening to that episode now and then you catch 507 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:28,280 Speaker 1: up to this episode, it's too late for you to win. 508 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:30,919 Speaker 1: They've already been given away. So the V series cooler 509 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 1: was claimed by Adam Dancy. We did uh Rock paper scissors, 510 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,640 Speaker 1: if I remember it, he chose paper over. I might 511 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:42,920 Speaker 1: get this name pronounced wrong about Kone Simonte, but Keone 512 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: actually is getting something as well. I think Yettie cut 513 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 1: some Yetti drinkware. And then I also had the looking 514 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 1: Ahead Vortex photo contest. All this was through my Instagram page. 515 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:58,160 Speaker 1: Steve Smith won that his photo was of his kid 516 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,960 Speaker 1: with a red writer b begun looking Ahead talking about 517 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:04,080 Speaker 1: taking her out into the field. I thought that was 518 00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:07,400 Speaker 1: pretty sweet, cool concept for the Looking Ahead, So good 519 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: work everybody that applied. I really got to appreciate you 520 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:12,040 Speaker 1: guys taking the time to do that. It was fun 521 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:15,119 Speaker 1: for me to give that stuff away. So here I'm 522 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,919 Speaker 1: gonna read what we got We've got. I'm actually just 523 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:21,399 Speaker 1: gonna read it. Let's call it like a testimonial if 524 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:24,240 Speaker 1: we were selling a product. This is the testimonial for 525 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:28,359 Speaker 1: Cutting the Distance podcast. So this comes from Dustin Lynde. 526 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 1: He wrote, I first wanted to drop a quick note 527 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:35,240 Speaker 1: and thank you for doing Cutting the Distance podcast. Insights 528 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 1: you share are excellent and actionable. I had spent the 529 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:41,120 Speaker 1: last six hunting seasons coming up empty on my elk 530 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,640 Speaker 1: tags in Montana, with a lot of frustration and wasted energy. 531 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:47,120 Speaker 1: A good portion of this was bad luck, and even 532 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 1: bigger portion was my own stupidity, but each season ended 533 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,400 Speaker 1: with no elk in my freezer. I spend the entire 534 00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 1: spring and summer out of the state for work, so 535 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: scouting has been impossible for the last few years. But 536 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:01,040 Speaker 1: I was able to take in from your e scouting 537 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 1: podcast to find solid areas to glass. I took your 538 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,640 Speaker 1: advice by getting better optics and glass the hell out 539 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:09,360 Speaker 1: of those spots, and lo and behold found a herd 540 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:11,760 Speaker 1: of elk. My brother and I had both listened to 541 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:15,000 Speaker 1: your podcast where you advised to take the best route 542 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,520 Speaker 1: for stalking, not the easiest route, and after an ass 543 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:20,600 Speaker 1: kicker of a sprint of the backside of the mountain, 544 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: found ourselves in a pretty good spot to make shots. 545 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:26,240 Speaker 1: The timber was too thick to see much of anything, 546 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: so we took your advice from the shoes off situation, 547 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: ditched the boots and moved into the timber. We poked 548 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,120 Speaker 1: our head around some trees and spotted the herd thirty 549 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 1: yards away, where my brother touched off a shot and 550 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,720 Speaker 1: dropped an elk. In the ensuing mayhem, I was able 551 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: to single out a cow that stopped to look around 552 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: and dropped her at thirty yards, filling my special draw tag. 553 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,840 Speaker 1: This is a situation that I had blown dozens of 554 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: times in the previous seasons by doing stupid things that 555 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: spooked elk, But thanks to the info I got from 556 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,720 Speaker 1: your podcast, I was able to finally fill tags and 557 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:01,480 Speaker 1: close the deal. Thanks again for all the info, man. 558 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,200 Speaker 1: That's awesome. Now, if you haven't listened to some of 559 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 1: those podcasts you refer to a few of my favorite 560 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,479 Speaker 1: ones that I think have some of the best info, 561 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: and um I get a bunch of those emails, and 562 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 1: please continue to send those emails and you can always 563 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:17,960 Speaker 1: reach me at Remy at the meat eater dot com 564 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 1: or message me on social media on Instagram. I pretty 565 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,160 Speaker 1: much read almost all of them that I can try 566 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 1: to reply to as many as I can. I just 567 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 1: wanted to read one here, and maybe I'll read a 568 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:32,640 Speaker 1: couple more of you guys testimonials in the future. That's 569 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 1: the whole reason that I'm doing this podcast to read 570 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,520 Speaker 1: that makes me still sit down every week, strap on 571 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 1: the headphones and give you some of my secrets. I 572 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,880 Speaker 1: might be making an army of extremely skilled hunters, so 573 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 1: next time I go into the woods, I'm competing against 574 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 1: a lot of people that have a higher set of skills, 575 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:53,240 Speaker 1: so there's more competition for me. But reading these things 576 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 1: makes it worth it makes it worth the time, so 577 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: I really appreciate that. Also, if you do listen to 578 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 1: the podcast, you enjoy it, don't forget to subscribe. There's 579 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,680 Speaker 1: probably a lot of you that listen have to go 580 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:08,320 Speaker 1: in and find it every week. Hit the subscribe button. 