Stalking BlackTail vs. Tree Stand

[Speratus]

For the new BowHunter, things can add up quickly with regards to equipment (in addition to your bow - Range Finder, Tree Stand, etc..) and apparel (BaseLayers, Mid Layers, RainGear). From what I can tell, most BowHunters Tree Stand Hunt. A lot also use RangeFinders.

I do not have a tree stand or a range finder. Dont have an extra $400 to spend. I'm already going as cheap as I can on clothing. I wont skimp on the Scent Control tho.

What about stalking? I've heard a lot of Trad guys will stalk to within 10-15yards and that it is totally possible to do. Although I haven't tried it, I'd like to hear thoughts, tips and advice in making this possible. Especially with regards to BlackTail or MuleDeer as their behaviour is diff from WhiteTail.

Cheers!

[Ron.C]

1. Stay downwind.
2. Slow down. Stillhunting/stalking deer is a game of patience.
3. Use the terrian features to your advantage and to the preys disadvantage.
4. Wear footwear that allows you to feel what is underneath your feet. Don't need to be expensive. When stillhunting deer, I have a cheap pair of soft sole boots that are very quiet and let me move silently. My favourite still hunting clothing is still cheap camo fleece I bought at Walmart years ago.
5. Eliminate any source of noise made by your gear/clothing. The "tic" of an arrow falling off a rest at 15 yards might be all it takes to send an unalerted deer into a dead run.
6. Hunt where others do not. For Blacktail, this usually means thick areas, steep country. Neither need to be miles into the backcountry, but something that makes it unapealing to the masses. In my experience, you can get away with more in these areas then those frequented by other hunters/hikers etc

[G.A.]

actualy i dont know any bow guys that tree hunt myself...yes alot do just non i know. not many have the pacience to sit for hour like that, i have a small portable ground blind and took it last hike, set it up and put away and stayed packed rest of trip.
rangefinder wasa tough call for me. see so many bad review of affordable ones. and some saying how great the angl compensation helps or is needd for bow guys. well i took the dive and bought a nikkon finder and to me th angle thing is over rated, sure its good if your way up a tre and shooting down at a steep angle, but so far wih my practice or playin with it, i havent seen enough of a diff for the more cost...ya nice to have but if it comes down to cost over that feature id pass. also see alot say no good for dark times or low light. mines been fine for low light.. i cant read right when darker but it also to dark to be shooting., worked fine for legit shooting light. fogging up in rain i see alot claim for some cheeper finder...just put it under your jacket, been in pouring rain with mine and no fog up
another one is the range finders may help in a tree or tand but in the field walking its hard to et it to your face to range and deal with the bow and clipping your knock and getting ready for a shot before it spots us and runs. so far scouting my bear ive played with checking deer and other game and not often i see one ive had time to range yet, but i dont sit in a tree all day either. i do use it to pre range an area i may sit in for a while. range a stump or landmarks and remember those locations and distances so i dont have to when i get a shit later...paid 200 inc tax and shipping for my nikkon archers choice finder from ebay
as for the stalking...just practice during the off season. pay attention where you step and take your time. walk a few steps and top and look and listen, then a few more..and so on...checking winds the whole time.
for me i went cheep on my gear as my income is limited, now ive done last fall end of season bow for deer and the spring for bear. now i know what is junk or what i need that may help. we all hunt different so maybe dont mortgage the home yet till you get out and see what suites your needs first.

[Speratus]

Thanks for the tips guys! G.A. I'm back in town and will text you this week. We can set some scouting up for the coming weeks!

Will hold off on Range finder for now. Just itching to get out there! It'd be an awesome first year if I take home a buck this fall!

[J_T]

If you want to see deer, walk in the forest and still hunt. If you want to kill deer, get a tree stand.

I don't know where the $400 comes from. If you have a tree stand ($130), you have a controlled situation, mark off your shot points/distance from the tree stand when you set it up. You don't need fancy camo clothing, some good plaid wool from a thrift/VV will work great.

I've stalked to very close range on many animals (bedded less than 10 yards), yet I still don't get the shot, because of the body position. If you are still hunting in undulating terrain there is a lot more going on with the wind that you realize.

Get a tree stand, it IS the one tool you do need.

[Speratus]

$400 was tree stand and range finder combined. Any Tree stand brands you'd recommend?

[TheProvider]

Tree standing hunting and still hunting can both be successful ways too hunt. Both have pros and cons.

[Speratus]

Also will TreeStand work with Black Tail? Ive been told that their behaviour is different from WhiteTail and less predictable?

[Ron.C]

Also will TreeStand work with Black Tail? Ive been told that their behaviour is different from WhiteTail and less predictable?

Absolutley, especially in the fringe/ farmland areas. Blacktail that reside in these areas are a different animal then their mtn dwelling brothers.

