Sitting Still is an art. Learn now.

Calm your mind before starting to hunt; Don’t think!

Sitting still is an art. Sit like you’re asleep, but don’t. Watch closely and learn. photo Dave Richey ©2012

There is an art to sitting still. Not only motionless but doing so without making a sound.

It may sound easy but it is a very difficult thing to do. Everyone fidgets at times, moving around, easing that tree stub that pokes you in the back, and swatting at mosquitoes.

Trust me, sitting still is an art. Not everyone can do it, and I can set like a statue but nothing like I could 20 years ago. Age brings with it knowledge and more aches and pains.

Learn some of the sitting-still methods before bow season

The knowledge is what allows me to tune out the sore back, hips, legs and other body parts. Knowledge is the key to becoming a successful deer hunter.

Anyone who ever studies deer should have learned two things very quickly. Stay downwind of the deer, and  learn how to sit still.

It is not easy to sit still. Those who think they are being motionless and silent are, in many cases, moving far too much and making some noise in the process.

How do you sit still? The best way to learn is to go where deer are plentiful, and sit in a tree or a ground blind. See how long it takes before the hunter spooks deer.

Many feel that only spooked deer snort. Lots of deer simply melt back into cover, and leave the area silently. They are spooked but do not snort.

Watch deer, and see how often they stop and look around for danger. I’ve watched large numbers of deer over the years stand motionless for 30 minutes to an hour after detecting the presence of a hunter. Not a muscle, ear, eye or anything will move it they’ve  been alerted to nearby human  presence.

One of my hunting friends used to hunt a funnel leading out of a cedar swamp to open hardwoods. The swamp was full of water, and it was easy to tell where the deer were coming from. Deer that were wet clear up to their belly were coming through the swamp. Those deer could be heard coming for 15 minutes as the water sloshed around as they moved slowly.

Develop your own method for clearing your mind

Once he spotted a buck moving slowly, and then it stopped. It was 200 yards away but there was an open spot he could see through with binoculars, and he knew there was a hunter upwind of the deer. That animal stood  in cold November water for over an hour without moving. Dusk came and went, and the buck still stood in the water, as motionless as a statue.

How do you sit still? Part of it comes through practice but much of it comes from a total state of mental relaxation. Put your mind at ease, forget about aches and pains and that stiff little stub poking into your rump.

Tune it out. The more you think about it the more it will bother you. The same is true of mosquitoes early in the bow season; forget about them, and the less you move the less they will bother you.

Think good thoughts about good friends. Leave business problems at the office, and dismiss them from your mind. Mentally think about something calm and pleasing. Put your mind in a relaxed state. Forget missed phone calls or upcoming doctor appointments. Clear your mind of anything and everything, relax and don’t think.

Purge your mind of all thoughts and picture yourself somewhere lovely, a spot where you feel a gentle sense of peace, and where nothing can affect you. A friend imagines himself on a calm pond where no wind is felt, no sound is heard, and in his mind he lays back against a boat cushion, stares up at the clouds and his breathing slows down. He keeps seeing that gentle pond in his mind’s eye, and he sits quietly and without motion.

Time seems to pass slowly, and almost as if from a haze, out steps a buck. The animal is upwind, sniffing and looking for danger. Sensing none, he steps forward two or three more paces, and stops.

Don’t fall asleep but act like you are; Pay attention to deer

Relaxed, the deer looks around and watches his back trail. As the deer looks away, the hunter slowly and quietly comes to full draw, aims and kills that deer.

It was easy because the hunter was relaxed. A relaxed sportsman, at peace with body and soul, doesn’t move and doesn’t make a sound.

It takes practice but then so do many other thing in life. Sit in the woods during the summer months, and practice the art of sitting motionless and silent, but realize you needs practice. Do it now, and you’ll be ready for the hunting season when it arrives.

Common sense and intuition work if you pay attention

Really solid ice is needed to support angler & shanty

When it comes to the old cliche like “treading water,” it means much the same as “spinning your wheels.” And frankly, that’s about where I’m at while waiting for lake ice to form a solid mantle on area lakes.

