When it comes to heading off into the woods in search of that big buck on the opening day of rifle season, we all have our own approach.
As those of us who hunt already know, opening-day hunting tactics have changed considerably over the years.
Basically, there are three approaches to pursuing deer: an organized drive, sitting in a stand, and still hunting.
Years ago, the organized drive was a frequently utilized method for taking deer, but that approach is hardly used anymore. I suspect there are a number of reasons why it’s no longer used to hunt deer, one probably being the lack of access to large tracts of land due to posting. Another problem with those drives is deer sometimes veered off away from those posted, and they ended up being pushed into areas that were not intended. I also think another factor in the decrease in deer drives is that fewer hunters seem to be heading off to camp these days, and driving and posting are usually done when more hunters are involved.
I think it’s pretty safe to say that the most popular method for hunting deer in the rifle season these days is to park yourself in some type of stand or just plan to sit still and try to move as little as possible.
Certainly, with all the types of stands that are available today, sitting for long periods is a lot more comfortable, and the hunter is a lot less visible.
Even if you can’t buy one of those fancy deer stands, building a pretty dependable stand with some scrap lumber and a piece of tin for the roof is still possible. Not only does the stand hide your movements, it also keeps the snow and rain off, and it cuts down on the cold breezes, making standing for longer periods more possible.
As most of us already know, the longer we can sit still and not have our movements picked up, the more likely we are to spot some unsuspecting deer.
In my early days of deer hunting, I had no stands to get into, so I would just sit someplace up against a tree and try to move as little as possible. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t.
This past opening day, I spent the day in one of the stands that my son built: a stool to sit on and windows all around. The windows are the right height for bracing your rifle on something solid, which is another nice plus to having an enclosed stand. On a really cold day, even sitting in an enclosed stand can become uncomfortable, and to warm up this past opening day, I decided to move to another stand.
That movement to another stand actually takes me back to the opening paragraph, where I mentioned another approach to deer hunting — the still hunt. Still-hunting is actually not just sitting still but moving very slowly and very quietly through the woods. There are a few hunters out there who like this approach to deer hunting. Like most deer hunters, I prefer to sit in a stand, but if movement becomes necessary, I like to adhere as much as possible to the still hunting technique.
It works; I shot a nice 6×6 bull elk in Montana while still hunting. I was in an area I had never been in before, so I wanted to cover some ground, but I wanted to do it carefully while still hunting, and my strategy paid off.
Well, the season is not over yet, and I hope to put some more time in a stand somewhere. I’m sure there are a lot of others who plan on doing the same thing.
