Whitetail Solitaire: Playing with a full deck

by Dan Small

In a recent issue of Wisconsin Outdoor News, we suggested you'd get more shots at whitetails by sitting tight. That strategy works well on opening weekend, when other hunters are moving deer. And it works when the rut or weather changes make deer move on their own. For the hunter who has sharpened his woodsman skills, though, a slow-action day is the perfect time to climb down from his tree and play whitetail solitaire.

Going solo successfully is not as simple as taking a hike, or more hunters would do it. A deer's senses are well tuned to pick up the sight, sound and smell of you moving through the woods. How many times, whether hunting or not, have you heard a commotion and seen a flag or two bounding away at close range? Lack of motion is a deer's best camouflage. Those deer simply stood still until their senses verified that you represented danger. Then they took off, and their sudden flight caught you off guard.

Slow and quiet
Learn to move slowly and quietly, and you'll find you can walk up on unsuspecting deer, even cagey bucks, often enough to make still-hunting worthwhile. How slowly and quietly? If you see more flags than deer, you're moving too fast, making too much noise or both.

Still-hunting is a lost art. Most hunters over 40 can recall an old-timer or two who always still-hunted and almost always shot a buck. The late Ralph Hunt, of Ashland would take all day to cross a northwoods section, that's a mile in 10 hours, and he usually got a buck. He would walk a short distance, then stop and lean against a tree or sit on a stump and watch the woods for 10 or 15 minutes before moving on.

WON editor Dean Bortz knew an old-timer who controlled his speed by side-stepping slowly through the woods. A right-hander, he faced his left side in the direction he wanted to go, so his rifle was at port arms and always ready. Whatever it takes to slow you down, you want to move slowly enough that you don't disturb the squirrels. It's a stop-and-go process, with more time spent on stop than on go.

When you still-hunt properly, you'll start seeing deer. Deer rarely stay bedded in one spot all day. They get up to stretch, eliminate, nibble a twig or just move a few yards to get out of the wind. A moving deer is easy to spot when you are standing still. Look for the flick of a tail or ear, a white throat patch, the horizontal line of a deer's back, or its legs moving below overhanging evergreen boughs. Sometimes the first part of a good buck you'll see is its rack bobbing above waist-high brush.

If you spot a moving deer before it sees you, turn slowly toward it and begin to raise your firearm so that you are ready to shoot when it gives you a clear shot. To stop a walking deer, whistle softly or grunt.

When and where?
Still-hunting works best when the woods are quiet, as after a rain or snowfall. Dry leaves or a heavy frost make walking noisy, but you can sometimes disguise your approach by imitating the step-step-step, step-step-step-step of a whitetail walking. On a breezy day, try shuffling your feet in dry leaves to sound like the wind. Windy days make deer skittish, but wind also covers your approach.

In a heavy snowstorm, deer often seek shelter in evergreens, where you may be able to walk right up on them.
When possible, hunt into the wind or with a cross wind blowing away from the cover where you expect to see deer.
Pick known bedding areas, travel corridors or oak woodlots with a good acorn crop. In hill country, walk below a ridge to avoid being skylined. Walk to the side of deer trails or logging roads, rather than right on them.

Large, unbroken tracts of timber lend themselves to still-hunting, as you can walk all day without running out of woods. Try walking around a small patch of cover instead of through it. Rather than dash across an open field, bucks will often sit tight in such places, hoping you won't see them.

Deer sometimes spend the day in standing corn, where they do not expect to be disturbed. If you zig-zag slowly upwind through a cornfield, you can sometimes surprise deer and get a shot.

Deer on the move
Deer that are startled often run a short distance, then stop to see if they are being pursued. If you jump a buck, watch to see if it turns to the right or left, then quickly head 90 degrees to that line for 100 yards or so and stop. Often, it will circle, either to get wind of you or to head back to where you jumped it. If you stop in the right spot, it may walk right to you.

If you are in good shape, you can sometimes outflank a deer. Years ago, while grouse hunting without a dog, I jumped a deer just inside a woodlot. For fun, I hurried to the edge, unloaded and ran 200 yards or so, then ducked back into the woods and stopped. A couple minutes later, along came the deer I had jumped, a nice six-pointer. The wind was right, and he walked right past me as I stood there catching my breath.

Following a deer track is usually a waste of time, but if you cross a very fresh track or jump a deer in snow, try this flanking technique. When you determine the deer's general direction, make a wide swing to the side of that line, pick a spot where you can see a ways and stop. Wait 15 minutes, then find the track again and make another swing.

Still-hunting gear
For stealth, wear soft wool or fleece clothing and lightweight, flexible-sole boots. Carry a compass or GPS in flat country and on gray days, and leave a note on your dash to let others know where you are.

Put a red-dot optical sight on your rifle or shotgun, or a variable scope turned to the lowest power. Some hunters prefer open sights for quick shooting, but in most cases you will get shots at unalarmed deer, so a low-power scope should help.

In your pack, carry lunch, something to drink, gutting gloves and a rolled-up plastic deer sled or other lightweight dragging system, as you may have to drag a deer a long way.

Playing whitetail solitaire is a good way to score on a day when deer aren't moving. Just be sure you're playing with a full deck.