It’s been a long and frustrating wait. But now, a few reports are coming in. One came from a good friend of mine who travels widely across the state, and he is telling me that many smaller lakes in northern counties now have two to five inches of ice.

Is the ice safe? He tells me that it is marginal, even on lakes with five inches. Strong winds have broken up some ice a couple of days ago, and it has frozen again. Broken ice that re-freezes isn’t nearly as safe as a solid layer.

Don’t fish alone on ice, and pay attention to instincts

And then there are the springs to watch out for. Springs can weaken ice directly above where the water bubbles out of the lake bottom, and it can cause wide variations in ice thicknesses in the area.

Inlets and outlets of lakes can cause serious ice problems as well. The moving water tends to eat away at the bottom of the ice, weakening it occasionally faster than cold weather can freeze it.

There are other problems. Wooden docks, old wood pilings and posts, and other woody debris sticking through the ice surface can seriously weaken the nearby ice.

A serious problem with late-forming ice is that if the ice has been broken apart, and then freezes again, it freezes at an uneven rate. One spot can have the strength of regular ice, and 10 yards away is a spot that has very brittle and poor ice.

Weak spots may appear safe, especially if they have a certain amount of snow on top. Too much snow insulates the ice, and it doesn’t freeze evenly or properly. A skiff of snow can hide weakened ice, and a misstep by an angler can send him crashing through.

Ice doesn’t freeze evenly and can be treacherous.

I’m seriously wanting to go ice fishing. However, I am antsy about going out on early ice. I want safe ice under my feet, and I’ve been known to pass up ice fishing all winter if the ice is unstable. Years ago, I would accept such risks.

Now days, there may be a tinge of yellow running up my back. If any part of me gets that certain feeling, a hunch, an intuition, a queasy feeling in my guts, that things may not be right, I stay off the ice. I met a friend who told me the ice was safe, and I had a strong gut feeling about the ice conditions. My instincts told me to stay on shore.

I told him that perhaps I would join him later. He got 10 feet from shore, and went through into chest-deep water. No danger of drowning, but he was spitting and sputtering from the cold water as he broke ice back to shore.

He wanted to know why I didn’t follow him

He was soaked through, and was heading for his car. He paused while unlocking his car door and asked a pointed question.

“Why didn’t you walk out onto the ice with me?” he asked. “Why did you stand up on shore?”

I told him that my instincts, gut feelings, whatever one wants to call them, have taken care of me over the years, and I’ve learned to rely on them. They told me to stay on shore, which I did, and I told him that is why you are cold and wet and I am not.

Gut instincts. Many people have never cultivated or listened to their inner feelings. It’s why some people become victims. Me, I don’t care to become a winter statistic as a result of stupidity. It also answers the question of why I don’t ride snowmobiles.

Sitting still is all in your head.

Deer often are head-up and alert, and may stand back in cover before moving.

There is an art to sitting still. It means much more than being motionless; it means being still without making a sound.

This may sound easy but it is a very difficult thing to accomplish for more than 10 minutes. Most people who bow hunt for deer will fidget, move around, or are easing that tree stub pain sticking them in the back.

Think about this: we watch a musical and our foot taps to the music. We think, and our fingers and head moves. The trick to sitting still means doing so without noise.

To acquire such needed skills it’s important to practice sitting without movement.

Sitting still is an acquired talent. Not everyone can do it, and I can still set as motionless as a statue at the age of 72, but it’s nothing like I could do 20 years ago. Age brings with it knowledge for those willing to learn. It also brings more aches and pains that can affect our ability to remain motionless.

The knowledge of how to do it is what allows me to tune out the sore back, hips, legs and other aches and pains where many injuries occurred many years ago. Knowledge is a key to becoming a successful deer hunter, and sitting still is just one part of it.

Many years ago my back was broken, and a full-body cast was attached. Any movement took time to do, and the movements were like waving a red flag. It did make me learn to sit still because I couldn’t move my body easily. Accepting that was the first step to my success, and once I got out of the full body cast, I continued to practice sitting still.

Don’t think that my sitting-still philosophy means going out and breaking your back. That’s no fun. If you can follow this anecdote and understand why I couldn’t move, it may help.

Anyone who has ever studied deer should have learned two things quickly. Stay downwind of them, and learn to sit still.

Sitting still is a matter of mind over matter.

Sitting still is not easy. Those who think they are being motionless and silent often are moving too much and making some noise. Camouflage clothing is not a cure-all for your hunting ills. Deer spot movement regardless of whether you wear camo or blaze orange.

Don’t move?

• A person’s nose itches so they scratch it.
• A tree stub pokes them in the butt or legs, and they try to ease the discomfort.
• A leafy branch blocks their view so they move their head to see more clearly.
• A rustle in dry leaves sets their head in motion to see what created the sound.
• Boredom sets in, and people become twitchy.

Many hunters feel they are motionless, but in fact, all parts are in motion. Any movement will catch a deer’s attention, and if that happens, it will stand in thick cover until they identify what spooked them. If they determine it was caused by a human, that hunting spot will be blown for the immediate future.

How do you sit still while hunting? Sit in a tree or a ground blind. See how long it takes before a deer is spooked by hunter movement. Pay attention to what triggers fear in deer.

Many sportsmen seem to feel that only spooked deer will blow and snort. Many antsy deer simply disappear, and slowly leave the area. They are spooked but will not snort.

Study deer during summer months and relax around them.

Watch deer, and see how often they stop in any terrain. I’ve watched many deer stand motionless for 30 minutes to an hour after detecting the presence of a hunter in a tree stand. They do not move a muscle, ear, eye, tail or anything – if they’ve been alerted to possible danger.

A hunting buddy used to hunt a funnel leading out of a cedar swamp and into open woods. This swamp was a thick waterhole, and it was easy to tell where deer came from. Those that were wet up to their belly were coming through the swamp. Those deer could be heard coming for 15 minutes as the water sloshed around as they moved. Those deer attracted the attention of any nearby hunter.

Once he spotted a buck moving slowly, and then it stopped. It was 200 yards away but there was an open spot he could see through with binoculars, and he knew there was a hunter upwind of the deer. That animal stood in cold November water for over an hour without moving. Dusk came and went, and the buck still stood in the water, as motionless as a statue.

This begs the obvious question: how do you sit still? Part of it comes through practice but much comes from a total state of mental relaxation. Put your mind at ease, forget about aches and pains, and that stub in the rump. Relax your brain and body, and practice not moving.

It requires a great deal of practice. Try sitting motionless while watching TV.

Tune everything out of your mind. The more you think about an ache or pain, the more it bothers you. The same is true of bugs early in the bow season, and motionless hunters are seldom bothered by insects.

Mentally put all of your thought into something calming and pleasant. Put your mind in a relaxed state. Forget about missed phone calls or upcoming doctor appointments. Clear your mind of anything and everything, relax and simply do not think.

Purge your mind of extraneous thoughts, and picture yourself at peace. A spot where you feel a gentle sense of security, and where nothing bothers you.

Time seems to pass slowly, and almost as if from a haze, out steps a calm buck. The animal is upwind, sniffing and looking for danger. Sensing none, he steps forward two or three more paces, and stops to check his surroundings once again.

Relaxed, the deer turns around and watches his back trail. As the deer looks away, the hunter slowly and quietly comes to full draw, aims and kills that animal. It really can be just that easy.

The hunter was totally relaxed. A laid-back and relaxed sportsman doesn’t move and never makes a sound while on stand.

It takes practice but so do many other things. Sit in the woods during the summer, and practice the art of sitting motionless and silent. You’ll soon learn the secret to sitting still is all in your head.

Over-thinking the hunt

Think too hard about shooting this  buck and it might disappear.

I’m convinced of one thing. It’s my deeply-felt opinion that hunters can over-think a situation and spook deer from their hunting area.

Don’t agree? That’s OK by me. Each of us in this free country are entitled to think what we will, and at times like this, state our opinion. No one needs to agree although I’ve discussed the issue with many hunters, and they agree.

It’s my theory that deer can and will pick up on thought waves. Don’t believe it, then consider this. I was a twin, and my twin before his death could start a sentence on any topic, stop in the middle of a sentemce, and I could complete his thought. Over many years, I’ve known many sets of twins — fraternal and identical — that could do the same thing.

