How to approach your hunting stand without spooking deer

A truck is the best way to approach a blind. Truck drops off and picks up hunters.

OK, folks, which is the best way to walk to your deer-hunting stand? Skulk along like you are trying to sneak up on the deer or just walk straight-forward without trying to sneak from one tree to the next?

In this country, opinions are like elbows: everyone has at least one. You may disagree with my thoughts, and I may take issue with yours, but we should each respect the other for the right to speak up for their choice.

My vote goes to grabbing the bow and walking directly to the blind. Climb into it, settle down, get ready for deer activity, and it seems to work for me. A deer that may observe me walking along, and ducking into a blind, isn't frightened by my actions. I do nothing to frighten the animal.

Walk with head up, don't look at deep, and don't appear to be sneaking along.

The deer may circle the area, pick up a tiny bit of scent, but not enough to spook them. It goes on about its business without being unduly alarmed. People on foot are common in the deer woods.

A sneaking or skulking hunter, one who tiptoes toward the hunting blind while darting from bush to bush, attracts far more attention from deer. An upright man may cause deer to run off 50 yards and stop in heavy cover to see what happens, and when nothing does, their fear disappears.

A hunter that acts suspicious, and causes deer to become alarmed, do themselves more harm than anything else. They literally drive deer away by their actions.

The sportsman who wishes to reach his blind as quickly as possible, should walk steadily (don't run or sneak), and when he reaches the ground blind, elevated coop or tree stand, should get into position with a minimum amount of noise, sit down and sit still.

Once the hunter reaches his hunting area without incident, disappears from sight into the blind or stand, he is soon forgotten. They don't seem to pose any danger to the deer, and the animals soon revert back to normal feeding patterns.

Climb into position in a tree or open the door to a ground blind. Don't make noise.

A moving pickup truck is always studied by nearby deer, and as long as it moves along steadily and the people inside stay inside when the truck stops, it doesn't unduly frighten the animals.

There are times when a truck can pull up to a blind, a hunter can ease out and get into the stand, and then the truck pulls away. Deer can't count. The truck pulls in, stops for a half-minute, and then moves on. Just don't slam the truck door or make noise getting your gear out of the truck bed.

People may think getting into a stand scares deer. It doesn't as long as everything acts natural and there are no loud and unexpected noises. It's noise that deer might hear a hunter make from inside the blind or from a tree stand that will drive deer crazy. An unexpected sneeze or a cough will trigger the alarm button.

Moving directly to the stand in a normal walking pace is the best way to get there. It's the straight-line rule between two points that is important; providing the sportsman doesn't have to walk through a bedding area.


If deer are seen on the way to the stand, don't stop to look at them, but keep moving forward without breaking stride. Hunters who stop to look at the deer will cause them to snort and alert all other deer in the area.

Ignore any deer and walk at a normal pace to the blind.

A person who ignores the deer and walks at a steady pace to his blind often cause the deer to bound away but they usually do not snort and spook.

This year, just to prove it to yourself, try walking right along without lifting your head or stopping to look at deer, and climb into the stand and sit still. If that doesn't convince you, try sneaking from bush to bush and tree to tree, stopping frequently, and skulking about, and see how often you get snorted at.

You'll soon learn what works best and what does not. It takes many things coming together to make a deer hunt end with a shot at a good buck.

It makes little sense to do anything that may draw attention to your presence on stand. Just walking steadily to a blind makes a great deal of sense to me.

The squirrel wars

Hunting squirrels after the corn picker comes along will work.

The fox squirrel was making his move. He was putting a stalk on our backyard bird feeder.

Squirrels must have poor memories. They spend all summer and fall hoarding food for winter, but they apparently forget where they left their stash of goodies. This bushytail was advancing on our bird feeders in a flanking maneauver, and I waited for him to start up the tree.

The door was rattled, and I swear that bushytail cleared 10 feet and hit the snowy ground running. He will wait until he can get away with it, and try to empty the sunflower seed feeder.

Black, fox, grey & red squirrels have a never-give-up attitude for our bird seed.

Squirrel season used to end at the end of December, but now the season runs through March 1. And it's a made-to-order hunt on those days when the snow is skimpy or nonexistent, and when the weather is warm on a winter's day.

Would I shoot one off the bird feeder? Of course not, but between chipmunks, red squirrels and their larger cousin -- the fox squirrel -- it has been a war around here for years.

Bought a 50-pound bag of sunflower seeds lately. How about thistle seeds or Niger seeds? No, well they are expensive and the prices for seed never goes down.

I don't believe there is any such thing as a squirrel-proof bird feeder. I've seen them shinny up a fiberglass pole attached to the railing. It was supposed to be squirrel-proof, but they figured out a way to climb it anyway.

One squirrel will make a mess of the bird feeder. If two or three nutcrackers move in, and nothing is done about it, they will empty a bird feeder every day. They run off, their cheeks puffed out with bird seeds until they look like they have a goiter, and five minutes later, they head back on another raid.

Deer hunting ended today amid a howling wind and snow. There is still snow in the woods for hunting cottontails or snowshoe hares, and it's over three months until the turkey season opens, so if you hanker a bit of excitement, go winter squirrel hunting.

Winter squirrel season never has to take you far from home.

There was a corn field near our house last summer, and some corn kernels still litter the ground. The corn will attract squirrels, but with the  earlier deep snow, bushytails found themselves out of a food source. Most of the corn from the nearby fields has been eaten by deer, geese and squirrels, and they are now looking for another free handout.

I'm tired of them at the bird feeder. I don't share the same opinion of squirrels as some people who have unsuccessfully fought squirrel wars for more years than they can remember. They call these critters tree rats or wood rats, and other less complimentary mixes of strong Anglo-Saxon words. which, I believe, has led to the longer winter season.

They are persistent little buggers. It's that nevergive-up attitude of theirs that makes them a nuisance.

The best way to fight the squirrel wars is to grab up the shotgun and head for the woods. Sit down near a trail of squirrel tracks, sit still, and wait for them to show their long tails. They never expect to be hunted during the winter, and it takes a while for them to smarten up.

Shoot one squirrel, and just sit still. Other nearby squirrels may chatter and carry on but soon their curiosity will get the best of them. They head out to get something else to eat, or to investigate the noise, and it's fairly easy to shoot five squirrels on a sunny and warm afternoon.

What works? Black-powder pistol or shotgun, .22 rifle or a shotgun.

Don't worry. Taking a limit of fox squirrels isn't going to hurt their population one bit. Shoot their numbers down, and you soon learn one of Nature's truisms: Nature abhors a vacuum.

Once some squirrels are taken, other squirrels move in to fill the empty space. It becomes a never-ending problem.

Years ago, when I was a kid, most people hunted nutcrackers with a rifle. The bullet from a puny .22 can carry over a mile if someone was to shoot at a squirrel up in the tree-tops. There are too many people around now, and the wide-open spaces of years ago are all filled up with houses and people.

Be safe and smart, and use a shotgun. Don't forget your Hunter Orange clothing, and you'll be able to shoot them on the ground or up in a tree. Use No. 6 shot, and it will be deadly medicine.

One thing about hunting nutcrackers. You'll put some mighty fine food on your table with five winter squirrels, and there will be fewer of the animals around next spring to invade your bird feeders.

And that's just fine with me.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors