Being still as a statue

There is an art to sitting still. It means much more than being  motionless; it means being still without making a sound.

This may sound easy but it is a very difficult thing to accomplish for more than 10 minutes. Everyone who bow hunts for deer will fidget at times, moving around, easing that tree stub that pokes you in the back, and swatting at pesky, whining mosquitoes.

Think about this: we watch a musical and our foot taps to the music. We think, and our fingers and head moves. The trick to sitting still this fall during deer seasons means learning how to remain motionless without noise.

To acquire such needed skills it’s important to start practice them.

Trust me, sitting still is an acquired and learned art. Not everyone can do it, and I can still set as motionless as a statue at the age of 71, but it’s nothing like I could do 20 years ago. Age brings with it knowledge for those willing to learn. It also brings more aches and pains that can affect our ability to remain still … if we let them.

The knowledge of how to do it is what allows me to tune out the sore back, hips, legs and other aches and pains in body parts that were injured years ago. Knowledge is the key to becoming a successful deer hunter, and sitting still is just one part of learning.

Many years ago my back was broken, and a  full-body cast was placed on me. Any body movement took time to accomplish, and the exaggeration movements were like waving a red flag at a bull.  It did make me learn to sit still because I couldn’t move my body easily. Accepting that part of this philosophy was the first step to my success, and once I got out of it, I continued to practice sitting still.

Don’t think that my sitting-still philosophy means going out and breaking your back. That’s no fun. If you can follow this anecdote and understand why I couldn’t move, it may  help.

Anyone who has ever studied deer should have learned at least two things very quickly. Stay downwind of the animals, and  learn how to sit still.

Sitting still is not easy. Those who think they are being motionless and silent are, in most cases, moving far too much and making some noise in the process. Camouflage clothing is not a cure-all for your hunting ills.  Deer spot movement regardless of whether you are wearing camo or blaze orange.

Learn how to relax mind and body.

Don’t move, eh? A person’s nose itches so they scratch it. A tree stub pokes them in the back, butt or legs, and they move to ease that discomfort. A leafy branch blocks their view so they move their head to see more clearly. A rustle in dry leaves sets their head in motion to see what created the sound. Boredom sets in, and bored people become twitchy. Their movements increase.

Many hunters think they are motionless, but in fact, all parts of their body is in motion. The slightest movement can catch the eye of a deer, and if that happens, the deer will stand in cover until they positively identify what they saw. If they determine it was caused by a human, that hunting spot may be blown for the rest of the hunting season.

How do you sit still while bow hunting? The best way to learn is to go where deer live and are plentiful, and sit in a tree or a ground blind. See how long it takes before a deer is spooked by hunter movement. Pay attention to what triggers fear in deer.

Many sportsmen seem to feel that only spooked deer snort. Lots of antsy deer simply disappear into heavy cover, and slowly leave the area silently. They are spooked but do not snort.

Study deer and see just how still one can be.

Watch deer, and see how often they stop and look around for possible danger. I've watched large numbers of deer over the years stand motionless for 30 minutes to an hour after detecting the presence of a hunter in a tree stand. Not a muscle, ear, eye tail or anything on that animal will move it they've  been alerted to a nearby human  presence.

One of my hunting friends used to hunt a funnel leading out of a cedar swamp and into open hardwoods. The swamp was full of water, and it was easy to tell where the deer were coming from. Those animals that were wet up to their belly were coming through the swamp. Those deer could be heard coming for 15 minutes as the water sloshed around as they moved. Those deer attracted the attention of any nearby hunter.

Once he spotted a buck moving slowly, and then it stopped. It was 200 yards away but there was an open spot he could see through with binoculars, and he knew there was a hunter upwind of the deer. That animal stood  in cold November water for over an hour without moving a muscle. Dusk came and went, and the buck still stood in the water, as motionless as an anchored statue.

This begs the obvious question: how do you sit still? Part of it comes through continual practice but much of it comes from a total state of mental relaxation. Put your mind at ease, forget about aches and pains, and that stiff little stub that continues to poke into your rump.

Relax your brain and your body will follow suit.

Tune everything out of your mind. The more you think about an ache or pain, the more it will bother you. Forget it! The same is true of mosquitoes early in the bow season; forget about them, and the less you move the less they will pester you.

Think good thoughts about good friends and loved ones. Remember past hunting friends who have traveled around their last turn in the trail. Leave business problems at the office, and dismiss them from your mind while hunting. The same goes for home or other business problems. If they could be solved, you’d have handled the problem earlier.

Mentally put all of your thought into something calming and pleasant. Put your mind in a relaxed state. Forget about missed phone calls or upcoming doctor appointments. Clear your mind of anything and everything, relax and simply do not think.

Purge your mind of all thoughts, and picture yourself somewhere lovely. A spot where you feel a gentle sense of peace and security, and where nothing can bother you.

One of my friends imagines himself on a calm pond where no wind is felt, no sound is heard, and he mentally lays his back against a boat seat, stares up at the drifting clouds overhead, and his breathing slows down. He keeps seeing that gentle pond in his mind's eye, and he sits quietly and without movement.

Time seems to pass slowly, and almost as if from a haze, out steps a calm buck. The animal is upwind, sniffing and looking for danger. Sensing none, he steps forward two or three more paces, and stops to check his surroundings once again.

Relaxed, the deer turns around and watches his back trail. As the deer looks away, the hunter slowly and quietly comes to full draw, aims and kills that animal. It really can be that simple.

It was easy because the hunter was totally relaxed. A laid-back sportsman, at peace with body and soul, doesn't move and never makes a sound while on stand.

It takes a great deal of practice but so do many other things in our lives. Sit in the woods during the summer months, and practice the art of sitting motionless and silent, but realize you do need practice.

Sitting still is all in your head.

And just remember: sitting still while not making a sound is all in your mind. Think it, practice it, and you’ll conquer the involuntary sense of being startled when a doe snorts  or when a buck starts slamming into a nearby small tree with his antlers.

Mind control is an amazing thing if you practice it. Use your mind, learn how to slowly ease your eyes toward an oncoming buck, and practice coming to full draw without making that herky-jerky movement that is bound to attract a deer’s attention.

Trust me, it works for me and for many people who have adopted these mind-over-matter things. It can be productive for anyone but it requires constant practice.

Just remember this: an object that doesn’t move, makes no noise and is positioned so he cannot be winded, poses no threat to a deer… at least not until it is too late for the animal to react.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors