Tricks for walking on crunchy ground

[Badseed]

So I have managed to find a nice bachelor group of bucks out here in california but they have the perfect hiding spot. They are surrounded by brush for 180 degrees and the other directions are covered with dry grass and dry oak leaves. For the past 4 nights I have managed to get close then just as I get within shooting distance with my bow they walk off into the brush. This is driving me crazy because I know where they are but cant get within 60 yards to make a shot. Obviously some of this could be scent related but I am doing everything I know of to address that including getting dressed on site. I am hoping somebody has some tips for how to be quite on crunchy ground and Im always open to ideas of how to reduce your scent.


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[lyle_destroys]

So all I have is whitetail experience but I think a lot of it carries over.
You can reduce but never eliminate your scent in my opinion, the wind is still a factor. Even when stand hunting whitetails if they come in downwind, all the scent reduction practices will only buy you a little more time.
Is there a transition area somewhere that you can catch them in? Let them come past you instead of you trying to sneak in on them?
I don't think there's any trick to dry crunchy ground, it's just loud.

 

[Wrench]

I made a pair of over boots that had 2 layers of sherpa fleece on the bottom and sides that were incredibly quiet. Bare socks are the bomb.

 

[street]

Can you ambush them now that you have patterned them?

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

I would highly recommend the RimRok Stalkers. They are comfortable and opposed to socks, you won't get poked by something while you walk. Ask my friend how he ruined a stalk by yelling a choice expletive when a thorn punctured the bottom of his foot. I cannot say what that word was as this is a family site.

 

[Soj51hopeful]

If you know where they are bedding every time then sneak in there long before they do and let them come to you.

 

[Badseed]

I know where they bed but the only time I see them leave that location is at night. They are in the relative same vicinity from 6am to dark. I have been try the evening hunts because I know they get up and move something is ticking them off. Last night I had 20 turkeys come within 5 feet of me gobbling and cackling up a storm right as the bucks were moving so I lost track of them.


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[SIontheHunt]

i think a rifle tag would solve the issue. You can also go with a buddy and ambush them as your buddy bumps them past you

 

[Legend]

Wool socks or at least thick socks. Don't forget where you leave your boots!

 

[Badseed]

A rifle would be cheating. Haha. I am strongly considering the wool sock idea but I am curious if that would leave enough scent that in the case I didn’t get a shot, the bucks would hide elsewhere. I have tried two difference scent cover ups the last two nights and I am not convinced they help at all because i watched a fork walk within 30yds of me pause when the wind changed direction and slowly walked back where he came from. We have a million forrest forrest fires in this state right now so the air is smoky and I had hoped that would work to my advantage but apparently not.


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[HighUintas]

Get a monstrous oversized pair of super heavyweight thick socks that would fit over your boots. Or, go to the store and get some faux fur that you can sew into quick slip on booties for your boots.

I have plans for the latter. I've heard of people doing that for whitetail stalking around southern Illinois where I grew up... Because sometimes sitting in a stand is just too boring

 

[HighUintas]

A rifle would be cheating. Haha. I am strongly considering the wool sock idea but I am curious if that would leave enough scent that in the case I didn’t get a shot, the bucks would hide elsewhere. I have tried two difference scent cover ups the last two nights and I am not convinced they help at all because i watched a fork walk within 30yds of me pause when the wind changed direction and slowly walked back where he came from. We have a million forrest forrest fires in this state right now so the air is smoky and I had hoped that would work to my advantage but apparently not.


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You can store your clothes outside in the woods to get rid of that scent, but you'll never get it off yourself. Even if you go to the extreme of not eating highly fragrant foods etc they'll still smell your body. Unless you make a mylar body suit for yourself and then wear enough clothing to muffle that sound. Then all you have to do is resist the urge to die from a heat stroke

 

[plentycoupe]

Wool socks won’t leave any more scent than your boots. Spray them with a scent blocker. Is it the noise or the scent that is blowing the deer out? You can’t beat the nose. Either you are upwind or busted.

 

[Laramie]

You can move very quietly on dry crunchy ground but you have to move very slow. I prefer going in socks when necessary. Another option that may work - arrive at their bedding spot hours before first light. I went out at 2am for a buck once in a similar scenario. It worked but I missed the shot.

 

[Badseed]

As far as my scent reduction process goes I shower up with scent free soaps, scent free antiperspirant, wash all hunting gear including socks and underwear in scent free laundry detergent then place in fragrance free trash bag. My boots are only used for hunting and stored in a plastic bag as week. When I arrive to the hunting location I get dressed and spray down with a layer of scent control spray. I cannot think of anything else I can do to help reduce my scent. I play the wind as best I can also.


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[Badseed]

You can move very quietly on dry crunchy ground but you have to move very slow. I prefer going in socks when necessary. Another option that may work - arrive at their bedding spot hours before first light. I went out at 2am for a buck once in a similar scenario. It worked but I missed the shot.

I move extremely slow and in these conditions I usually only move a few feet before I stop and pause for a minutes. In my experience deer key onto noise and listen to determine if they need to move. After a few minutes of silence the deer relax a bit and forget about the noise. My assumption is that they are used to hearing animals move around, limbs falling, acorns dropping etc so if your movements and noises are broken up you have a better chance of getting in close.


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[MeatBuck]

All that scent eliminator stuff is a whitetail hunter hoax marketing scam in my opinion. The only thing that actually works is ozonics but unless you build a mount onto a packframe to get it above your head as you walk around,(which seems unreasonable) you’re gonna have to set a blind and hope they stroll past it, if you wanna use ozonics.
Otherwise you have to use the terrain to block your sound and pray to the wind gods that it doesn’t blow up your back as you move in. Even with socks or whatever you still have the weight of your body coming down on dry leaves and grass with every step. Leave your boots on and don’t ruin a good pair of socks. Move slow and don’t walk like a human. Break up your footsteps to sound like another animal or scratch the leaves like a feeding turkey as you close in. Sound natural as possible. Because there’s no getting away from making noise in dry oat grass and oak leaves. Accept it and try to use it to your advantage (when situation is right).

 

[Nathanofthenorth]

Hard to beat 2 pairs of socks for quite stalking, and of course play the wind.

 

[Pueblo]

I've had many a successful stalk on gravel/rock/stickers by wearing soft camo pants, doubled up socks without shoes, and crab crawled with my bow on my chest. Even in situations where I could see the buck's face the entire stalk you have to be incredibly slow and patient. I've taken from noon until 5 PM moving 50 yards. It's not easy when the sun is roasting you and the buck is in the shade.

 

[Badseed]

I just tested out the boot vs sock method walking over dry grass and oak leaves. There is a slight difference with the socks which seems to be because you can balance your weight on a smaller area so you are crunching fewer leaves and such. However, there is still a crunch which I think is inevitable. My thought is you could get the same noise reduction from using those shoes with the individual toes and anything with a soft sole that matches your footprint which is probably why some people swear by moccasins for bow hunting.

Next thought, I am thinking about setting up cameras close to where they bed 60-80yds, assuming I don’t get a shot next time. Do you think there is enough scent on the cameras to keep the deer from coming back?


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