The Quiet Factor!

[TYE]

One thing I have learned about crossbow hunters is that there are a fair number of them that get where they need to go because of necessity, not convenience.

I just mean hunters in general... I know of a lot of people around here who drive their vehicles right to under their stand and wonder why they never get any deer. Or their ATV's.

I understand if someone has a disability... that's understandable. But someone capable of walking a few hundred yards to get to their stand, but rather be lazy and drive right to their stand, I think is pretty stupid.

A guy walking through the woods with a "hot pink" bowstring doesn't have a lot of say in the matter.

I don't have a pink string anymore... that string is on my dads Vixen now

I have a blue and grey string on my compound bow BUT! I do have black with 2 hot pink vanes on my arrows.

[Nocturnal]

[Hoss]

I know that deer are smart abd perhaps hold a sixth sense but lets face it people they are an animal!! I think we give them too much credit~!! The can be smart but incredible stupied as well!!

I agree somewhat..I have to give credit where its due..It helps me feel better about myself I guess... But really when it comes to deer there are some that are very WISE to our tactics..( well educated deer) there are others that would qualify as retarded..Ive killed plenty of them for sure..Its the wise ones that are hard to get to..Thats when being quiet and stealthy is important..Some of those deer that are very wise you may never see. One little sound and they are making thier way away from you . Not blowing or snorting at you just as quiet as they can slipping away..The Ghost of the woods they are..

I saw a buck during bow season do an amazing thing. I was hunting a east west tree line next to an old hay meadow that hadnt been worked in a few years..I had been watching a nice 8 point cross the field about 100 yds out up wind. He was a nice little buck not mature but nice. He had no idea I was there.I was watching to see where he would travel for future ideas on where to scout and set up later..He had been wandering around In the field a bit and nibbling everything he could as he slowly made his way across.The field was kinda grown up a bit about 4 ft tall. ...A vehicle came down the road and parked at the entrance to the field where the tractors normaly came into the field. The buck was out kinda in the middle of the field about 30 yds from the dirt road that ran thru it and probably about 200 yds from the entrance where this truck stopped.. The buck saw him stop his truck and as soon as he did he laid down. The guy gets out of his truck gathers all his gear and makes his way down the road right by the buck and the buck never moved..I watched thru my binocs in amazment as the buck seemed to know exactly where this guy was as he went by.. Im sure he heard every step he took. I could not believe what i was seeing going on here. That young buck waited until the guy was past him about 75 yds or so , stood up and ran without making a noise to the corner of the field away from this guy who was walking down this old road. When the buck reached the corner of the field he stopped and turned around and watched this guy walk on as if he was examining his every move. After a few minutes he just stepped into the corner and vanished. This guy never looked back never heard the buck, and never even knew what had just happened and I was left in AWE. So I know some are very smart or educated as to what is danger and they act accordingly I saw it. Since that happened I always look over my shoulder and not just once . I guess if I was on the menu I would hope that I would be as wise as this young buck was..so dont fool yourself they are animals but some are smarter than others for sure..

[one shot scott]

I just think some people are too lazy to walk to their treestands, and just drive their ATV or whatever right to it....

Where I rifle hunt, I sometimes walk miles and miles to get to spots.

I suppose that it could be called laziness, or perhaps "smart", depending on a couple of things. I bring my atv 2/3 of the way to the stand( the end of the traktor path) than walk the remainder. I worry about the noise spooking them, and i pretty much idle the whole way too. for this reason a cart would be better. But I dont think just because one uses a atv it means they are lazy. every second you save getting to the stand means more time in the stand. And as a family man with a crap load of young kids, when I do get a chance to head out for a sit, I need to make it count. That means waiting till the last second before heading out(unfortunatly) and hightailing it back home asap before the wife gets ticked. The atv is another tool that can save you time, but like any tool, it can at times turn the operator into a "tool".
Might I add that the atv comes in handy when its time to bring the meat home too.

[honker]

I believe it depends on area vs. pressure. The more people out and about during the day, the more the deer can be use to sounds (high or low).

For us, we parked at the gate and walked the extra mile into our hunting spots. This year we bagged two bucks in a week at less than 30yards where we've seen them feeding and scraping. I believe we wouldn't of had the same results had we of driven in. The deer in the area have honed in on the usual vehicle sounds and know the roads are busy. But if they hear vehicles coming up the farmer lane, they jet and disappear.

There are two older fellas, 72 and 80, who only hunt during the shotgun week in december. They drive into the area where we typically walk to reach their "designated" spots, 1.5 to 2.5 hours after sunrise. These guys are hunting for the love of getting out and being able to hunt. Unfortunately, they are at the age where their bodies dont quite permit stealth sadly. The noise they generate simply doesn't cut it and they haven't bagged a deer in a couple of years.



Quietness and movement is everything in this sport.