Spot & Stalk or Ambush

[BigSkyGP]

Seems like I spot them, then stalk them, more often than not. I prefer the ambush, but I'm not that patient.

 

[CogburnR]

I got to thinking about this and for western deer most of the time I stillhunt or walk them up and shoot them. If we happen to see them it of course turns into a stalk or ambush.

We also do drives and ambush as well as spot and stalk.

 

[TxBroke]

Spot and stalk, I do not see any sport in a feeder, deer blind and sunrise. Spotting and stalking heightens your skills and sharpens your abilities.

 

[stan the man]

when i "spot and stalk" i hunt with iron sights only to push the element ,and work load to a max,good for all the basic hunting skills gun)

 

[MEV]

In California, our season is during the summer, with hot days, sometimes with fog in the mornings. I have used and seen used, spot and stock and ambush. However the best out here is folks driving the brush and cover with folks set up on stands. We also use a dog or two, which is legal. I learned this method from my Grandfather, my Father and from another wise old hunter in my youth.

It is not a simple method to use and the folks you hunt with have to come with common sense and discipline. They have to learn the habits of the deer, how there habits change with the weather and moon. How to stay put on a stand until the whole hunt is finished. How to use the terrain, how to time the pushers at certain points to create the property pressure to encourage the deer to flow the proper direction or directions. Last but not least you have to learn how to be a good marksman, which I labor to teach all who hunt with me.

With the right folks, it works very well. A side benifit is I can get a reasonable herd count for areas of the ranch, a handy management tool.

 

[davkrat]

In California, our season is during the summer, with hot days, sometimes with fog in the mornings. I have used and seen used, spot and stock and ambush. However the best out here is folks driving the brush and cover with folks set up on stands. We also use a dog or two, which is legal. I learned this method from my Grandfather, my Father and from another wise old hunter in my youth.

It is not a simple method to use and the folks you hunt with have to come with common sense and discipline. They have to learn the habits of the deer, how there habits change with the weather and moon. How to stay put on a stand until the whole hunt is finished. How to use the terrain, how to time the pushers at certain points to create the property pressure to encourage the deer to flow the proper direction or directions. Last but not least you have to learn how to be a good marksman, which I labor to teach all who hunt with me.

With the right folks, it works very well. A side benifit is I can get a reasonable herd count for areas of the ranch, a handy management tool.

That's great on private land but on public land it sucks when you've packed in 5 miles and are glassing a high basin only to have 10 guys on a drive push through and ruin the whole area for everyone else.


I much prefer spot and stock which feels more like hunting while ambush seems more like shooting. Just my $.02. Also why I limit my shots to 600 yards requires a little more maneuvering in to position after glassing an animal at distance.

 

[MEV]

Davkrat, I fully understand your position on public lands. Good luck with the upcoming season.

 

[davkrat]

Thanks I drew an X this year which should afford me a little bit of solitude.

 

[MEV]

Congratulations.

 

[Bush Boy]

Both, depending on the situation/terrain/time of day etc. But graetly prefer spot and stock to any other method hands down.

I was in New Zealand a couple of times rounding up deer on horseback for the farmers down in the valley, the 'clean skins' that the helicopters had missed... and they had mountainsides just like yours WinMag, which the Kiwis called "hills". Hundreds and hundreds of non-stop slopes called 'hills'. I bet you don't often ride down those slopes of yours?

 

[chas3stix]

Mostly spot and stalk.....when I draw a tag....
Chas

 

[Q172]

Spot & Stalk, That's pretty much bread and butter hunting down here in New Zealand. In the area your hunting , apart from thick bush, a smart hunter will walk for ten minutes and glass for twenty. An old hunter once told me that "For every deer you see, there was three you missed."

 

[Pistol packer]

spot and stalk most of the time. ambush if i have found a bed, feeding grounds, etc.

 

[drbill]

With the open plains in South Dakota it's all about spotting them and then stalking them. I try to get in as close as possible.

Is that why you are a member of long range hunting? just kidding.