[E.V.B.H.]

Forget the scent control clothing it's a marketing gimmick, play the wind and always carry some indicator, I got my metal tree stand on sale at Canadian tire for $80 and every tree stand comes with a harness. They are even cheaper to build in the tree. Buy a range finder if you shoot a compound, you need it, you don't need an expensive one for bow hunting. $150 should be enough for a basic one. Look for a used one on eBay, they don't wear out, it will be just as good as new. I have found nikons online for as low as $100 brand new.

G.A., sitting In a stand for an hour? More like 5-10. Two years ago I sat in my elk stand for 19 hours over two days. Last year I sat for 4 and got my 6x6 at twenty yards.

[G.A.]

Forget the scent control clothing it's a marketing gimmick, play the wind and always carry some indicator, I got my metal tree stand on sale at Canadian tire for $80 and every tree stand comes with a harness. They are even cheaper to build in the tree. Buy a range finder if you shoot a compound, you need it, you don't need an expensive one for bow hunting. $150 should be enough for a basic one. Look for a used one on eBay, they don't wear out, it will be just as good as new. I have found nikons online for as low as $100 brand new.

G.A., sitting In a stand for an hour? More like 5-10. Two years ago I sat in my elk stand for 19 hours over two days. Last year I sat for 4 and got my 6x6 at twenty yards.

was suposed to say hours..not just 1 hour.

[ruger#1]

Absolutley, especially in the fringe/ farmland areas. Blacktail that reside in these areas are a different animal then their mtn dwelling brothers. Mountain dwelling black tails will have lots of tree rubs and packed down trails in November. Find a tree that has been rubbed or a heavily used trail. Put your stand in that area. Use a doe bleat or a rattle bag. Some times they come running to you like a rocket. Added bonus. No mosquito's in November and you have cooler weather.

[G.A.]

Thanks for the tips guys! G.A. I'm back in town and will text you this week. We can set some scouting up for the coming weeks!

Will hold off on Range finder for now. Just itching to get out there! It'd be an awesome first year if I take home a buck this fall!

no problem, whenever you have time we can go for a hike. can check the range finder i have and try it out.
i wouldnt say blackies are less predictable..id say more spooky though...to mulies, never went after whites yet. dont think we have them down here...or many of them
and id agree with the other, the scent controll is over rated, they still smell our breath, just dont wash cloths in nice smelly laundry soaps. and no colognes on hunts...lol, and once in rut season its a bit easier as they are distracted on the girls...ive found is anyways

[604redneck]

I wear fleece camo sometimes but usually end up in sweats and a hoodie or shorts and a tee early season i invested into a vortex ranger 1000 rangefinder and am very happy with it. I like to cover lots of ground early season and pre rut thru to the seasons end i usually hunt out of my stand

[IronNoggin]

Tree standing hunting and still hunting can both be successful ways too hunt. Both have pros and cons.

aYup! I use natural ground blinds a LOT as well. Each have pro's and con's but tree stands are DEADLY!

That said, I took this ol' Retrograde buck last year from less than 30 yards while still hunting:

http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Ironnoggin/Retrograde_1.jpg

Cheers,
Nog

[slayer B]

If you want to stalk blacktails get out in a light rain. It will cover your scent and sound. And the deer seem to move out into the open a bit more. And like has been said before go slooooow. When you think you are going slow enough, slow down more. Take a step, look around with your binoculars and look hard before your next step. The adrenaline rush from stalking and getting your deer will make all the hard work worth while. Also scout out an area or two so you know where the deer are and you'll be eating venison in no time!

[Ambush]

For a compound bow hunter a range finder is a must, more important than clothing for sure. And if you hunt steep areas, the angle indicator can be critical.

A deer, across a small ravine, will look like a very different distance than one standing on level ground with no obstacles between you. A far as price goes: cheap "bowhunter" RF's have a wider beam [cheaper to manufacture] so they pick up mist, fog and small foliage much more than a long range model. If you are going to be hunting wet weather, buy a long range rifle/bow combo unit.
It's a horrible feeling when your buddy has his bow at fall draw and he's hissing " how far, how far!?!?" and you can't get a range on a down hill stone ram that's walking out of your life.

As mentioned, if you hunt tree stands, then you can "pre-measure" features in your shooting lanes. But sooner or later, a big buck, bull or bear will make you wish that you were properly equipped.

And tree stands are great for killing animals. I believe you have to know you prey and terrain better in order to be successful. Each style has it's own skill sets and hunters that are consistently successful with their chosen method are the ones that pay attention and use the lessons they get each time out. Almost anybody can just luck out and shoot game sometimes, but it pays to have more than luck on your side.

[jmo]

For a compound bow hunter a range finder is a must, more important than clothing for sure. And if you hunt steep areas, the angle indicator can be critical.

A deer, across a small ravine, will look like a very different distance than one standing on level ground with no obstacles between you. A far as price goes: cheap "bowhunter" RF's have a wider beam [cheaper to manufacture] so they pick up mist, fog and small foliage much more than a long range model. If you are going to be hunting wet weather, buy a long range rifle/bow combo unit.
It's a horrible feeling when your buddy has his bow at fall draw and he's hissing " how far, how far!?!?" and you can't get a range on a down hill stone ram that's walking out of your life.

As mentioned, if you hunt tree stands, then you can "pre-measure" features in your shooting lanes. But sooner or later, a big buck, bull or bear will make you wish that you were properly equipped.

And tree stands are great for killing animals. I believe you have to know you prey and terrain better in order to be successful. Each style has it's own skill sets and hunters that are consistently successful with their chosen method are the ones that pay attention and use the lessons they get each time out. Almost anybody can just luck out and shoot game sometimes, but it pays to have more than luck on your side.

I too know that sheep your talking about! How come you were not at the fathers day shoot?

[Ambush]

I too know that sheep your talking about! How come you were not at the fathers day shoot?

Still too busy picking out Devil's Club from real hunting. :mrgreen: :-D

Yes you know that ram, but I'll bet it doesn't hurt as much now, does it?

[G.A.]

ive been told dont buy long range for bow as it makes way to hard to focus or see the object. has a real small field of view.

[jmo]

No it doesnt. Any luck? shoot was fun.
Still too busy picking out Devil's Club from real hunting. :mrgreen: :-D

Yes you know that ram, but I'll bet it doesn't hurt as much now, does it?

[The Hermit]

Tree Stand = Killing Machine! for those of us with short attention spans, take your iPhone loaded up with a couple games, in silent mode... play game for two minutes watch and listen for five minutes. On a number of occassions I've been quietly focused on my phone and glance up to see a deer walking into the killing zone.

[quadrakid]

When its raining and blowing i,m on the ground,when its quiet and crunchy i,m in my treestand.

[Ambush]

ive been told dont buy long range for bow as it makes way to hard to focus or see the object. has a real small field of view.

You've been told wrong. The Nikon rifle/bow RF is an very good choice. Other good models out there to. Pick your features and your price, but going cheap usually costs you more in the end.

[1980skywalker]

Doesn't even have to be a tree stand, a natural ground blind, especially if its elevated can be all you need and its free. Sitting in one spot sucks and is a true test of patience but as others have said it works, you will kill deer. I second the games on the phone idea, its a great way to distract yourself and stay quiet, make sure you are comfortable and sit down and get ready for action.

[kyleklassen]

lets see the pics from these blacktail "killing machines"....must be some cranker bucks.

[Ambush]

lets see the pics from these blacktail "killing machines"....must be some cranker bucks.

You're not allowed to post on any threads newer than 2006! :mrgreen:

[G.A.]

You've been told wrong. The Nikon rifle/bow RF is an very good choice. Other good models out there to. Pick your features and your price, but going cheap usually costs you more in the end.

not only told by many bit ive seen it trying them before i bought. its logical to me to have long distance but less field of view, thats how lenses and cams work.

[Ron.C]

lets see the pics from these blacktail "killing machines"....must be some cranker bucks.

my best Treestand Blacktail

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/DSCF3105.JPG

[proguide66]

For the new BowHunter, things can add up quickly with regards to equipment (in addition to your bow - Range Finder, Tree Stand, etc..) and apparel (BaseLayers, Mid Layers, RainGear). From what I can tell, most BowHunters Tree Stand Hunt. A lot also use RangeFinders.

I do not have a tree stand or a range finder. Dont have an extra $400 to spend. I'm already going as cheap as I can on clothing. I wont skimp on the Scent Control tho.

What about stalking? I've heard a lot of Trad guys will stalk to within 10-15yards and that it is totally possible to do. Although I haven't tried it, I'd like to hear thoughts, tips and advice in making this possible. Especially with regards to BlackTail or MuleDeer as their behaviour is diff from WhiteTail.

Cheers!
Getting any blacktial buck can be quite easy if its a 'waiting game' you are after. If you are hunting farm fields even easier. 'Tree stand' ? why? find entry/exit trails to feeding zones, record which way the thermals go and at what time , sit on the correct side of trail , done deal. Now if its a BIG blacktail you want and it is in the mountains or 'bush' ( not farm fields) get ready to sit for months.(possibly). BIG mature blacktails wake each 'evening' not knowing what the eff they are going to do..period. I have had trail cams on my BEST known trails and had 1 pic of a BIG bugger in 2 months on one cam , 2 pics of 2 big buggers on another cam in 2 months...and they ran around the same two mountains non stop....now picture the cams being you in a tree...and 2 pics were in the drk ! Learn to still hunt em....unless a farm setting.( or back yard?? lol)

[BCOUTDOORED]

WE hunt from the ground, no rangefinders all stalking,no triggers , sites , just hunting, we get our 3 deer each year by knowing where the does are year round and being there when the rut is on nov 1, knowing your prey is what its all about and spending the time as well , we go to the 3 d shoots all year round and have a range at home as well,me and my boy love big bucks and have 5 pope and youngers between us including #5 and #7. its all about how important it is to you and how much work you put into it

[Ambush]

not only told by many bit ive seen it trying them before i bought. its logical to me to have long distance but less field of view, thats how lenses and cams work.

