Learn how to sit still

Anyone who has bow hunted more than once knows the importance of sitting quiet and still. Knowing that, and practicing it while hunting, are two entirely different things.

I seldom hunt with another person, but in the past when my kids and grandkids were young, they would go out with me. Most adults can't sit still, and even fewer children can do so.

One of my grandchildren was fidgeting when I whispered to him to sit still. He whispered back that he was sitting still.

Your idea and my idea of being motionless and quiet may not jibe. It's taken years to master the art of silent sitting. I've taken more black bears than I have fingers and toes, and have learned some of the tricks to sitting as still as a stone for long periods of time. Doing so can lead to success.

"The first bear I shot," another savvy hunter said, "was on Sept. 10, opening day of the Upper Peninsula bear season. This was well over 30 years ago, and tree stand hunting wasn't legal. I sat alongside but downwind of an active bear trail with my back against a big cedar root-wad on a warm day.

This black bear was only 10 yards away when I took this photo. He never knew I  was nearby.

"Sometime later, I awoke from dozing and cracked one eye to see a black bear walking past at eight feet. The animal walked past, and a smooth draw and an clean bow shot took that bruin behind the front shoulder. It ran only 25 yards and dropped."

The bear didn't go far, and the hunter said he was absolutely motionless when the bear walked by because he was asleep. He admits that was an accident, but he's since learned to sit without movement or sound.

Over many years of hunting bears and deer, I've found one trick to being still is to be comfortable, and a hunter must learn how to relax and be at ease with himself and his surroundings if he hopes to be motionless and quiet. The first step is to remove anything that can cause discomfort while sitting. My primary problem is it's necessary to remove my wallet from my back pocket. If it is left in, my sitting time is 30 minutes or less before my hip hurts. No one can sit still if their butt is painfully sore.

Sit on the ground, and a root an inch under the dirt will put a crease in one butt cheek, and you'll start moving to get comfortable. I make certain if I'm in a tree stand that no branch stub is digging into my ribs or spine. A stone in the dirt under you butt will feel like a boulder after 30 minutes.

One big secret to sitting still is to be comfortable.

Check out each spot wherever you hunt. Remove offending branches or broken branch stubs. Many tree stands have uncomfortable seats because the seat is too low, and your knees are up under your chin and that makes for an uncomfortable seat. Just as bad or worse is a seat that is too high, and you have to sit on the edge of the seat to keep your feet steady on the platform. This cuts off blood flow to your legs, and your toes and feet go to sleep, which leads to more movement.

Learn to get physically comfortable first, and then learn to relax your body and mind. A man told me once that he meditates while in a stand, and although his eyes may be closed and his heartbeat and respiration slows down, he can hear the rustle of bear hair against bracken ferns or the faint twig snap of a wandering buck. One day, while following his example, I sat still all day within 20 feet of a bear bait, and nine different bears came to visit but none knew I was there.

This isn't recommended for someone unaccustomed to meditation. What works for most of us is to free our brain of all thought, to feel comfortable and relaxed, and to will yourself to be motionless. I've had bucks approach to within several feet of me without seeing any movement, and that is part of the secret. Keep your mind uncluttered by unnecessary details, and it's much easier to remain still.

One trick of mine is to fix my attention on a distant object, and stare at it. It will blur, come back into focus, and blur again. Stick with it, and don't think of deer or work or anything else, and try to become one with your surroundings. Get comfortable and relaxed, and don't feel like an intruder. Relax and become one with nature.

That works for me and some other people I know, but it may not work for you without a great deal of concentrated practice. The first and foremost thing is to be comfortable. Once the human body is comfortable, start working on the mind.

Sitting motionless and quiet is nothing but mind over matter. Start practicing now and you'll be ready for a nice spring gobbler or a buck this fall.

Soon, with continuous practice, it will be possible to sit motionless for 30 minutes. Then start working on being motionless for an hour. If you can get up to two or three hours, many of your hunting problems will be solved.

Learn to expect sudden noises, such as a red squirrel chattering or running through the leaves. Don't be started when a bear or deer steps through dry leaves. Be alert but motionless and still. Sooner or later whatever made the noise will step into view. Never turn to look behind you.

The old Negro League and big league pitcher, Satchell Paige, had it right when he once said: "Never look back. Something may be gaining on you." That thought should be considered by hunters.

If you are not moving, you won't be making noise (unless you snore). Without movement or noise, the only thing you must worry about is being winded. Stay downwind of where bear or deer travel, and you will have removed most of the key things that spook animals.

Turkey season opens in a bit more than a month, and movement or any sound (except a turkey call) will spook birds. Their vision is like you or me looking through 10-power binoculars. I wear a camo mask that covers  my face, ears and glasses, and wear brown glove on my hands. The trick to shooting a gobble-bird is to be ready for a shot when he steps within range. If you sit with the shotgun across your lap, and try to raise and aim at a bird, all you'll probably see will be tailfeathers rapidly getting further away.

Practice now, long before turkey or bow season opens, to sit still and motionless in a non-hunting environment. If you can pull that off for two hours, and you follow the other common-sense hunting rules, there won't be a bear, deer or gobbler that will be safe around you.

Sitting still and not moving any part of your body except your eyes is simply a case of mind over matter. Humans do have a brain, and once they condition it to silent inactivity, their hunting skills will increase.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors