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Thread: thick timber - how quiet are you?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    thick timber - how quiet are you?

    If you are too loud, they will up and move ahead of you. If you are too quiet, you might sneak in too close and they flush out like grouse and sprint away.
    I've always preferred as quiet as possible, as that allows me to hear movement better. But lately, i've bumped a couple of blacktails out of their beds at close range and had no shot opportunity as they sprint away.

    Curious to hear from those that prefer to NOT stay as quiet as possible. What is your tactic for hiking thick timber.

    Thanks!

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  3. #2
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    Re: thick timber - how quiet are you?

    quite as you can go slower and look more once you know your in the zone.

  4. #3
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    Re: thick timber - how quiet are you?

    Go noisy across the bottom then circle up and sneak back across
    you will be amazed at what you catch looking down

    It works

  5. #4
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    Re: thick timber - how quiet are you?

    Silent as can be unless I am calling. Natural noise is not the end of the world but human noise metal/plastic is bad.We all snap twigs but in my opinion even when a hunter tries to be silent you are only reaching average animal silent. Calling is a valuable tool most deer hunters neglect. It can help prevent bumping deer in my opinion

    Everyone who still hunts will bump game but if you’re too noisy you are now hunting alert game that is less likely to stick around for a shot. Mule deer you can get away with more because they have a habit of being more curious to what made a noise. WT often run first without judging if you’re a threat or not and blacktail are kinda in between and often sneak off before resorting to running. I would never intentionally be noisy but some deer are more forgiving

    This is my opinion but I do know a good MD hunter who swears by making a little noise because he believes it causes bucks to come try and figure out what he is. He is successful so he might be onto something.

  6. #5
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    Re: thick timber - how quiet are you?

    Dana has always advocated that making some noise is better, as trying to be too silent might make you seem like an obvious predator .... that's why i'm curious to hear from those who adopt that tactic successfully to get more tips from them.

  7. #6
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    Sep 2015
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    Re: thick timber - how quiet are you?

    For elk,
    I don't worry about noise too much in thick timber. I do worry about the size of sticks that I brake as I don't want them thinking there is a big bear cruising in their area. If I brake something noisy I definitely will pause and take a breather.
    When I have been scouting and cutting trail, I have had elk come in to check me out.
    My friend who was a timber cruiser always had elk come in when he was cruising.

    For deer, I haven't focused on them too much. In my opinion, if you are looking for deer in the thick timber, you better know where their beds area. For example, I saw a WT buck last fall and had a good idea where he was moving. I went in to see if I can learn more about his bedding area for a future ambush and I bumped him. I was moving slow and not making a bunch of noise. For the first 40 yds down the slope he did not bump. Wasn't until I got to the bench that he bumped. That tells me he was ok with my sound until he visually saw me. I did not see him until the tail was flagging. Probably another 25-30 yds from me when he bolted. So again, I don't think I'd still hunt deer in thick timber unless I had cams and I knew the movement times and approx bed locations.

  8. #7
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    Re: thick timber - how quiet are you?

    Even when we are quiet I suspect we still are noisy. I go as quiet as possible but don’t sweat it to much when I step on a branch. One thing I do and I don’t know if it does any thing is I wear a full face balaclava. I quite often have state downs with does and bucks.

  9. #8
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    Re: thick timber - how quiet are you?

    This is a good topic !
    Arctic Lake
    Member of CCFR Would encourage you all to join today !
    Read Teddy Roosevelt “ The Man In The Arena “ !

  10. #9
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    Re: thick timber - how quiet are you?

    "If you ever go into the bush, there are grizzly bears lurking behind just about every bush, waiting to pounce, so you need a powerful gun, with huge bullets" - Gatehouse ~ 2004

  11. #10
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    Re: thick timber - how quiet are you?

    Quote Originally Posted by twoSevenO View Post
    Dana has always advocated that making some noise is better, as trying to be too silent might make you seem like an obvious predator .... that's why i'm curious to hear from those who adopt that tactic successfully to get more tips from them.
    with the bull I killed in October, I came out of the timber to a bench where I then intended to setup. As I worked towards the bench I was on the left side of the decommissioned road and the bull came out of the timber on the same side of the road. He saw movement from me and hung up. I sat down and thought about being quiet knowing it would like scare him, just like twoseven0 alluded to. Would probably get scared with the lack of movement and the silence.
    I aimed my bugle tube the other way and let one rip. He walked in broadside at ~15yds. Maybe even closer (was just across the old logging road).

    I don't think he would've come in if I stayed quiet and sat there. So me thinks the noise needs to make sense to the ungulate.

    If you wanted to go over the top, slowly cruise the timber, avoid the loud breaks and pull leaves off brush like you're a deer feeding...hahahaha.

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