Pennsylvania Game News - December 2024 - 33

A Guide to Getting In Step 
C
hances are you hunt white-tailed
deer from a stand, be it a tree
stand, ground blind or good ol'
stump. That's what most do.
Others conduct organized drives
through cover, as was a standard practice
in the past.
Possibly the least-used tactic for whitetails
in Pennsylvania today is still-hunting.
It seems a lost art form, one that rarely
comes up in conversation among hunters
anymore.
For me, though - aside from the first
day of the firearms deer season - it's tough
to sit still with a gun over my shoulder. It
is not that I want to see what is over the
next hill. I just don't get as much out of
gun hunting from a stand as I do hunting
that way with a bow or crossbow.
Perhaps you feel the same, so let's look
at the still-hunting tradition.
 Be Patient 
The first order of business with stillhunting
is learning to slow down and
clear your mind. Your entire focus must
be on the woods around you, scanning for
that twitch of an ear, looking to the forest
floor to make sure of your next step, or
listening to what the birds and squirrels
around you are doing.
That's admittedly hard to do. In today's
far-too-busy world, it's difficult for most
hunters to slow down enough to make
this method worthwhile. They go way too
fast, get busted a few times or don't see
anything at all, and give up.
So don't rush. Instead, hunt like your
next meal depends on it. Act, move and
think like a predator on the prowl, taking
into consideration all that's happening
around you. Each step you take has the
DECEMBER 2024
potential to completely change what's
happening on the surrounding landscape,
for better or worse.
Remember, too, that you are looking
for something small and out of place, not
an entire deer. It could be the horizontal
line of a deer's back, the glint of sunlight
off an eyeball or antler, or the simple flick
of an ear or tail that gives away a deer's
presence. If you are not geared up to look
for such sign, you're apt to miss it.
Always carry a pair of optics and use
them to your advantage. They help you
spot deer, even those close by. Scan the
area and, if something looks out of place
or suspicious, take the time to examine it
closely before moving on. It just might be
what you are hunting for, even if it doesn't
immediately present a shot.
 Your Gear 
Go afield armed with the proper gear
for such a hunt. The first thing you want
to choose is clothing that's quiet when
you brush up against a limb or tree. The
out-of-place sound of noisy materials can
put all animals on alert and take you out of
the game before you even get in it.
Make sure all your gear is tight to your
body, too, rather than flopping around.
You don't want any straps or holsters
catching on brush or anything falling out
of your pockets or pack. The whole goal
here is to be able to maneuver through
close quarters without too much racket
or unnecessary movement.
Things like scopes and binoculars
should be kept covered when not in use,
since the simple glint of sunlight off them,
or things like them, can be enough to send
game scooting to other portions of the
landscape.
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Pennsylvania Game News - December 2024

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