My twin brother and I were inseperable for 63 years before he died of cancer.

We could, within certain parameters, read each others’ minds. I often knew, as a kid, when my brother was getting his butt kicked in a childhood fight. I could perceive his location, and could run to the spot in time to land one on the ear or nose of the bully picking on him. Don’t ask me how it worked but over the 63 years brother George and I shared this world, it worked that way.

Now, after explaining the twin thing, I’ve studied whitetail deer for more than a half-century, I am more than just convinced that the mental attitude of a hunter can create success or render some hunting methods inconsistent or foil them completely.

You don’t need to believe what I am writing but ask that you keep an open mind about what follows. There are many things that we don’t know about the human mind.

Explain to me how an African native can track animals over rocky ground, and when they reach the end of the trail, they find the animal. Explain to me how I can sense a black bear coming to a bait site when I haven’t seen or heard anything that would make me believe that. Explain how when I say “Just one more cast before we leave”, often produces the fish of the day.

I believe that animals can sense potential danger from certain people. Some of my best friends are or were world renowned outdoor photographers. Some can approach quietly within photo range of big bears, wild sheep, goats and deer, and the animals will allow photos to be taken. If that same person is carrying a bow or firearm, the conditions change immediately.

Keep your mind free of any thoughts of hunting, killing, bow or firearm.

Over many years I’ve operated on the theory that predatory instincts carry a special danger signal to wild game. It’s why I never think about shooting a buck or doe. I keep my mind clear, concentrate on thoughts about work or play, or about anything other than killing an animal.

Years ago, when I was learning to deer hunt, I hit on this idea. I test it almost every year by letting a buck get close enough, and if it’s one I wouldn’t shoot anyway, I’ll start thinking about where to place the arrow so the animal, in my mind, died.

Often, within a few seconds, the deer has spooked and run off. Someties it runs out of sight or just out of bow range before stopping, but most of the time the animal puts distance between it and whatever may have scared it. I’m convinced it was my thoughts that chased it away.

Imagine yourself in a strange bar-restaurant, and you feel someone looking at you. A careful search of the room will usually expose the person staring at you. Does it feel hostile? Do you sense danger? It’s the same thing as a buck spooking from thoughts that may lead to its death.

Deer react to stimuli, and may react to your thoughts of shooting them.

Deer don’t think like humans but react to stimuli. How many times have you had the wind in your favor, haven’t moved or made a sound, only to have a buck approach a short distance and then run in the opposite direction? Could you have been thinking about shootinng that deer?

I’ve had some folks say I’m crazy, but in most cases I shoot more bucks than they do. I can’t explain this any better. However, it’s my conclusion after playing with these thoughts for about 40 years, that I’m on to something significant.

So, I think about the Detroit Red Wings or Tigers, wonder who will win the next game, or think about a calm day on a lake. I keep my mind clear of thoughts about killing a buck, never think about my bow or arrows, and often the deer will approach very close. Even as I draw, aim and shoot, I am thinking calm thoughts.

It’s something that works for me. It may your ace in the hole.

Sitting still is an art

The author shot this bear from the ground at a range of six feet.

Anyone who has bow hunted more than a few days should know the importance of sitting still. Knowing that, and doing it right, are two entirely different things.

Sitting still means at least two different things. It means being motionless and quiet. One without the other makes little sense, and it will spook game.

I seldom hunt with another person, but in the past when my kids and grandkids were young, they would go out with me. Most adults can’t sit still, and even fewer children can do so.

Solitary hunters often do better at bow hunting than will two or three buddies.

One of my grandchildren was fidgeting when I whispered to him to sit still. He whispered back that he was sitting still.

I told him his idea and my idea of being motionless and quiet were not the same.It’s taken years to master the art of silent sitting. I’ve taken more black bears than I have fingers and toes, and have learned some of the tricks to sitting as still as a stone for long periods of time.

“The first bear I shot,” another savvy hunter told me, “was on Sept. 10, opening day of Upper Peninsula bear season. This was well over 30 years ago, and tree stand hunting wasn’t legal. I sat alongside but downwind of an active bear trail with my back against a big cedar root-wad on a warm autumn day. The trail was only six feet away.

