How many of you guys are just sitting your hunt?

[APTOutdoors]

I've sat and waited, and it's something in my repertoire. I'm a whitetail guy originally from the northeast so it's easy for me to pick terrain pinch points a d want to sit. I've done it to some level of success while mule deer hunting here in Colorado but the elk density in my unit of choice lends me to walking around more than sitting. I'll definitely sit in the golden hour and glass, and maybe do something similar in the morning for a little bit, but mid day I'm generally walking.

Most all of my encounters during rifle season have been walking, cow call in my mouth prepared to cover my bumbling and stumbling with a call. In bad weather if it's getting to crunch time I'll walk through bedding areas as slow as I can with the wind in my face or across it, that's been pretty successful as well.

 

[nwcogreene]

Not us, this year in Idaho my son and I covered 148 miles in 15 days. Resulting in our dead bulls, and two guys that could keep up also shot bulls. setting and waiting is not hunting..

I tend to fully agree with you, this is hoping and wishing at best, even if animals are known to be in the area. Thats not to say people don't kill animals this way, but its not hunting in the true sense of the word.

 

[intunegp]

I tend to fully agree with you, this is hoping and wishing at best, even if animals are known to be in the area. Thats not to say people don't kill animals this way, but its not hunting in the true sense of the word.

Hiking around seems to be hoping and wishing you're going to see an animal just as much as sitting and waiting for one in an area that they are likely to be.

 

[5MilesBack]

Hiking around seems to be hoping and wishing you're going to see an animal just as much as sitting and waiting for one in an area that they are likely to be.

If you're just hiking around aimlessly, then yes.....probably all hoping and wishing. But September is pre-rut and rut hunting, you have to take advantage of that. Otherwise you might as well just be hunting the rifle seasons with your bow.

 

[nwcogreene]

Hiking around seems to be hoping and wishing you're going to see an animal just as much as sitting and waiting for one in an area that they are likely to be.

Someone's feelings got hurt, not trying to hurt feelings or call anyone out, but this is not a debate, there is a simple definition, and although like i said that it can be successful in killing animals, this is fundamentally NOT hunting lol.

 

[hereinaz]

I tend to fully agree with you, this is hoping and wishing at best, even if animals are known to be in the area. Thats not to say people don't kill animals this way, but its not hunting in the true sense of the word.

I do understand how you define the term “true hunting” and I can see/feel what you mean in my own experiences. I don’t have a problem with an opinion like that. The idea made me chew on it a little bit and ponder, cause I kinda felt the difference between chasing and sitting on my elk hunt. I totally loved hiking/hunting.

There were some very cool feelings when I took my first archery bull this year while chasing him. I could say it was like I “truly hunted” and killed. It was thrilling and exciting being the “hunter” chasing bugles. It takes a lot of work which can be satisfying as well at the end. It was satisfying for me to succeed on my feet after only 40 total miles in a week or so of hunting.

On the other hand, I did sit water most nights, snd yes it’s boring. Yet, the animal kingdom is filled with ambush hunters. And, it takes some work and lots of knowledge to set yourself in a position to ambush hunt successfully. That is hard in many different ways too.

I sat water, and would have been thrilled with a spike if it had come in, which had been coming into water regularly. I was happy and ready to take a spike off water the second to last day. I didn’t, and got to take a mature bull the next morning.

It is different style of hunting to sit. My preference is to get out and hunt on my feet, but sitting is just as much hunting.

When rifle hunting especially, I often sit in a glassing knob. I am sitting here thinking how different is that? It could be said to be even less than ambush hunting because of the advantage of glass. I know some that say it’s boring and don’t do it. They would rather walk a trail and push boulders and shoot the deer. I don’t like that at all…

IMO, when the moment of truth comes, whether sitting or walking, it’s just as exciting.

Same as with bow vs. rifle. It’s exciting either way for me. But, some people say only bow hunting is true hunting, and long range rifle isn’t. But then you have the trad bow guys who can say compound bows aren’t really hunting.

For me, I think as long as it is “fair chase” it is “true hunting”. There are more exciting ways within fair chase for sure. And, I like them the most. But, I will sit if that is the best tactic for me in that moment of time.

Sitting is a great tactic, if that gets the job done. But, different strokes for different folks.

 

[KHNC]

Shot a cow this year one evening. We were watching a meadow with a lot of sign around it. 2 days later we killed a nice 5pt by moving in on bugles and aggressive calling. Usually do a mix of both on our hunts.

 

[nwcogreene]

I do understand how you define the term “true hunting” and I can see/feel what you mean in my own experiences. I don’t have a problem with an opinion like that. The idea made me chew on it a little bit and ponder, cause I kinda felt the difference between chasing and sitting on my elk hunt. I totally loved hiking/hunting.

There were some very cool feelings when I took my first archery bull this year while chasing him. I could say it was like I “truly hunted” and killed. It was thrilling and exciting being the “hunter” chasing bugles. It takes a lot of work which can be satisfying as well at the end. It was satisfying for me to succeed on my feet after only 40 total miles in a week or so of hunting.

On the other hand, I did sit water most nights, snd yes it’s boring. Yet, the animal kingdom is filled with ambush hunters. And, it takes some work and lots of knowledge to set yourself in a position to ambush hunt successfully. That is hard in many different ways too.

I sat water, and would have been thrilled with a spike if it had come in, which had been coming into water regularly. I was happy and ready to take a spike off water the second to last day. I didn’t, and got to take a mature bull the next morning.

It is different style of hunting to sit. My preference is to get out and hunt on my feet, but sitting is just as much hunting.

When rifle hunting especially, I often sit in a glassing knob. I am sitting here thinking how different is that? It could be said to be even less than ambush hunting because of the advantage of glass. I know some that say it’s boring and don’t do it. They would rather walk a trail and push boulders and shoot the deer. I don’t like that at all…

IMO, when the moment of truth comes, whether sitting or walking, it’s just as exciting.

Same as with bow vs. rifle. It’s exciting either way for me. But, some people say only bow hunting is true hunting, and long range rifle isn’t. But then you have the trad bow guys who can say compound bows aren’t really hunting.

For me, I think as long as it is “fair chase” it is “true hunting”. There are more exciting ways within fair chase for sure. And, I like them the most. But, I will sit if that is the best tactic for me in that moment of time.

Sitting is a great tactic, if that gets the job done. But, different strokes for different folks.

Yeah, this is just a fundamental difference in opinion, WHICH IS OKAY LOL, we don't have to agree.

I end up doing what sounds like a similar mix of sitting for 30-60 minutes and then moving then sitting then moving and having a combination of the two.

Also to say "Fair Chase" is "True Hunting" is ridiculous, fair chase in 2024 comes down to laws, not ethics.

How can sitting over a bait pile be fair chase?

And on that note, how can sitting in a tree stand where you've cleared shooting lanes in 360 degrees, cut branches out of your lines of sight and planted the best alfalfa grass etc in these lanes really be considered "Fair Chase"??

It comes down to laws, and often times comes down to the difference between the "haves" who have private land access or ownership and the ability to invest time and money into creating these "killing fields/lanes" near their tree stands or blinds. And the "Have Nots" who are stuck rubbing elbows with other have nots on public lands that are way over crowded and lack the density of game.