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Stalking

Glassing and stalking is one of the most exciting, but difficult, deer hunting techniques because it pits the hunter's ability against the razor sharp instincts of the whitetail deer. Essentially, the stalking hunter moves through the woods slowly, stopping often to glass for deer; then moving slowly forward again and stopping to glass for deer.

Many sportsmen who like to be active prefer this method of hunting because they are always on the move, and they see a lot more of the natural world while they stalk through the woods looking for deer. The glass and stalk hunter is also seldom bored because he is always moving, glassing and studying new terrain ahead for deer.

The art of glassing and stalking is called the quintessence of deer hunting, meaning that it is the pure essence of what deer hunting should be. The hunter enters the domain of the whitetail deer and pits his ability against the instincts of the deer.

In the deer woods, the best technology becomes simply another tool, and the hunt reverts back to the primeval contest of hunter and hunted, each carrying out his role in the cycle of nature. And there is no other hunting method that captures the drama and excitement of the hunt as glassing and stalking a mature buck.

The glass and stalk hunter should choose a location that is best suited for undetected movement. Open areas with very little cover should be avoided because the probability is low that a hunter will be able to move through such an open area and get close to the deer without being seen. And with glass and stalk hunting, the main object is to see the deer before it sees you.

A large area of unbroken dense cover is not good for glassing and stalking, either. The benefit of the spotting glasses is negated because the cover is too thick to see into, and the deer will usually see or hear a hunter before he sees them.

The ideal glass and stalk area will be semi-open. There will be small openings that can be glassed for deer, but with enough trees or brush pockets that the hunter can move through to break up his outline and hide his human form.