Walking on game trails?

[rollingrock]

Now that the fall season is right ahead, how many of you guys will actually go find a game trail and follow it through? I know a lot of you guys prefer stopping the truck and glassing the slash to find your target. But many times you'll have to get into the bush behind the slash to find a deer trail to decide if this spot would be productive or just move on. But when you stalk in thick bush, how do you minimize the noise? I always watch for the wind and walk as slow and quiet as possible, stop, look around and move another couple of step. But it's hard not to step on twigs or broken branches. So any tips from you guys?

[Jelvis]

Rockin and Rolling; I love gettin out in the forest, I hate road hunting, except for moose.cause I dragged two moose out of the bush, and now it's as close to the road as possible for Bullwinkle. The spots i hunt are mule deer spots, in the Reg 3, and believe me deer trails, how about deer, lots. Hunt buddy system when you can, one guy walks thru thick stuff lower down the other guy walks same direction 100 ft higher up. Or one guy walks in on a trail his partner follows 20 minutes behind. Deers no. 1 defence, is standing perfectly still letting you walk by without being seen.Early season hunting is challenging where light boots, narrow. You don't need thick socks so shorter boot too. When ever possible step over logs or branches not on them. The wind swirls so take a general direction, walk slow or walk with some one else the deer think its a four footed animal. Get into places where you can look around and down too. Anyway thats enough on your plate for now. P.S. You will find trails where deer come into something, a more concentrated spot, a marsh, a pond watering spot especially. Trail type (1) cross over (2) escape (3) migration (4) feeding (5) bedding (6) watering etc. (7) breeding and fighting spots. Anyway, lots of guys on this site, that know lots of good stuff can help you. good scoutin, good hiking, good hunting.

[brotherjack]

I hike game trails in likely areas (near water, food, or cover - watching the land formations for draw areas) (careful about my scent) till I find a spot with exceptional amounts of sign. Then I setup in some kind of concealment, and watch the area for a few days. More often than not, I get a critter out of the deal. Sometimes I don't, and then I move on to another good spot.

Of course, I've got a few really good spots I've found already using this method, which I also will go back to each year and try for a few days.

I rarely see criters when hiking - but I see tons of them once I setup nice and still and wait an hour or two. I read book once by a guy who had this saying: "The hiking hunter, gathers no meat." The more I hunt, the more I agree with it. :)

[rollingrock]

:lol: Now info is coming in. Good teaching guys! Hey I came across a good spot with all types of deer tracks everywhere, much like what Jelvis said. I finally was able to find one going all the way up. So I was struggling between the ideas of following the trail up and staying down still for a couple of hours. You actually can smell their scent, so strong that after you sit on one of the tracks for 15 minutes you don't need to buy any deer scent from a hunting store. Now I decide to take two guns with me this fall, one rifle one 12 ga loaded with 000buckshots. Oh man!:lol:

[PGKris]

Well one piece of info I learned last year was that deer don't like it when you stop. If you stop and don't move for an extended period of time, they don't know where you are and they get skittish. I found that as long as I kept moving I spooked less deer (and moose).

[huntwriter]

There are only two reasons when I walk on a deer trail.

1. When I scout a new area I never hunted before to see where the trail leads to or where it comes from. I do that well ahead of the hunting season.

2. When I snow tracka deer with my bow or muzzleloader.

All other time I avoid walking on deer trails. However, if I lay down a scent trail I cross as many active deer trails as possible in a big figure of 8 with the narrow part of the figure being my stand location.

[Jager]

If you're stalking into a spot and you step on a twig or roll a rock down a hill you will alert other critters in the area....it is inevitable. Try a deer call like a fawn bleat (something unassuming) every time you make a noise and just carry on your way. I find it amazing how much noise a deer can actually make when it doesn't feel threatened and just goes about its daily routine. I watched a cougar stalk my hunting partner once and I'm sure it was by sound only. After the incident we came to the conclusion that my partners "step, step, pause" approach over the rock bluffs we were hunting must have sounded pretty close to the movement of a browsing deer....it fooled the cougar so it should work on a game trail.

Think like a deer, move like a deer, BE THE DEER!

[CNE]

I like to set up on high gound in areas like large burns and alpine basins etc. I use spot and stalk methods for mule deer, and spend hours glassing and observing an area before i even step foot in it. This takes alot of patience but pays off big in the end. If I find an area or game trail that is being used I will set up a safe distance away if possible, sometimes 100 yards away, on a knoll or high spot so I can see my surroundings. I have watched people push deer all over the place while I am glassing and never get a chance at them. These tactics work well any time in the season. I watch bachelor groups in the early season and watch where the does move in the rut. The biggest thing I had to learn doing this was PATIENCE. If you just go right in and jump them you might get a quick shot, if you miss, you may never see him again. People aren't kidding when they use the phrase," He didn't get that big by being stupid".

[Jelvis]

I've seen a game trail, mule deer. In one foot of snow coming down from higher up on Boulder Mtn. that was 1 ft. deep and over a foot wide right to the ground. The deer were jumping off the trail as we made ourselves down just before dark. Deep snow pushed em down. I've never seen anything like it. But thats not early like when the leaves are crispy thick blocking out vision. Another thing if you have a backpack the branches whistle off them like noisey. The secret is see the deer before he sees you.

[bc_archer]

As far as breaking branches goes, try wearing moccasins or thick wool socks. You will feel everything underfoot and will soon learn to pull your weight off your foot before it's too late.

[huntwriter]

As far as breaking branches goes, try wearing moccasins or thick wool socks. You will feel everything underfoot and will soon learn to pull your weight off your foot before it's too late.

Depending at the time of year I stalk with a light boot that lets me feel what's under my foot. In the cold weather I wear "bears feet" over by boots which gratly muffels any sound.

I also carry a gunt call with me in case I do make a sound. In areas where there are turkeys a turkey call works wonders too to relax deer. As these birds are quit noisy.

[Walksalot]

If it's whitetail I am hunting then give me a tree stand but if it's mule deer then I prefer to stalk.
The way to minmize sound is to walk as softly as you can. In the early fall or dry conditions this can be very slow for one has to place every footstep with more caution than in damp conditions.
I don't usually follow game trails as I am usually on a compass bearing.

[CanuckShooter]

Well one piece of info I learned last year was that deer don't like it when you stop. If you stop and don't move for an extended period of time, they don't know where you are and they get skittish. I found that as long as I kept moving I spooked less deer (and moose).

IF you do stop don't forget to crouch down or sit down to fawn height, you would be amazed how many more deer you will see when you see things from their perspective...and another tip...buy yourself one of those little bottles with the talcum powder in it..a little squeeze will tell you the wind or thermal direction in a hurry.