BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[ChesterGolf]

How do you guys hunt?

I personally hunt from a ground blind without bait but will stalk during the day if I get bored. I am thinking of a climbing stand but am still in the research stage.

[Unit5A]

I hunt mostly Mule Deer where I go. In the summer months I head up north to the forests and hunt from treestands and stalk. Probably about 50/50. I have been known to make ground blinds near water holes though. I have always used climbing stands as the pines are tall and straight. I prefer the sit and stand type climbers, they just seem easier for me.
In the winter months I hunt the desert. I'll get on a rise/hill and use my binoculars to glass them up and then put the move on them. Great fun in my opinion and very challenging.

[bitmasher]

I have never hunted whitetail before, but I have hunted mule deer, elk, and antelope.

The terrain I hunt in northwest Colorado is hilly, having a lot of "ups and downs" with lots of gullies and gulches that roll one after another. The climate is dry without a great deal of trees, lots of scrub oak and sagebrush.

So we hunt this area much like Unit5a hunts the desert. Get on top of a rise, be quiet, hang out (wait/watch for movement), glass the valley below. Once we find something we will either wait for it to come to us or will stalk it. One of the biggest challenges is not busting an animal in a deep valley to where we have to drag it up hill for miles...

I have only hunted with a rifle, although I hunt with my Dad and Brother from time to time and they like to use bows. Have never used blinds (except for ducks!), scents, or treestands; although I definitely think they would be useful in the right environment.

[ChesterGolf]

Elk is the one animal that I would love to hunt but it would be big $$$ for me to book one and is not an option now.

[bitmasher]

Well you get to hunt moose in Newfoundland, so I don't feel too sorry for you. :wink:

Just giving you a bad time, ChesterGolf. You ought to try Colorado sometime, an out of state tag is around ~$400 and there is quite a bit of public land to be hunted. Maybe make a late fall vacation out of it. Although a vacation revolving around a hunt might not do wonders for the martial relations....

Montana might be a closer bet or the Dakota's (??? I think they have a few elk hunts ???).

[maineguide]

I still hunt in the morning and set in a tree stand in the afternoon.
Most shots are within 50-100 yards.

[fire6469]

I have tried stands but do not like them. I still hunt and drive. this seems to work pretty well for me in pa

[mlemons]

16 foot ladder type stand, tinks 69, and a corn feeder,

_________________
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[ This Message was edited by: moderator on 2002-10-24 13:57 ]

[maineguide]

We can't use corn feeders or drive here in Maine. By rights we can't even use Tinks 69 but we do.

[expatriate]

Hunting methods seems to be one of those things that are a matter of taste and can solicit strong opinions for some reason.

As a kid in Minnesota, I grew up hunting using shotgun slugs and getting a bunch of guys together to divide into standers and drivers.

In Montana, it was all about stalk hunting, trying to anticipate game habits and outsmart them.

In Michigan, stores sold garbage bags full of sugar beets, carrots, or apples. People there put out bait piles and then sat on them on opening day.

Overall, of the three I have to say I like stalk hunting best. It forces you to be a better hunter by making you learn more about your prey. This makes you pay more attention to landforms, food sources, etc, and by default renders you less likely to get lost. It also fosters more respect for the animals you hunt by taking your understanding to a deeper level.

I tend to favor the interpersonal battle between me and the deer, rather than the most efficient way of putting meat on the table. I ate less venison in Montana than I did in Minnesota, but I enjoyed the experience more. Nevertheless, I do miss the comaraderie of group hunting. As a kid, it was a great chance to enter adult male society. And as an adult, hunting in groups makes for better stories and better friendships. So I suppose it boils down to where you are and the nature of the hunt.

[ This Message was edited by: expatriate on 2002-11-03 18:53 ]

[Chuck]

Expatriate,

I will agree with you 100% coming from here in Ohio.

[saskie]

Typically I use an improvised ground blind but that was back home. I'm looking at a tree stand this year because the chopping I'm looking at is pretty grown over (3-5 yr growth - about 5ft high) and I'll have to see over it.

Not all of us get to hunt Newfie moose - I'm fighting with SERM now to try and keep my Sask resident hunter status. It's not my fault that the Navy doesn't have any postings in Sask...something about needing an ocean.

[Scout]

When I am bowhunting I hunt from a treestand about 18 to 20 ft. off the ground. I used to bait, but it is illegal in Wisconsin now because of CWD. I use Buck Lure Supreme and Tinks 69.

[Keepitsimple]

Tree stand, both gun and bow. I'll find an area that looks good via terraserver aerials and topo's, find a funnel and sit tight. I have used scents with little success. Baiting is not hunting.

[ARMallardSlayer]

Hunt from tree stands with bow, rifle and muzzleloader.