581 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 1: It just makes it easier for you, and it just 582 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:13,760 Speaker 1: makes sure that you can get the info that we're 583 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,200 Speaker 1: putting out there. So just reminding everybody to subscribe if 584 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:20,240 Speaker 1: they don't already. Now I'm going to answer a question 585 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,560 Speaker 1: as well. This question comes from Adam Waddington of Australia. 586 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: He says, do you clean the copper fouling out of 587 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:29,600 Speaker 1: your barrel and have a possible p o I or 588 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:33,240 Speaker 1: point of impact for shift next time you shoot, or 589 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:35,200 Speaker 1: do you leave it fouled up and just keep it 590 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 1: dry and clean out any of the other stuff by 591 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:41,840 Speaker 1: running through dry patches. That's a really good question. So 592 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,240 Speaker 1: my personal philosophy with this, and I know if you 593 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:47,520 Speaker 1: talk to a lot of old timers, they're always they 594 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 1: shoot the gun, then they clean the gun. I've even 595 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 1: had people show up in our hunting camps and they 596 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,480 Speaker 1: shoot the rifle on the bench and then before we 597 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 1: go out hunting clean the rifle with solvents and everything. 598 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:00,560 Speaker 1: I don't do that. I would rather hunt with a 599 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:04,480 Speaker 1: dirty rifle. And here's why. I will clean the mechanisms 600 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 1: that are moving, say the bolt, the trigger, keep things loop, 601 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: make sure everything's moving right. But as far as the 602 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:13,840 Speaker 1: barrel goes, I clean it. But after I clean it, 603 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:16,200 Speaker 1: I always shoot it a couple of times because I 604 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,960 Speaker 1: don't want that point of impact changing from where it's 605 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:22,200 Speaker 1: sited on paper. Because of yeah, most of the time 606 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: after you clean through, you run copper solutions through, your 607 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:27,360 Speaker 1: point of impact is going to change the first shot 608 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:31,200 Speaker 1: or a couple of shots. So I personally don't clean 609 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: my gun very often. If I'm shooting a lot, I'll 610 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: clean my rifle afterwards, I'll take a few shots and 611 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:39,239 Speaker 1: then I'll put it away. What I will do is, 612 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:41,760 Speaker 1: like you mentioned, I will run one of those bore 613 00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:44,560 Speaker 1: snakes down there quite often. It's like one of those 614 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:47,360 Speaker 1: rope cleaners, just to brush it out, make sure that 615 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:49,640 Speaker 1: there's nothing in there that's gonna affect it. But I 616 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,120 Speaker 1: like to shoot and then make sure it's right where 617 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: I left it, and then put it away. And that's 618 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 1: just my personal way that I've done it forever. I've 619 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,680 Speaker 1: had no problems. Now if the gun is dirty enough 620 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: where it's affecting accuracy, like you're getting severe copper fouling, yeah, 621 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,560 Speaker 1: definitely clean the gun, then shoot it again to make 622 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: sure you've got the correct point of impact, and then 623 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: keep it that way for a while. Most of the 624 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:15,200 Speaker 1: time when you're hunting, you'ren't burning through that many rounds. 625 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:16,520 Speaker 1: So if I'm going to go to the range and 626 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 1: shoot a lot, like when I practice, I might shoot 627 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:23,240 Speaker 1: two to four boxes in a weekend, who knows, maybe 628 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,440 Speaker 1: even more. I'll clean it a lot during that just 629 00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:28,960 Speaker 1: so I don't build up extra fouling and other things. 630 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 1: But when I'm hunting, I don't do like a clean 631 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:34,080 Speaker 1: right before hunting, I like to know exactly where the 632 00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 1: point of impact is, so I hope that answers the question. 633 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 1: So thank you guys very much for listening in. I 634 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 1: appreciate everyone. Until next week, keep your rifle's dirty, alright, 635 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:45,880 Speaker 1: see you