“Sometime later, I awoke from my dozing and cracked one eye lid to see a black bear walking past. I made a smooth draw and an clean bow shot that took the bruin behind the front shoulder. It ran only 25 yards into tall marsh gras and dropped.”

The hunter said he was absolutely motionless when the bear walked by because he was sound asleep. He admits it was an accident, but he’s since learned to sit without movement or sound for long periods of time.

Over many years of hunting bears and deer, I’ve discovered the trick to being still is to be comfortable, and a hunter must learn how to relax and be at ease with himself and his surroundings if he hopes to be motionless and quiet. The first step is to remove anything that can cause discomfort while sitting

My primary problem is it’s necessary to remove my billfold from my back pocket. If it is left in, my sitting time is 30 minutes or less before my hip begins to hurt from an old injury. No one can sit still if their butt is painfully sore.

Find a place where the human body can be comfortable and then relax.

Sit on the ground, and a root an inch under the dirt will put a crease in your butt, and you’ll start moving to get comfortable. I make certain if I’m in a tree stand that no branch stub is digging into my hip, ribs or spine. A stone in the dirt under you hind end will feel like a boulder after 30 minutes.

Check out each spot wherever you hunt. Remove offending branches or broken branch stubs. Many tree stands have uncomfortable seats because the seat is too low, and your knees are up under your chin and that makes for an uncomfortable seat. Just as bad or worse is a seat that is too high, and you have to sit on the edge of the seat to keep your feet steady on the platform. This cuts off blood flow to your legs, and your toes and feet go to sleep, which leads to more movement.

Learn to get physically comfortable first, and then learn to relax your body and mind. A man told me once that he meditates while in a stand, and although his eyes may be closed and his heartbeat and respiratory system slows down, he can hear the rustle of bear hair against bracken ferns or the faint twig snap of a wandering buck.

This isn’t recommended for someone unaccustomed to meditation. What works for most of us is to free our brain of all thought, to feel comfortable and relaxed, and to will yourself to being motionless. I’ve had bucks approach to within several feet of me without seeing any movement, and that is part of the secret. Keep your mind uncluttered by unnecessary details, and it’s much easier to remain still.

One trick of mine is to fix your attention on a distant object, and stare at it. It will blur, come back into focus, and blur again. Stick with it, and don’t think of deer or work or anything else, and try to become one with your surroundings. Get comfortable and don’t feel like an intruder in the woods.

That works for me and some other people I know, but it may not work for you without a great deal of concentrated practice. The first and foremost thing is to be comfortable. Once the human body is comfortable, start working on the mind.

Soon, with continuous practice, it will be possible to sit motionless for 30 minutes. Then start working on being motionless for an hour. If you can get up to two or three hours, many of your hunting problems will be solved.

Expect sudden noises like flushing grouse, snorting deer or chattering squirrels.

Learn to expect sudden noises, such as a red squirrel chattering. Don’t be startled when a bear or deer steps through dry leaves. Be alert but motionless and still. Sooner or later whatever made the noise will step into view. Never turn to look behind you.

The old Negro League pitcher 59 years ago  – Satchell Paige — had it right when he once said: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” That thought should be considered by hunters who wish to remain motionless.

If you are not moving, you won’t be making noise (unless you snore). Without movement or noise, the only thing you must worry about is being winded. Stay downwind of where bear or deer travel, and you will have removed most of the key things that can spook animals.

Turkey season opens in a couple of month, and movement or  sound (except a turkey call) will spook birds. Their vision is like you or me looking through 10-power binoculars. I wear a camo face mask that covers  my face, ears and glasses, and wear brown gloves on my hand. The trick to shooting a gobble-bird is to be ready for a shot when he steps within range. Sit with the shotgun across your knees, and try to raise it and aim at a bird, abd all you’ll see will be tailfeathers going away.

Practice now, long before turkey or bow season opens, to sit still and motionless in a non-hunting environment. If you can pull that off for two hours, and you follow the other common-sense hunting rules, there won’t be a bear, deer or gobbler that will be safe around you.

Sitting still and not moving any part of your body except your eyes is simply a case of mind over matter. Humans do have a brain, and once they condition it to silent inactivity, their hunting skills will go up.