Tricks for walking on crunchy ground

[Lionhound1975]

As far as trying not to make noise in crunchy leaves I have had some success doing the following:

1. Hunt in the rain or just after rain (obviously this might not be an option if you are in a dry part of California)

2. The sock idea previously mentioned by everyone, unless there is so much thorny vegetation. Then you could try a fleece overboot.

3. The biggest one for me is trying to sound like a deer or other large animal moving through the woods. Most of us deep forest hunters have heard deer and elk before we spotted them and they don't sound like a person walking since they take a few steps and then stop. That is why a squirrel will make more sound that a deer will in a deciduous forest. So when walking in loud vegetation, try imitating a deer in their frequency of movement and stopping. This also applies to the type of vegetation that a deer would walk through. A stalk is one time I would walk on game trails instead of parallel them since the deer are used to hearing other deer, elk, bear, hogs, etc. walk on those same trails and over/through that same vegetation. But the frequency of movement is one of the factors that cause the sound to be different between species.

Just my $0.02. Good luck with your hunt.

 

[Badseed]

I have adapted that movement technique and it seems to work well. There are also a bunch of turkeys in the area so occasionally I will stop and lightly scratch the ground which mimics the turkeys and also allows me to clear sticks and leaves out of the way for quite travel next time.


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[Lionhound1975]

I have also had another person come with me where we entered the woods and then once we get to a good spot, the person leaves making plenty of noise. After a few minutes most deer will go back to their usual activities. Then the only thing you have to worry about is wind and scent.

 

[canthitbombz]

I have adapted that movement technique and it seems to work well. There are also a bunch of turkeys in the area so occasionally I will stop and lightly scratch the ground which mimics the turkeys and also allows me to clear sticks and leaves out of the way for quite travel next time.


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i have used a diaphragm to make turkey clucks as i walked too, it has worked well for elk. not sure about a big Whiley Whitey though. he's a giant!

 

[stan_wa]

Great tips all !

 

[Badseed]

Has anyone used buck urine out west on mule deer to help mask your scent? Its still early in the season so I figure some buck urine on my boots would help calm their nerves if the wind switches on me. I have been back out multiple times with no luck but tonight was damn close. The wind was dead and I was setup perfect but I got excited to see my buck 40 yards away behind some brush and got tunnel vision forgetting about two other bucks off to my right. When I went to store my rangefinder and grab my release the other bucks saw movement and keyed on me causing the big guy to stare. They couldn’t see me very well but they were nervous enough that they bounced off 40 yards behind some other timber and it was too late to reorganize and get a shot.


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[Badseed]

Here is another photo of the big guy. The moon phase is starting to change their patterns.

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[BlackSheep]

Here is another photo of the big guy. The moon phase is starting to change their patterns.

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That is one nice buck. They lay up where they do for a reason. Because it works. Best shot you have is to hope for a mid day wind change which does happen some places a few miles inland of the coast. One trick I used to use when hunting canyons from the top is to roll rocks down the low end of the canyon then move toward the top, rinse and repeat. Essentially moving them toward the saddle up top. It works. If you have a big enough arm you could approach from the north, hurl rocks east and south of them and make them flee to the west into a kill zone, assuming there are open shooting lanes. Big assumption I know. Just spitballing. Or have a friend approach them from the east :south and flush them your way. Of course all of the above will ruin the spot. Likely for good. But big bucks like this one are worth thinking outside the box and pulling out the bag of tricks. Best of luck. I'd bird dog for you if I could.

 

[manchild125]

Wader socks work good
Wait for a windy day?
Or crawl slower than you've ever moved in your life gently with pressure when you set a hand or knee down. May take hours to cover ground but its effective

 

[grappling_hook]

Following, good luck.

 

[Opah]

Head out when they are out and about, get comfortable and wait. you should be able to get them coming or going at some point in a 24 hour period. Sounds like a patience Hunt, figure the wind changes in the area and be in a good spot, if your patient they should come.

 

[amassi]

I'd wait for that buck to drop his velvet and catch a bullet

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[Badseed]

I tried my luck with the full moon tonight and as somewhat expected they didn’t come out until it was too dark to see my pins. I have two days left. This is one of the most nerve racking archery seasons I have ever experienced. To add salt to my wounds, I broke a rule that I had. Never pass up a buck that you would be happy to take on the last day. I have passed on 3 different bucks because I am being greedy. I hope it doesnt bite me in the ass!


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[Badseed]

Another point worth noting is that until this week I have been using Tinks scent eliminator for bathing, laundry and prehunt spray. After reading quite a few articles and methods for eliminating or minimizing scent I chose to buy some dead down wind products. I can day that without a doubt that the dead down wind stuff has less odor as far as I can tell and tonight when the bucks came out they kept walking towards me even though there was alight wind pushing my scent to them. Unfortunately it was too late but the bucks didn’t even hesitate until they were within 40 yards. Also, its 90 plus degrees here so I had been sweating quite a bit and when I got home I asked my wife to take a whiff, she said hmm did you actually go hunting becuase you don’t smell like it. I have zero affiliation but the DDW stuff has proven itself to me. I have already thrown out my other scent eliminator products.


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