Hunting Tips & Tricks

[Bushman]

I think it's obvious to anyone that has spent a little time on this site that 'Hunting BC' has in its current membership some of the most knowledgeable and talented big game, small game and bird hunters in British Columbia today.

I believe I'd also be reasonably safe to say that all that knowledge and talent that the majority of seasoned hunters have accumulated over the years did not come easy or cheap.

In other words, you most probably either learned your hunting skills and woods lore from hard-earned experience or you had the helping hand of a woods wise mentor.

If you could offer up a valuable hunting tip or trick to help a new hunter (or perhaps an inexperienced fellow hunter) get started on the right trail, what would you tell them?

I'll start the ball rolling here with a valuable tip I learned many years ago from old hunters and trappers that took me under their wings.

One of the keenest senses a wild animal has is its ability to smell. When humans perspire we give off a chemical called butyric acid. This acidic component of body odor is what makes humans so easy to detect when we are downwind of a wild animal.

To give a human hunter the upper hand in the wilds, my old mentors would do the following upon setting up camp in any particular hunting area:
1. Gather a good variety of tree leaves, needles, grasses, twigs and a handful of dirt.
2. Fill up a large old pot with fresh lake or creek water, add the above ingredients and bring it to a boil.
3. Once it was cooled down, they would add a small box of baking soda to the mixture and throw in the clothes they intended to hunt in.
4. After soaking their hunting clothes for an hour or so, they would then take them out and hang them on a line to drip dry.
5. These clothes smelled like the land with the added benefit of baking soda to kill the human odor.

This little tip always seemed to give the old hunters I knew that added edge of being able to get close to game in the wilds without being detected first.;)


Good Huntin'
Bushman

[chevy]

I just find some deer or elk piss when im hunting roll around in it and wham good days hunt lol

[todbartell]

a "trick" I have been taught is to have your rifle properly tuned in. when its hitting right good, and you KNOW where it hits at longer ranges, it builds alot of confidence. when you get presented with a shot, you know you're going to make it 8-)

so I would suggest anybody who has ANY speculation about their rifles performance, have it checked out, and fixed, and get that possible problem out of the way before it could ruin your hunt :D

[Barracuda]

I dont know if its a trick but i always believe that you should appreciate your animal, understand your animal and choose your animal. It make the whole experience far more enjoyable whether or not you decide to take an animal.

[frenchbar]

Right on tod, shoot your gun a lot ,shoot it at different distance,s know exactlly where your bullet will hit your target at short range or long range and shoot it a bit just before you head outon your hunts.

[Phil]

I like to go commando, it hieghtens my senses and causes me to walk real slow to prevent chaffing. :lol:

But seriously....I find that it is best to walk like your not trying to get anywhere quick. Walk really slow and max five steps in a row before you look the entire scene over and over as new lines of sight open up.

[Derek_Erickson]

I'm with phil....Deer walk all of three steps and stop and look always constantly on the ball

[huntwriter]

My personal tip would be to scout and learn as much about your favourite game species as you can trough observation. Scouting is the most important part of hunting success.

Another tip would be; Don’t walk if you can drive and don’t drive if you can use your binoculars.

[todbartell]

Another tip would be; Don’t walk if you can drive

:lol: quad hunters of BC member? :lol:

[mntman]

always carry baby wipes, cheap way to clean ur hands etc.

[browningboy]

always carry baby wipes, cheap way to clean ur hands etc.
Add diapers as well in case you shit your pants!:lol:

Another trick for when walking in noiser terrain, put some socks over your boots, it actually helps dampen the sound of walking.

[pmj]

I carry a deer shed on a shoe string around my belt and also a "deer stopper" fawn bleet handy in a easy access pocket. I walk through the woods pretending I am a deer. I take a few soft, quiet steps, stop look around. After a few sets of these or if I break a branch, I will rub the rack on a branch or blow a gentle fawn bleet. I have walked up on a buck and he blew his nose on me. I hit the dirt before he saw me and heard him stomping off. Rubbed the shed on a tree, blew the fawn bleet had a doe start towards me. Heard the buck circle and come back. He would not step out from the brush. Just about got him!

[pmj]

I always carry a small, good quality compass with glow in the dark markings around my neck. I always set my direction before I leave the road or truck. I have learned to trust the compass, always gets me back even if my mind says something different. A good spot it got me out was in the Princeton area standing 50 yards from a clear cut in some pecker pole pine. Every direction I looked was identical8) , the compass was the only way to know which way was out.

[Mattimoose]

The first lesson I taught my niece and nephew when hunting here in Ontario is to never, ever pick-up Canadian Tire money you see in the bush. This has likely been used to wipe someone's arse when they forgot to bring toilet-paper hunting with them. My dear departed native friend, George Wapache shot his first goose in Washkagenish Quebec with a single-shot .410. His grandfather said, "If 2 Geese come, shoot the big-one first. The little one will fly away and come back. If you shoot the little one, the big-one will fly Away and never come back." His grampa left-him alone for a while and he did exactly as he was told, and shot the big one first. The little-one came back, and then he had 2.

[Mattimoose]

The first lesson I taught my niece and nephew when hunting here in Ontario is to never, ever pick-up Canadian Tire money you see in the bush. This has likely been used to wipe someone's arse when they forgot to bring toilet-paper hunting with them. My dear departed native friend, George Wapache shot his first goose in Washkagenish Quebec with a single-shot .410. His grandfather said, "If 2 Geese come, shoot the big-one first. The little one will fly away and come back. If you shoot the little one, the big-one will fly Away and never come back." His grampa left-him alone for a while and he did exactly as he was told, and shot the big one first. The little-one came back, and then he had 2.

I forgot to mention George shot his first goose at 4!

[johnes50]

I think odor control is a good idea, but tough to control. After 2-3 days in the bush we all smell pretty ripe.

I agree with Tod and Frenchbar. Know your gun and practice shooting at different distances and freehand. I always try to use a rest, but sometimes when your huffing and puffing and you see a buck you may not have a rest handy. It's a pain when your breathing heavy and your scope is doing figure eights all over a nice buck and he's walking into the timber and there's no place to rest your gun. I just bought a little collapsable walking stick/gun rest just because of that.

I good pair of lightweight compact binoculars comes in handy too. I have three pairs of standard binos, but they are a pain to carry if your walking a lot. But my 15x70 astronomical binos really give a good field of view.:grin: I'll be getting a nice compact pair for this spring that I can stick in my pocket.

When I hunt by myself, I almost always still hunt when I'm in an area with lots of sign. Not sitting and waiting, but very slow foot placement and lots of looking, especially if I'm on a trail or an old overgrown logging road. I always stop and listen and look for movement, before I walk another few steps. This year I bought some soft camo to blend in more with the bush and I always try to break up my profile by using bushes and trees when I stop. It's hard to hide the pot belly though. I've been thinking of putting felt soles on the bottom of my boots to keep the sound of crunching stones and breaking twigs down. I've shot two deer within 50 feet by hunting this way. Your usually not out of breath either. It's sort of like bowhunting.

Something else I've started to do, is take a Gps and mark sign, rubs, trails, etc. so I can mark it on my map for later. Otherwise, I forget exactly where was that spot I saw all the deer sign three months ago?

I think the key is to just get out in the bush a lot and explore and scout. Even areas that don't look good from a logging road might suprise you if you get out and walk the old trails. John

[Mr. Dean]

Scout....Scout....Scout. Don't be afraid to work up a sweat, looking for sign.
Find the sign and pound the ground. Learn the area.
When you do find animals, they'll teach you what you need to learn.
Learn to enjoy this experience and grow from it.

Most importantly - DON'T SLEEP IN!

[frenchbar]

Another thing to think about before you head out on a day trip into the mountains is be prepared to spend the night,the weather ,storms and such can be very unforgiving,i always pack a couple extra lighters ,some food , bottle of water,a bit of news paper ,ya never know ive been caugt in some in some pretty ugly storms over the yrs,also make sure you are dressed for those occasions.

[TPK]

always carry baby wipes, cheap way to clean ur hands etc.

I was laughed at pretty hard the first year I showed up at our hunting camp with baby wipes. By day three the guys were borrowing them for their morning trek to the outhouse. These following years have seen them bringing their own. I figure someone can make a shitload (pun intended) of money if they made and marketed a more manly version, they could even be the same thing, just not called baby wipes, as long they came in a cammo box. Oh, and don't use the scented ones.

[Derek_Erickson]

Man Duty Wipes.........For all your Man moments

[Bushman]

Looks like we're getting a good assortment of tips and tricks from hunters with lots of experience. Please keep them coming.:lol:

Here's a couple more useful tips to add to the already great collection:

Sleeping in comfort in the outdoors

Nothing can ruin a hunting, fishing or camping trip in the bush faster than being cold, damp and miserable.
Remembering that winds usually blow upslope (updrafts) during the day and downslope (downdrafts) towards evening and into the night, it always best to pitch your tent (or sleeping bag) with its entrance facing slightly downhill. You should also refrain from making camp in an open meadow or other low-lying area.
Moisture is created when cold, dense air settles in these lower areas. It's always better to camp in a slightly higher area with trees that provide good cover.
Lastly, always be sure your warm body is insulated from the cold ground by using a good foam mattress.

Two handy things to pack when you're in the field

Whenever you head out into the woods, two items that have multiple uses and you should carry are a 20-foot length length of nylon parachute cord and a strong plastic bag.
The parachute cord can be used to help construct an emergency shelter, when dragging out game, an emergency rifle sling, and generally be used to tie off and secure all manner of things.
A strong poly garbage bag can be used to cover expensive cameras, binoculars, or an emergency rain jacket should an unexpected downpour occur. A large Zip-Lok bag can also be used to carry out fish or the liver and heart of game.

Good Huntin'
Bushman

[longbowbc]

My father-inlaw told me this one when he used to hunt elk in the Kootneys. He would get a bunch of small rock from a creek bed, put them in a pot on the stove and leave them there all day. At night after a days hunt take the rocks and put them in your damp boots. The dry rocks will draw all the moisture out of boots plus be toasty warm in the morning. I have never done this but is good to know.

[Jager]

Get a good knife and read or search the net for the proper way to field dress an animal. Pulling the trigger is the easy part, it's what you do after the animal is down that a lot of new hunters overlook.

[elkster]

From my old hunting partner "dead eye". In the bush you have to be very very quiet. You step down on the outside of your heel and roll your weight slowly onto the outside of the ball of your foot. Watch where you place your feet before putting weight on them, and stop every 5 steps or so and look and listen. Of course this is meant to be in an area where you are stalking, sneaking into, otherwise you would only cover about a 1/2 mile in an morning.8-)

[Frango]

Easy way to build a fire.Take an empty beer or pop can, cut the top off and fill it with gas.Put said can in a fire pit and build some firewood around the can.Light the gas in the beer can and instant long burning fire.When I first saw this years ago I said never use gas to start a fire,but I was wrong.It does not explode just burns,and lights even wet wood.

[bruin]

To keep a warm sleeping bag palce a medium sized stone in the fire and remove before bed. Stuff it in your sleeping bag before you crawl in and enjoy.
You can make long burning fire starters from melting tree sap around a pice of bark or a wick. melt them into cardboard egg cartons.
Use dental flauce to tie the mouth of a dead animal closed for a cleaner adn more presentable trophy picture.

[elkguide]

a few good tips given to me....always pay attention to the wind direction....stop if you crack a branch....use the heaviest cover as possible when moving.

A few things I always have in my pack... wipes,candle ( great for starting fire), thin rubber bands ( for keeping a dead animals mouth closed for pics..although i always forget I have em), a 1ftx1ft piece of high desity foam ( best fire starter in the world in my opinion), 1/2 dozen foot warmers ( great for warming the sleeping bag), and the local newspaper for stuffing in my boots at the end of the day ( best boot drying method I've used to date), salt for rehydration, 4 bags of pwdered gator-aid, tin foil, and last but not least.......chocolate or candies.

[Mr. Dean]

the local newspaper for stuffing in my boots at the end of the day
I'd have to agree with this.

[pmj]

I always carry a whistle around my neck on a shoe lace. It is good for locating your buddy if they need a hand with an animal or if you get lost. The high pitch of the whistle carries better through the woods and you won't get tired from shouting. I used my whistle to guide my brother out of a swamp when he got turned around. We had radios and he also had a compass but he still needed the whistle to know which way to head back. You also have the spare shoe lace if yours break.

[hitch]

For long backpacking hunts, I never leave without a pair of "teva's" strapped to the outside of my pack (on the back bottom side provides a bit of a bumper for your load, if the sole's are facing out). Used for camp shoes and creek crossings.:smile:
Mitch

[30-06]

iv heard that by taking a few steps ..then stopping ..wait a minute or 2.then take a few more steps actually simulated a deer feeding so when deer or other animals hear that they just think.its another deer feeding...it was one of the hunting tips on Cabelas Outdoor Adventures lol

[BigD]

Learn how to "look", even when you are just walking around in the bush, or even when fishing close to shore, or driving with friends around out of season, watch the bush and not the yellow line. If you are actively looking instead of just staring it makes a hell of a big difference. Practice looking for particular colours in the bush and after awhile your eyes get trained to search, do it all the time and after a while its first, not second nature. Most important element of hunting, seeing something before it sees you, and then bamm.

[newhunterette]

taking dirt to rub on a critters eyes makes sure you don't get redeye or any glare in your pics

Ali