Magnification affects the field of view, not the laser beam. I have a Nikon Bow Hunter model, 6X and I have a Nikon Rifle Hunter with bow mode, also 6X. No difference in field of view. The difference is in the diameter of the laser beam. The long range beam is much thinner and more accurate, thus costing more money to manufacture. The problem with the thicker beam is that it picks up more debris [fog, rain, dust, light brush] in the air, giving false, or many times, no reading. I've owned four different RF's and tried a number of others in the field. Better quality works better, as with most things.

But a hunter buys what he can afford and goes hunting.

[G.A.]

im not talking about any laser. the laser doesnt show the image in display, just shows distance number, thats not what field of view is. magnafication is part of iel of view. but im sure the game is way smaller with same mag at 100 yrd than using one that does 200..maybe field of view is wrong term. basicly he`d have hell of a time trying to see game at 1000 with 6x compared to 200 yrd at 6x.
myself anything much more than what my bow would shoot is kinda pointless to pay for. i know ive been told its so we can range a tree line or something to know how far it is to walk, but im not spending another 200 on a finder to know that.

[tarzan]

I will echo what BCOUTDOORED said , I bowhunt the valley and consistently take a nice buck each year. I hunt blacktails from several treestands , but the key to success is knowing your area and where the does are during the rut, several bucks will not be far and during daylight hours. remember, treestand hunting takes lots of patience and knowing the patterns of the does. goodluck

[Ambush]

im not talking about any laser. the laser doesnt show the image in display, just shows distance number, thats not what field of view is. magnafication is part of iel of view. but im sure the game is way smaller with same mag at 100 yrd than using one that does 200..maybe field of view is wrong term. basicly he`d have hell of a time trying to see game at 1000 with 6x compared to 200 yrd at 6x.
myself anything much more than what my bow would shoot is kinda pointless to pay for. i know ive been told its so we can range a tree line or something to know how far it is to walk, but im not spending another 200 on a finder to know that.

OK you win. Sorry for trying to help you out.

[J_T]

OK you win. Sorry for trying to help you out.
Yah. It would be nice if we could pass along the wisdom but most young guys want to wallow in the muck themselves and figure it out on their own. Work, relationships, hunting.

[Superdeuce]

If $ are tight, just get the treestand for now and add the rangefinder later...unless you are going to be still hunting then do it the opposite order.

RF is less critical imo when stand hunting if you simply take the time to manually measure off your distances when setting up your stand.. hang a few flagging ribbons to mark some distances you can then see from the stand which if light enough can also provide wind indicators. You will be spending lots of hours in the stand passing the time shooting all kinds of P&Y'ers in your daydreams at every possible shooting lane option so you will quickly memorize every possible range.

Ultimately better to know all your pre-determined distances from your treestand anyhow so you aren't fidgeting around with a RF when the real thing actually appears.

[G.A.]

OK you win. Sorry for trying to help you out.

wasnt realy asking for help or winning anything, and wasnt trying to be a being a jerk bud. the laser isnt what shows our image in the viewfinder as you said above is all, played with enough cams and video gear to know a cam or an item to take pics or images that has a longer range will show smaller game/subject or harder to see with no manual zoom to bring it closer, and is why the laser needs to be smaller to not pick up interference. im not saying the longer are junk, just my view isnt needed for a bow guy.
i dont see a need to view 1000 yrds when we only shot 40 to 50 yrds

[FirePower]

OK you win. Sorry for trying to help you out.

You are only yelling to the wind mate, save your breath and your attempt to help, others have tried before you and failed. Some folk are just unable or unwilling to accept they can benifit from others more experienced, and must be left to bumble their own path.

[Speratus]

When did this thread become about people not listening to each others opinions? Everyone is entitled to their own, respect that and move on. so Can we pls quit talking a out each other and get back to the discussion of stalking vs. tree stand hunting blacktail?

thx!

[Viper]

When did this thread become about people not listening to each others opinions? Everyone is entitled to their own, respect that and move on. so Can we pls quit talking a out each other and get back to the discussion of stalking vs. tree stand hunting blacktail?

thx!

This is exactly why most lurkers don't post. Log in, look for posts that are hunting related and log out.