how do most people hunt?

[colour86]

Originally Posted by coyotezh

Will you leave your blind on the field during the whole season? I think maybe this is my best way to hunt.

yep,hunting season anyway.it was setup in archery on a small hay field on private land and its still out there. gives deer time to get used to it. probably going to go sit in it this weekend for a bit. I will pack it up in december and bring it home though as its only a popup. you can however put one up and hunt out of it a few days later as long as its hidden well. take the time to make it look natural. Just break up the outline of it, the edges of the roof and what not, throw some branches in front of it to break up the tent look, maybe under a low tree.

[wildwoods]

I feel that finding a productive area is a result of perseverance. It's taken me about 4-5 seasons of trial and error to really put the pieces together. It starts with all year scouting. If I were a landowner, I'd be much more apt to allow permission to the guy asking in June than the guy showing up in mid season camo with a rifle slung over his shoulder. The awesome thing about getting landowner permission is the simple fact that THEY know their areas much better than I. Why not spend time and build relationships with these guys? Their knowledge coupled with scouting can really put you ahead of the curve. Ok so that might not help your current situation. So start by using the snow to at least narrow down where the deer are heading. A theme on this thread is patterning. That couldn't be more true. Find the pattern, sit on a travel corridor and whammy. It's crazy how easily they seem to pop up out of nowhere. Don't get discouraged. Put yourself in a position to succeed and wait it out. No need to push bush or still hunt or jump outta a truck. Those things work well. But where I turned the corner was in just being patient in the travel corridors. Example: where 2 cut lines intersect, get the camo on and sit still.

[BigRackLover]

habitat first for me (google)
then walk the game trails.
then sit and observe and learn the movements.
I bowhunt.

[cobes]

In the farmlands deer are easy to find in coulees. I'm trying hard to learn how to hunt the forest though, because crown land is the only place I have to hunt near Calgary. Anyone know how to find deer in the woods (other than see deer tracks everywhere)?

[hurtin_albertan]

Great thread, lots of useful feedback from experienced hunters.

This is my first season. Mid-September I went on my first hunting trip as kind of a passenger with a more experienced group, and all we did was truck hunt. This produced exactly zero success, aside from the one 5 point bull elk that we saw in the distance for about half a second before he took off. My feeling, although I didn't say much given the situation and who I was in the company of, was that animals would hear us coming miles away and be long gone before we ever got to where they were. Not to mention the illegalities of shooting from a vehicle/along a maintained roadway, which I wouldn't have taken part in anyways. Needless to say, I won't be going on that trip next year.

I have a buddy who has permission on private land that opens for rifle Nov. 1, and so all of my hunting thus far into the second portion of my first season has been done with him. His style is to always be on the move. He is extremely impatient and gets discouraged quickly by not seeing any deer. I couldn't be more opposite, as my feeling is that being on the extreme move like that might be beneficial in getting into an area where the deer are, but the chances of spooking them are way greater than being able to spot one and get into position with stealth. The guy doesn't do a slow stalking listening kind of walk, he literally hikes around with a gun and I think it sucks. I'd way rather find an area with sign, then a good sniper-ish position nearby, and start grunting/rattling/bleating/waiting. But I get vetoed and I'm again a passenger so I more or less just go along with it.

TL;DR - First season, have been truck hunting and doing tons of fast-paced hiking with zero success so far. My opinion is that finding signs and getting into a good sniper spot with calling and PATIENCE would yield much better results.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by cobes

In the farmlands deer are easy to find in coulees. I'm trying hard to learn how to hunt the forest though, because crown land is the only place I have to hunt near Calgary. Anyone know how to find deer in the woods (other than see deer tracks everywhere)?

Deer like edge growth. Where forest meets meadow.
Find openings like beaver ponds, rivers, lakes and of course meadows.

Sort of the reverse to what you look for in open country where you look for their cover.
Forests are all cover, so look for the food instead.
Forests don't offer a lot of food for a Deer, but there is enough for a small population, find it and you will find the Deer.

Peavine, and Vetch are favorites.
Clovers, are a staple and are everywhere.
A lot of the plants they like, grow in well drained soils, so look for higher ground where the water won't sit. If there is water close and a stand of Spruce, so much the better.

[J D]

All depends on the species I am hunting and location.

I hide and wait
still hunt
Spot & stalk
Calling
I will even road hunt a new area to get the lay of the land for a day

There is really no best method just the best choices for the conditions of the hunt

[fast_pass88]

typically i sit in a tree stand, ground blind, hill top, or some sort of vantage point for 1-4hrs in the morning. being sure to get in at least a half hour before legal light. late mornings and afternoons are spent still hunting. and usually sit somewhere for a couple hours in the evening.
seems like theres alot of newer hunters on here asking hunting methods, and one thing that hasn't been mentioned is your own ethical views. i was raised truck hunting and pushing bush (of course some guys enjoy this, i'm not saying its wrong, just explaining what i've learned). but in the last several years i've stopped doing both of those. when i kill a deer, i take pride in outsmarting it, killing it in its own day to day routine without it even knowing i was there. sprinting outa the truck and jumping fences, animals running frantically and lead flying in the air isn't what i enjoy anymore and personally its not a story i'd like to tell my friends. i have a couple friends who got lucky and have a couple nice deer but the story is "we were driving along and saw him, got out of the truck and i shot him". to me thats not why i hunt. not saying its wrong or others shouldn't do it, just my own view. food for thought.

[u_cant_rope_the_wind]

no one ever sits in blinds or walk the fields in Saskatchewan. they all drive around sometimes 7 or 8 vehicles 100 ft apart then wonder why they don't see anything.
I tried that sitting in blinds out here or tree stands only to have the fields turn into highway 16 and every one drive by me lookin at me like I,m stupid,( but then again there is that saying there's a fine line between hunting and sitting there looking stupid)
I still walk the areas they cant drive
and use my blinds, I haven't yet gone to baiting or road hunting have got my buck every year
no huge monsters but meat in the freezer is always there

[landwalker]

Learned a lot from this post, appreciate all the sharings.